print: Jonathan - Interview (July, 2007) | BlackGospel.com, Your Gospel Music Ministry Source!

Interview with Jonathan Hall
July, 2007, BlackGospel.com by Christopher Heron

As the unofficial world’s capital, New York City has earned its international reputation for Broadway plays, culinary excellence, and congested streets in shopping districts…and for being the most ethnically diverse municipality on the planet.

NYC has also developed its prestige for hosting some of the most colorful and charismatic churches and music ministers in America, particularly if you make your way into the bravest of its boroughs known as Brooklyn, New York.

Whether you’re experiencing the melodious ministry of the Institutional Church of God, the solemn worship of the Christian Cultural Center or the power and praise of the Love Fellowship Tabernacle, you’re definitely in for a soul-stirring experience. These Brooklyn-based brick-and-mortar sanctuaries have birthed some of the world’s finest ministers of music of our time, such as Rev. Timothy Wright, the late Benny Cummings, Pastor Hezekiah Walker and Professor James Hall.

Continuing in the tradition of sacred music fused into the sound and spirit of the Brooklyn experience is the new album from The Voices Of Promise – Awesome (Imok Gospel) - under the direction of minister Jonathan Hall. This zealous youth choir formed in the basement of the St. Mary Church of God In Christ is adding to the long tradition and tall tales of Brooklyn’s fascinating Gospel scene that has set the standard for scores of community and church choirs around the country.

BlackGospel.com recently interacted with the founder, Jonathan Hall (no relation to James Hall) about this ‘awesome’ church-based choir, the album that has pooled music talent from Brooklyn Heights to Coney Island and his fascinating soon-to-be-released documentary on the magical Gospel music scene of Brooklyn, New York.

Christopher Heron: New York is such a rich city when you consider its colorful churches and the Gospel music that pours through its church doors. What was your experience like, growing up in this atmosphere? And how did this church experience plant the seeds for you to serve the Lord in music in so many ways?

Jonathan Hall: The atmosphere growing up in Brooklyn, NY was absolutely electric. I grew up in Calvary Baptist Church in Red Hook. As a boy, my older brother used to take me with him to the broadcast every Sunday night at The Institutional Church of God in Christ. My older brother sang and played the trumpet behind their youth choir, The Gospel Expositions. If you were a singer or musician back then, Institutional was a weekly pilgrimage. The singing, the musicianship and the entire atmosphere were something to behold.

Coming up in those surroundings embedded a love for gospel music that has remained with me all of these years. Another influence was my brother Kenny and his album collection. He had; Benny Cummings, Tri-Borough Mass Choir, Jeffrey White and The Soul Stirring Crusade Choir, Keith Pringle and some folks I can’t even remember. My brother didn’t just listen to who were popular, he listened to everybody that had a unique sound. All of that experience poured into me what would be the cement to build a sure foundation in Godly music for my future.

CH: You’re a music minister, songwriter, choir director and film director. Share with us how you grew to wear so many hats. And which hat do you enjoy wearing the most?

JH: I never intended to wear so many hats. It just happened that way. I grew up in a musical household, the youngest of ten kids, and there were always instruments around. I was just a late bloomer. I played a lot of instruments coming up but never really settled on one until I was almost twenty. The Lord didn’t start giving me songs until after I got good and saved and was grounded in the local church ministry he sent me to labor. Then the floodgates opened up wide. I got into filmmaking a few years ago and I love it. My first feature is a “Gospeumentary” (that’s right, you heard it here first) called “Heart of the Brooklyn Sound”.

The youth choir-recording project took up a lot of my time over the last year so the film will likely be released late 2007 or early 2008. The film features interviews with; Hezekiah Walker, Timothy Wright, James Hall, Bishop J.C. White and the whole Brooklyn posse. It tells the story of the development of the gospel music sound out of Brooklyn, NY. It’s hard to say which hat I enjoy wearing the most. I guess the most honest answer would be whichever hat I’m wearing when you ask me.

CH: There are so many gifted music ministers and ministries who’ve blessed New York with Gospel music, from Hezekiah Walker to the professor James Hall, from the godfather Timothy Wright to the Institutional Radio Choir. Their contributions have collectively left an imprint that’s entirely New York. How would you describe the New York sound and style? And how is this sound and style reflected in The Voices Of Promise?

