After a cancellation and a postponement due to weather, our new Sacred Band finally debuted on Sunday, March 4th at the Christ Lutheran Church in Hellertown, Pa. What began a long time ago as a vision finally came to fruition as we performed for the wonderful congregation of the Christ Lutheran Church. Like I said in my previous blog, our 17pc. big band that plays in churches is AWESOME, but, the size and logistics of programming that can be an issue and very difficult to schedule. So, when the interest came from Christ Lutheran to book sacred music, we felt the need to move in a different direction. A direction that would feature a smaller band which is easier to adapt and book for a wide variety of churches and their facilities. The new 7pc. band features vocals, piano, bass, drums, trumpet, sax, and trombone.

Although I am the leader of the band, the featured instrument is the vocalist, which is very capably handled by my sister Linda. Whether singing solo or leading the congregation in song, her energy and praise of the Lord is unmistakable. Although we were dealing with the winter blues from the recent rash of storms which left many without power, she wiped that away and got many up on their feet to worship the Lord in Praise! Backing up Linda was a driving rhythm section featuring Steve Wysocki, Tom Mondschein and Mark Marina. Steve, who is the Minister of Music for the church, played keyboard and did a great job. This band was new for him and his excitement was contagious to all of us. Tom played Bass and has been with the big band for many years. Sitting behind the drums, Mark kept the feel and drive throughout.

On the other side of the band was the horn section that added pop and sizzle to the songs. The section consisted of myself on trumpet, Ricky Paetzell on saxophones and Dustin Hartman on Trombone. The three of us have played together for many years in the big band and it was a pleasure to join these two well-trained musicians in the section once again. The band jelled together on so many levels. You could definitely feel the sense of joy and satisfaction as this project, which has been in the works for quite a while, finally happened.

One neat aspect about this band is that we have an eclectic playlist of music. We play revered standard hymns, contemporary praise and worship songs and even jazz influenced hymns. We began the service with a beautiful quartet arrangement of It is Well With My Soul. Led by the flugelhorn, this arrangement was a perfect vehicle to calm the mind and to be able to mentally prepare for the service. We then had the congregation join us on Stand Up and Bless the Lord and All Hail The Power of Jesus Name. These 2 are great for anyone to join in as it combines a fun newer contemporary song with one of the most all-time favorite hymns.

After the sermon, we had a chance to stretch our chops a bit as we were featured on Oh, Happy Day! This was performed in the style of the song as heard in the movie Sister Act 2. This bluesy rock feel was fun to play and easily a crowd favorite. They couldn’t help but to clap along and move in their seats to this song. We then had chance to play for their communion. We chose Christ is Reaching Out. A really pretty jazz ballad by David Arivet, Linda did a great job capturing the feel and style of the song backed by a solid arrangement. We finished off the morning with a nice version of Crown Him With Many Crowns and reprised Stand Up and Bless the Lord as our postlude.

I can’t say enough how gracious and generous Steve, Pastor Phil and the rest of the members of CLC were to us. They are very welcoming and I am glad we were able to debut with them. We are very thankful to them for all they did for us. We hope we can do this again with them in the future.

So, where do we go from here? We have photos, a video and are now ready to begin seeking opportunities. We want to spread our music and our vision with as many churches as we can. Whether it is during a service or for an evening show featuring the band, we welcome a chance to share the praise at a church near you. Please call me at 908-619-4502 or visit www.vposwing.com or www.vincepettinelli.com to bring our band to your church.

February 18, 2018
Christ Lutheran Church, Hellertown, Pa.
10:45am Service
https://www.christlutheranhellertown.org

