McCutchen Music Publishing Music for the Soul. Original compositions & arrangements of Gospel Jazz, Contemporary Praise & Worship, Vocal Jazz, and Gospel Christmas music.

Since 2000, I have had the pleasure collaborating as a composer with many wonderful artists and organizations, creating choral works that authentically convey the spirit of gospel, jazz and African-American popular music while making that heritage accessible to performers regardless of their musical backgrounds. These commissions and collaborations, have offered me the opportunity to demonstrate my conviction that the uniqueness of these genres can be effectively conveyed through conventional notation, such that the glories of African-American musical traditions can be readily and practically shared across cultures, a reflection of the effusive generosity of the people who made them one of the world's great musical treasures.

These works all originated as commissions from choral and program directors, community arts organizations, orchestral conductors, or fellow musicians. Though I love jazz and blues, my roots are first and foremost in the church. My goal is a fusion of styles that takes as its point of departure the traditional choral idiom of European origin, fully integrating gospel and jazz into classical structures to create music that is spiritual, yet equally apt for secular concert settings. In this, I am attempting to follow the compositional legacy of Duke Ellington and, through music, to live Dr King's dream of the transcendence of cultural boundaries for the benefit of all.

This website is a labor of love, showcasing the many works for which I've been blessed with commissions in our new millennium. A major priority has been making those musical elements that are customarily derived from oral tradition available to those musicians whose primary approach to learning repertoire has been through notation. In particular, piano accompaniments that are typically developed from chord changes/by ear are here fully realized in notation. The unique rhythmic feelings of African-American musics are rendered here in practical, readable fashion.

McCutchen Music Publishing is proud to offer choral music that shares gospel and jazz with musicians across a multitude of cultural backgrounds and varieties of musical training, inspired by my many years of practical collaboration with directors, artists, agencies, and institutions. To learn more about McCutchen Music Publishing, click on one of the selections above, or contact us at (812) 336-7383.