JH: As far as describing the style and sound of New York, Stanley Brown said it to me in these words, “In Brooklyn, we church hard!” I think that the New York sound is a hard-hitting in your face style that mirrors the vibe of the city itself. The Voices Of Promise are young and fresh and have their own thing going on but there’s no escaping that the whole NYC trademark sound is all over this project. You mentioned Timothy Wright. Well, his son Dwayne played about half the tracks on bass for us. Anybody that follows Hezekiah Walker knows that Butch Heyward and Melvin Crispell have each written a number of hits for Love Fellowship. Both of them made contributions to our project as well. Melvin also saddled up on the Hammond for us on a number of tracks. James Hall was the first to stop by our rehearsals and teach us what ended up being the opening track on our CD.

This project is unrelenting, high octane, non-stop NYC gospel. It was kind of hard not to reflect that sound when you have so may of the purveyors of that sound participating on the project. I’m glad that people can hear us and know where we come from. It’s who we are. People say I look like my father all of the time. Who am I supposed to look like? That’s who I came from. Besides, we produced the CD with people in mind that like to sing along and jump out of their cars at red lights and shout. That’s how we church in NYC, hard

CH: The Voices Of Promise is the newest addition to the New York Gospel community. What factors or variables were responsible for the creation of this church-based youth choir?

JH: April 2006 the choir didn’t even exist. We had no youth choir in our church. I just gathered up the young people and asked if they wanted to do something fun and record a CD single as a surprise for the pastor’s annual day. We’d sneak rehearsals on Saturdays and whenever the pastor would pull up at the church, our look out would signal and everybody would scatter and go jump double-dutch or pick up a broom or something and start cleaning the church. But the idea just kept snowballing. A few months later instead of a CD single with “Youth Choir” written in magic marker, we were recording live in a church with a seating capacity of close to 1,000 people. And yes, the pastor was quite surprised when he walked into it.

CH: The Voices Of Promise have released an album they can be proud of. Awesome features some very familiar names from the NYC area as songwriters and musicians. Tell us about the relationship you have with these personalities and how their input and gifts helped complete the final product.

JH: Butch Heyward took time back in the 80’s to try to teach me how to play the organ. Melvin (Crispell) would sit by the piano innocently and unknowingly mocking me. He’d nail every lick and chord Butch tried to make my seemingly palsied fingers play. I love Melvin, but I wanted to have him assassinated for that. Mel is one of the greatest songwriters of our time and I was content that he gave us a song but he went the extra mile helping with arrangements, coming to the studio with us, giving pointers here and there and actually playing on a couple of tracks himself.

James (Hall) is just a cool brother. I don’t even remember exactly how we met, but ever since we did, he’s have me brokering rehearsals for Worship and Praise and The Voices of Citadel; editing and shooting video and even some logo design work. I probably have more exclusive never before seen James Hall video footage that can be used in a year. James puts everything he has into everything that he does and is very hands on in whatever his name is attached to. For our project James left home 1:30 in the morning once just to go to the studio to listen to a mix.

Most guys that follow gospel musicians know Eddie “Animal” Heyward and Dwayne Wright as sensational musical talents but really don’t know just how cool those brothers are. It wasn’t just the big name musicians and songwriters that made the project the success that it is. Isaiah Johnson is one of the baddest drummers I’ve ever known and he’s only fifteen. Justin Cunningham is really an organist and preacher that just happens to play bass and what he does on this project is crazy. My musical director Joe Thompson was probably NYC’s best-kept secret until our CD came out and my producer Martin Christie knew just where to add the bells and whistles.

CH: And finally Jonathan, what do you envision for the ministry of The Voices Of Promise? And what is your hope and prayer for those who will soon discover Brooklyn’s newest recording choir?

JH: My prayer is that The Lord uses this group of young people to uphold the standard of ministry in an industry driven market. I like to envision the choir being used of God to remind young people that church music is still “what’s up”. My hope is that God’s people will be blessed by this project. I particularly want saved young people to hear it and be encouraged to be unafraid to uphold the standard of holiness that they were taught to embrace even when it seems unpopular. My prayer is that people will see The Voices Of Promise on a train bound for glory and decide they want to get on board because VOP looks like they’re enjoying the ride.

For more information on this dynamic youth choir from Brooklyn, New York, visit the official website at www.voicesofpromise.org. To contact Jonathan Hall regarding more information, booking, special appearances and the upcoming documentary feature – Heart Of The Brooklyn Sound – email him at jhall@imokchristianfilms.com or call 718-662-6661. For more information on the upcoming documentary film, visit www.imokchristianfilms.com.