After a six-year wait, the much anticipated The Gospel According To Jazz, Chapter IV is finally here with a two-disc, 19-song CD feature-length DVD that sets a benchmark for live recording, nuanced performance and deep improvisation at the most profoundly felt, thoughtfully conceived, personal level. Kirk Whalum’s insightful and revelatory narrative enriches the whole experience, with an up-close and personal look at the heart of the artist and his art. The Gospel According to Jazz, Chapter IV is an invitation to pause, hear and “see” in a fresh, prescient way; it is also a tribute album that is uniquely gospel-centric. Honored are heads of state (Mandela and Obama), departed and greatly respected and loved artists (George Duke, Wayman Tisdale and John Coltrane), alongside mothers (Kirk’s, and yours if you like) and a homeless woman Whalum came to call friend (“Nannette”). In myriad ways, the gospel’s welcome is declared and displayed with eloquence and power.
