On Saturday, Nov 6. at 5:00 p.m., in the Meetinghouse, FCCOL will host a “Rhythm of the Saints” Concert featuring Dr. Michael White and his New Orleans Jazz Ensemble. 

In announcing the concert, Senior Minister Rev. Steve Jungkeit said, “During the final days of October and into the first week of November, Christian churches mark All Saint’s Day, or All Soul’s Day.  It is a time in which we honor the lives of those who have died during the past year, but it’s also a time to recognize the wisdom of those who have come before us.  In similar fashion, African and Indigenous traditions use that time to honor their own wisdom keepers of the past, in celebrations that often last for several days.  It’s a cultural practice that we in Old Lyme do well to emulate and uphold.

“Once again this year, Dr. Michael White and his New Orleans Jazz Ensemble return to Old Lyme to help us all to recognize and affirm the ancestral voices that have guided us individually and collectively along our life journeys. 

“With a sound that reaches back to the earliest days of jazz – one that is, in truth, older than jazz, and older than the country itself – Michael White’s music calls to the ancestors, even as it raises the tired and flagging spirits of those privileged to hear these ancient/modern songs.  The jazz ensemble’s songs establish a rhythm for the saints, both the living and dead, for both the past and present.”

The concert is free and open to all area residents.  Seating is available on a first come, first served basis.