Of all the musical offerings that I am a part of, the one that is the most rewarding is my sacred big band.  The ensemble is a 17pc. band which plays sacred songs and hymns but in a swing and jazzy setting.  There is nothing as great and awesome as the sound of a big band performing in church.  The oddity of it alone makes it a must see for anyone. But, the experience of hearing such a sound is what makes it so great.  Yes, it can be a bit loud at times. But, what would you expect from 17 musicians performing in a church? However, because of the style of the music, the volume never becomes an issue. When directing the group, it is always so rewarding for me to turn to the audience and see the enjoyment on their faces as they hear their favorite hymns played in a jazz setting.  For many churches, music plays a vital part of their Sunday service. Whether it is an organ, praise band or even just a piano, they lead in song and help to give praise to the Lord.   The Sacred Big Band was formed in 2011 after I felt led to begin a new ensemble which could take the love for the Lord and my faith and pair that with the swing band.  It was and still is a great experience for me to direct this group.  The arrangements are terrific and everyone realizes this is such a unique ensemble that it is hard not to experience joy.  Unfortunately, due to space constraints, it is not easy for the band to perform in many churches. It seems finding enough space to adequately fit us in is a key issue. The churches that I talk to love the idea and wish we could schedule a performance. But, when our next conversation covers logistics, it can tend to be a deal breaker.  I wish we could play every Sunday somewhere. But, it is just not possible.

With the declining number of churches to perform in and the opportunities becoming fewer, I realized that if I wanted to keep this moving forward, I needed to be pro-active to their concerns and find a way to be more feasible to church facilities and schedules.  So, it is with great excitement and joy that I announce that we now have 7 pc. Sacred praise band that is about to start performing in churches.  The band, comprised of horns, solid rhythm and great vocals will feature a blended style of favorite hymns as well as contemporary praise and worship favorites. Many churches with blended services may have a praise band already, but, this ensemble combines the best of traditional, contemporary and jazz all in one! We have been working had to compile music and arrangements and are ready to perform.  Merging styles such as, rhythm and blues, Latin, contemporary and soulful jazz together, our group is ready to spread Praise wherever we go.  I am excited to announce that our first performance is set for Sunday, February 18, 2018 at the Christ Lutheran Church in Hellertown, Pa.  The service is at 10:45am and we welcome you to praise the Lord with us!

I have had the privilege to perform in the church the past two years with Ken Brader and the Holiday Brass Quartet.  I have always been impressed with the musical direction and the planning of their music schedule. They do not take a break in June but rather schedule a variety of groups and performers all summer long to provide spiritual renewal.  The music department is in very capable hands led by Steve Wysocki, a very talented organist and educator.  Steve clearly has a vision and desire to bring the congregation more diverse music and opportunity for worship.  I have always enjoyed my time playing for this church. Whenever the quartet has played, they are always so welcoming and excited to hear us. They are an active church and always seeking the best for their congregation.I am very much looking forward to our debut performance and am glad that it can be at such a great church like Christ Lutheran.  I welcome everyone to our debut and hope you can come. It should be a great time and.  The church is located at 69 Main Street, Hellertown, PA 18055. It is very easy to get to. Take Route 78 to Exit 67 and proceed south on Route 412 for about 2 miles. The church will be on your left hand side across from a used car dealer. It is that easy. If you have any questions or need more info, please call me and I will be able to help you out. I can be reached at 908-619-4502.

We would love to see you on Sunday, February 18^th at 10:45am.  If you can’t make it, I will blog after and hopefully have some video clips to share with you.

Blessings to all of you!!

The group is comprised of myself on trumpet, Rick Case on drums, Joe DeMaio on bass, Oscar Duarte on auxiliary percussion and Jennie Tielman on piano.  Jennie was unable to make it so Linda Pettinelli (my sister) filled in quite ably for her. We played “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” and “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder”.  This was the first time that our jazz quintet has performed outside of Bethel.  When the coffee house date was set, I thought it would be great to include this group to have an opportunity to perform for a different audience away from the church campus.”

The members of the group beside myself mainly only perform with the praise team at the church.  So, when this opportunity came along, I knew it would be a great chance to get out of our comfort zone. I’ve always believed that anytime an ensemble or performer has a chance to play outside of their regular spot, it can only strengthen them. When you go to a venue that is new, there is a sense of uncertainty and you don’t always know what to expect. It actually draws everyone closer because the only thing that you can rely on initially is each other.  It is natural if you are in an unfamiliar place to cling to what you are comfortable with.  So I thought from this aspect it would be a nice bonding experience for all of us.  Then, when you begin to perform you know it sounds a little different and that forces your ears to be even more focused to what is going on.  This is always my favorite part.  When you begin to hear your music and it sounds a little different than the way it usually does, it allows you to take more chances and develop more creativity.  I believe the members of the quintet did just that on Saturday.  I felt Oscar was playing more unique rhythmic patterns and whether he recognized it or not, was branching out and expanding on the parts he normally plays. The same was true with Rick. I felt his drumming had a different vibe to it as he added some neat new grooves to both songs.  Both added a nice touch to the music allowing us to really feed off of one another.  All of these experiences I believe, will help us in the future as we continue to grow and build on the success we are having. Overall, we are most happy to be able to Glorify the Lord through our music! We were very grateful to have the opportunity.

