Nat Phipps of Guilderland on piano, Tom D’Andrea of Clifton Park on drums and Pete Toigo of Chatham on bass perform at Jazz Vespers at First Reformed Church of Schenectady in the Stockade.
At the First Reformed Church of Schenectady, the beat drives an informal evening service. The church’s Jazz Vespers program has been attracting fans of faith and fellowship for the past two years.
“It’s a different offering, a different kind of worship that’s mostly listening to reflective music,” said the Rev. Bill Levering, First Reformed’s senior pastor and a jazz aficionado.
“The particular genre is jazz because it seems to be cross-cultural, cross-class, and it appeals to lots of different kinds of people. So in the church it functions for us pretty well. It’s relaxing.”