Gospel at Saint-Sulpice Church for the 2015 Saint-Germain-des-Prés Jazz Festival

Simply sublime.

That's my take on the gospel concert held on Tuesday evening at Saint-Sulpice church that was part of this year's Saint-Germain-des-Prés Jazz Festival.

The church was filled with hundreds of spectators and the music got people on their feet multiple times throughout the performance.

Filling the church
© Discover Paris!

Church lighting
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This concert featured the inimitable Rhoda Scott on the Hammond organ. She played three songs before the members of the chorus took their places on stage.

Rhoda Scott
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Emmanuel Djob played guitar and was the other headliner for the event, undoubtedly due to the success that he is enjoying after his participation in Season 2 of the French version of the reality singing competition, The Voice.

Emmanuel Djob
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Two Paris expats, Linda Lee Hopkins and Joan Minor, formed part of the chorus and also sang solos during the evening.

Linda Lee Hopkins sings "Amazing Grace"
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Joan Minor sings "Precious Lord"
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The performers regaled the packed house with numerous classic gospel songs and spirituals, including "Going to See the King," "Down by the Riverside," and "When the Saints Come Marching in." The entire list of singers and musicians is as follows:

Rhoda Scott : Hammond organ
Emmanuel Pi Djob : chorus leader, guitar, tenor, baritone
Linda Lee Hopkins : alto
Michaël Robinson : tenor
Joan Minor : soprano, alto
Eva Hakapoka : mezzo-soprano
Fey B (Fabrice Claire) : tenor
Rebecca Phirmis : soprano
Sikaa Sidi : alto
Thomas Derouineau : cajon

Djob sang "A Change Is Gonna Come" as a solo during the first half of the concert and later spoke to the audience in French while the rest of the chorus took a break. He sang a song in French, followed by "Georgia on My Mind" infused with the melody of "Amazing Grace." Djob rocked his head just like Ray Charles as he sang this song.

The concert would have closed with Linda Lee Hopkins' solo renditions of "Glory Hallelujah" and Ben E. King's "Stand by Me" (a departure, along with "A Change Is Gonna Come" and "Georgia on My Mind," from the evening's gospel theme). But the audience demanded an encore, so the chorus returned to sing "Oh Happy Day" and "Amen." Mezzo soprano Eva Hakapoka took the lead on these tunes, belting them out with a vibrancy that shook the audience, before the performers left the altar/stage for good.

Eva Hakapoka sings "Oh Happy Day"
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All performers
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This 15th edition of the jazz festival runs from May 21 through June 1, so there are still a couple of days left to enjoy performances. Check out the schedule here.

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Parisians No Strangers to Gospel Music

“After a long love affair with jazz, the blues, and African-American culture in general, Paris is suddenly awash in ‘church music.’”

This quote comes from an article written by Lori Montgomery and published in the Rome News-Tribune in October 1997. The church music that is being referred to is gospel.

The article goes on to quote long-time Paris resident Richard Allen as saying “Gospel has been on the rise for about three years, but now it’s almost taken over. It’s where jazz used to be.”

I’ve lived in Paris since 1992 and can testify that there was a surge of interest in gospel music during the latter half of the decade. While gospel brunches à la Chesterfield Café* are no longer the rage around town, Paris’ love affair with the music is still alive and well. Not a month goes by when there are not several opportunities to listen to gospel performed by groups or solo artists.

Solo artists in Paris tend to be women . . . Manda Djinn and Linda Lee Hopkins spring immediately to mind. These ladies have incredible voices and are an indelible part of Paris’ gospel scene.

Manda Djinn
Photo courtesy of Manda Djinn
Choirs such as Gospel Dream and Gospel River are ever present in Paris nowadays – they perform so frequently that you can easily find fliers around town announcing a 4- to 6-week roster for their concerts. Their concerts are generally held in churches—not only at the American Church and the American Cathedral, but also at French churches such as Saint Julien le Pauvre and Saint Germain des Prés. Gospel Dream recently opened its doors to provide singing lessons (cours de chant) to the general public, offering two sessions every Monday evening.

Gospel Dream fliers
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The Total Praise Mass Choir, organized by Pastors David and Jocelyne Goma (from Congo Brazzaville and Paris, respectively), is another such group. With membership ranging between 150 and 200, it is the largest gospel choir in France. The Gomas have organized an annual Gospel Festival in Paris since 2003 and have invited some of the biggest names in gospel in the U.S. to participate. Artists who have flown to the French capital to sing with the choir include Kirk Franklin, Byron Cage, Marvin Sapp, and Donnie McClurkin.

This year’s featured artist was CeCe Winans.

* The Chesterfield Café, once located on rue La Boétie off the Champs Elysées, is now closed.

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