AMAZING GRACE - IRVIN MAYFIELD, JR

My New Year's gift for those of you who are not glued to the TV watching football is this video which shows Irwin Mayfield, Jr. of New Orleans, playing "Amazing Grace" on the Elysian Trumpet, which was hand-built by David Monette.

This stunning instrument has been created to honor the memory of all who perished due to Hurricane Katrina. Its design celebrates the rich musical and cultural heritage of New Orleans and the sounds of our Jazz legends. Jazz has been the heart of this city since the days of marching bands and Louis Armstrong. Today this indigenous music is more important than ever. The cultural strength of Jazz moves us from disaster to a new beginning celebrating our history and giving us the inspiration and blessing of the many that have gone before us. Monette, along with nationally known artist and goldsmith Tami Dean have been collaborating for nearly 25 years

The video was made at Christ Church Cathedral at the Eucharist at which Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefforts-Schori presided and preached during the meeting in New Orleans of the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church. The service was beautiful, but this performance by Irvin Mayfield, Jr. was outstanding and quite moving. Here's what I wrote the day after:

The trumpet produced the sweetest sound I have heard come out of a horn - ever. And I have heard many trumpets. Mayfield played the most magnificent "Amazing Grace" that I have been priveliged to hear. Two such superlatives, one after the other, may be hard to believe, but they are true. I was crying during his performance. What heart! What an instrument!

Trust me that you do not get the full effect of the sound in the video. You had to be there.