About
Praised as “absolutely sensational” and “a fabulous evening of music”, What Shapes A Soul? explores spirituality in music and takes the listener on a grand adventure from American gospel and spiritual hymns to their routes in African folk music. The first half of the programme centres around the music of the present day, where Steven Banks’s monumental Come As You Are integrates the religious hymns of gospel with Romantic classical music, alongside gospel bonanza Come Sunday, and songs from revered 50s soul singer Sam Cooke. The second half ventures back to the routes of this music, featuring spirituals from Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, New Orleans jazz and a folk finale – Suite after Abel Selaocoe, exploring Selaocoe’s unique musical voice bringing African traditional music to new audiences.
What Shapes A Soul? has been kindly supported by collaborative pianists Jo Foote, Richard Pearce, Iain Clarke, Leo Nicholson and Jonathan Musgrave, as well as saxophonists Christian Forshaw and Mick Foster, and is touring across the UK in 2025 and 2026, with saxophonist Samuel Beddard joined by pianist Jo Foote.
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“Absolutely sensational” – Jane Smith, curator of The Sunday Sessions, Cottingham
“What a tour de force of saxophone playing” – Mike, compere at St Peter’s Church, St Alban’s
“You’ve soothed our souls and taken us around the world at the same time… our souls have been soothed, awakened, and perhaps we’ve got much to contemplate” – Fr Andrew Hall, vicar of St Catherine’s Church, Burbage
“Spiritual playing reminiscent of Pharaoh Sanders” – Ben Jennings, folk singer-songwriter
“You make the soprano laugh and cry, and your playing of it is so emotive and wonderful” – Sarah Spurr, educator-arranger
“Beautiful soaring tone” – Sue Jackson, violinist & educator
“Executed with great smoothness and calmness” – Stephen Bashforth, chairman of Phoenix Saxophone Orchestra
“It was an absolute privilege to be there” – audience member
“A fabulous afternoon of music” – audience member
Venues
Programme
Come Sunday
I. Testimony, II. Shout!
Come As You Are
I. Lift My Eyes, II. Times of the Storm, III. Strength of My Life, IV. Lift My Hands
A Change is Gonna Come
Deep River
Egyptian Fantasy
Dou
Suite after Abel Selaocoe
I. Qhawe, II. Kea Morata, III. Hlokomela, IV. Takamba, V. Ka Bohaleng