In addition to performing, I also had the privilege of running sound and lights.  I had recently purchased some new LED lighting so I was excited to be able to use them. Memorial Hall, which is used for Sunday school, the boy scouts and an occasional covered dish was transformed so nicely with the ambiance and feel of a real coffee house.

The night was awesome. Everyone had fun, loved the entertainment and enjoyed reminiscing with the trivia contest.  As I said, “It was a great night for the church”!  The mission aside, the fact that it was a miserable rainy Saturday and yet still drew a record crowd is a great sign of strength and growth occurring within Pilgrim.  As of now, there is talk of wanting to schedule another coffee house in October.  I am already looking forward to it with plans to grow the event even more.

More information regarding the Presbyterian Coffee Project of Equal Exchange and Fairly Traded Coffee can be found on the website http://equalexchange.coop/pcusa

A Beautiful place to enjoy an Easter Morning Service

The Easter season has always been an important time for me.  As a kid in school, this usually meant Spring Break or at least a few vacation days if we did not use all of our snow days. It also served as a pseudo introduction to Spring. It seemed Easter Sunday was filled with great Spring-like weather with the hope of the season to come and the thought that the cold snowy days were behind us.  As I grew up and learned more about my Christian Faith, I began to appreciate and revere Holy Week for a much different reason.  A much more important one.  Each event during Holy Week has significant meaning to me and it has changed who I am today.

One great joy I have each Easter Sunday is to perform for the Easter morning service at the Carmel Presbyterian Church in Glenside, Pa. I’ve had the privilege to play at the church since 2012 along with trumpeter Chris Ballentine.  Both Chris and I are very ably accompanied by organist Abby Palmisano.  Abby is a very talented organist and choir director who has a great vision of the music program at Carmel.  She is very attentive to detail demanding the best from everyone yet is very kind and gentle to work with. She is fortunate to get to play the great Carmel Organ. Dating back to 1926, the Austin Organ had 18 ranks.  Twelve more ranks were added in 1955.  The 30 ranks left much to be desired tonally.  The church was Blessed in 1993 when renowned organ-voicer Bruce Shultz rescaled and revoiced the organ without removing any of the pipes.  The final touch was the addition of digital ranks by Walker Technical Co., with voicing by Mr. Walker himself along with Mr. Shultz to produce a glorious sound that truly rings to the Heavens inside the church.

The church has so much character as it a wonderfully constructed of brick and stone with high ceilings and exquisite stained glass windows. But, not just single pain windows. Several areas have full-scale artistic motifs and designs that are works of art themselves.  The original church dates back to 1872 when it was sponsored by the Abington Presbyterian Church. The first church building, the chapel, was constructed at the corner of Mt Carmel Avenue and Edge Hill Road, and dedicated on February 15, 1876. The formal organization of Carmel Presbyterian Church took place on February 15, 1882, with 26 charter members. As things grew, it was determined that a full-scale church needed to be built. So, in 1894, ground was broken and on January 26, 1896 the first church was dedicated. As the area was growing, so was the church. The tiny church of 1896 could not hold the explosion of growth.  This led to it being torn down and the building of the current structure in 1924-25.  Amazingly, by 1924 church membership had grown to 662 and the Sunday school had 825! Carmel’s membership grew to its highest in 1952 as it welcomed 2256 members weekly to service. Even more amazing was that the Sunday school or church school, had an incredible 1,816 in 1949. Needless to say, a new church school had to be built.  With this incredible history, you can see why I enjoy making the trip to Edge Hill Road in Glenside to be able to take part in a wonderful service of a church with such great history.  This year, an elevator was added to assist guests with the 2 floors of steps.  However, in great Carmel tradition, the design and implementation is not gaudy and filled with a modern look.  The construction echoes the craftsmanship and look of the existing building with a beautiful design reminiscent of its original design.  To learn more about the church and all the great things it does for the community, please visit their website at www.presbycarmel.org.