The Feast Of Lights
1956 To 1969
University of Redlands Choir and Chapel Singers
Directed by J. William Jones and Jeffrey Rickard
Audio by Ken Folsom, Jerry Linkhart and Rod Stephens
The Hymns, Carols and Anthems here available for listening or download are mp3 (lower audio quality, near universal hear-ability) versions of full fidelity originals remastered, selected and collated as a labor of love by Rod Stephens from labor by several generations of the University of Redlands Choir and Chapel Singers, J. William Jones and Jeffrey Rickard, Directors, during the celebrated, annual Feast of Lights at that institution. The original, long-term audio recordist of the UofR Choir was Ken Folsom. Jerry Linkhart, UofR 1969, also made original recordings used in this collection.
A CD containing the full fidelity originals is available for $15 from Rod Stephens, a life-long professional chorister, a University of Redlands, University of Redlands Choir and University of Redlands Chapel Singers alumnus (1958) and a Hollywood-career audio and film editor:
Rod Stephens
1787 Lakeside Dr.
Redding, CA 96001-5666
savecal@sbcglobal.net
I also am a University of Redlands, University of Redlands Choir and University of Redlands Chapel Singers alumnus (1965), although not an artist in audio.
The Feast of Lights was a Service of Worship. It was not a musical performance. It occurred just before Christmas Vacation at the University's Memorial Chapel. Rod has created with this collection what our beloved Conductor, J. William Jones, aimed for in his professional career: the evocation through sound of a religious experience, specifically the paradox, pathos, tenderness and grandeur of the Advent-Christmas-Epiphany Story. This work is a crown jewel, perhaps the crown jewel, in Rod's long, fruitful career.
Here are Rod's liner notes for the CD:
In remastering the 1956 to 1969 Feasts and recording sessions, I've ended up doing a compilation which I think fits the overall shape of the Feasts as Jones did them. However, it was a bit tricky in that for the last of the '60s Feasts, the Ken Folsom master tapes I'd received from Jeff Rickard didn't include all of those final years. Fortunately, I could draw on some tapes given to me by Jerry Linkhart '69 who did simultaneous recordings along with Folsom. Unfortunately, they were not entirely perfect (hum and other artifacts), but my bag of audio tools came in handy to fix them as well as possible to be quite acceptable sound records of the services.
The selections of recordings in this album came about from conversations I had with Norman Reeder '66 about mastering them to CD. In particular, Norman had personal knowledge of the two May 1964 recording sessions prepared by Jones who had hoped that the results would be the next Redlands Columbia Records release. Jones first referred to the overall grouping of the compositions as "Carols of the Star/A Fantasy" as presented in the 1963 Feast, and then, for the projected Columbia release retitled it "Music for Christmas" and finally, "Music for Advent, Epiphany and Christmas". Norman's unique knowledge of the history of the recordings came from his membership in the U. Choir and later, the Chapel Singers, but more importantly as Jones's Executive Secretary for 1965-1966.
I hope the selections will be the ones you would have picked, but I have the luck of being "THE EDITOR", so they are the ones that truly touched my ear and soul as the essence of JWJ [J. William Jones]. The album will run the full 80 minutes that a CD can hold, so I'm pleased with that, too.
Rod Stephens '58
With this CD compilation, Rod has created an actual Feast of Lights Service of Worship that is the essence of all we did and could do. To me, a religious experience.
I converted the CD tracks he sent me to mp3 and m4a and wanted to post the mp3 versions because they are more widely hearable than m4a. Less audio quality, of course, but also less byte count. I encourage you to contact Rod for the full fidelity CD. You will be pleased.
Rod Stephens
1787 Lakeside Dr.
Redding, CA 96001-5666
savecal@sbcglobal.net
All this is labor of love by Rod Stephens! Because of him, we have a record of miracles in music, The Feast of Lights at the University of Redlands, 1956 to 1969, directed by J. William Jones, mostly, and Jeff Rickard, for 1969.
