Featuring the 20 Piece Calgary Jazz Orchestra and their outstanding soloists, the New West Symphony Chorus and guests Dee Daniels and Vincent Gardner Before man controlled fire, there was music and dance. Music has always been a part of the human condition, and an important part of most of the world's great religions, very much including Christianity. Across the ages, listeners have revelled in and revered religiously-inspired music, regardless of whether they were adherents to any particular belief. Here is plain flat-out good music by Johnny Summers and his superb players and singers in which we can all revel - and by which we can be inspired. This is Johnny's magnum opus, at least to date. In it, and while he's 'sploring interesting harmonic roads, we are taken to the Holy Land and to Memphis and New Orleans, and all points between on an informative and insightful tour of what some call 'the greatest story ever told'. Johnny's personal faith shines through it all, from the pristine "In The Beginning" to the carefully-controlled free-for-all in "Jubilation". He's been careful too, to leave lots of solo room for the singers and instrumentalists. Particularly enjoyable are the double-teamed soloists in "Life". It does, after all, take two. This is music that will be heard and played 'round the world. It comes from one of our most-talented composers and arrangers. It is expertly produced and recorded, and wonderfully played and sung by a first-rate cast of performers. -Tommy Banks