ERUUF: Jazz Vespers Mini Documentary

The Eno River Unitarian Universalist Foundation is a church based in Durham, NC on Garret Road. It also happens to be the place where my mother, Jacqueline Brett, is one of the lead ministers. This didn’t affect my willingness to work with her organization, however: as a non-Christian, ERUUF is one of the few religious organizations that I believe non-Christians wished most organizations were like. ERUUF is a diverse, open community where people of different races, sexual orientations, professional backgrounds, and yes, religious beliefs, all congregate to accept a message of universal love.

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Before the pandemic in 2020, ERUUF was also starting to become known for a series of religious services that were put on in conjunction with the North Carolina Central University Jazz Program, which was appropriately dubbed, “Jazz Vespers” worship services. Occurring on the first Saturday of every month, Jazz Vespers combines thematic religious elements with Jazz Music & Poetry to provide an experience that is intended to be seen as an alternative to the traditional worship structure.

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In March of 2020, I had the opportunity to collaborate with Jacqueline Brett to film a Jazz Vespers concert documentary. The intention of this documentary was not only to increase the congregation’s awareness of Jazz Vespers as an event but also to supplement a grant application that would provide Jazz Vespers with its own funding for more ambitious projects in the future.