gospel

When Marvin Sapp was a young boy singing gospel songs alongside his father at his local church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, he never could have imagined where he would end up decades later. Now 52, Sapp has a 36-year-long gospel career under his belt, with millions of records sold and a charting number-one single.

Gregory Groover Jr., Kenny Garrett, Immanuel Wilkins, Joel Ross, and Javon Jackson have all released jazz recordings within the past nine months that place gospel in the foreground. While jazz has its roots in the spirituality of the Black church, the current phenomenon of gospel-jazz recordings is more explicit and widespread than ever.