Presbybop Music is a musical venture of Bill Carter, jazz pianist and Presbyterian minister. After years of pretending to split the life of faith from the music of jazz, Bill has been trying to find links between the two halves of his brain. Presbybop Music is his attempt to integrate his strong Presbyterian faith with the rhythms of bebop.
In 1993 he formed the Presbybop Quartet with Al Hamme, his college music professor from Binghamton University. With the core lineup of drummer Ron Vincent and bassist Tony Marino, the band has evolved into a consort of musicians who have been turning heads on the musical scene - and adding new dimensions to the faith and worship of the Christian church. As Al Hamme moved into retirement, we welcomed saxophonist Michael Carbone to perform and record with the band.
In recent years, the band has become a quintet or sextet on occasion, with trumpeter Jeff Stockham and others joining in the mix. There is also a special-edition Presbybop "Christmas Eve Band" that presents holiday concerts and an annual jazz celebration on December 24.
Based in northeastern Pennsylvania, this consort of consummate professionals has presented concerts and jazz worship services in churches and venues around the country. Their music has been widely acclaimed. To date, Bill's Presbybop ensembles have recorded eleven compact discs: Faith in a New Key, Dancing Day, Fragile Incarnation, Stand On Your Head, John According to Jazz (with biblical storyteller Dennis Dewey), Welcome Home (with vocalist Warren Cooper), Psalms Without Words, Interior Window, Jazz Noel, Jazz for the Earth, and The Dancing Calvinist.
Bill Carter spends most of his time as a busy pastor in a bustling church. Yet he keenly senses that God wants him to use his musical gifts as a means of reaching people with the good news of God's grace, peace, and joy. His jazz ministry has received national recognition, and has served as a model for integrating the arts in Christian ministry.
