New album for jazz group featuring minister  

A jazz group whose saxophonist is a Baptist minister has released a new album featuring instrumental jazz arrangements of classic hymns

Dan Pembury is the minister of Pembury Baptist Church in Kent - and a professional jazz saxophonist who is a member of the group Kairos Ensemble.

Their new album is called Here is Love, and has already been featured several times on UCB2 and Premier Gospel. 

It came about following Dan's vision for an album of instrumental jazz interpretations of much loved and well-known hymns. 

He says some of the arrangements are ‘very accessible’, such as the gospel-influenced title track, Here is Love. Others are ‘a bit more esoteric’, such as the interpretation of Abide with Me, 'with its Messiaen influenced organ intro and outro'.

Nevertheless, the group hopes the collection will be a blessing to many. ‘These hymns use familiar melodies that are deeply meaningful to a whole host of listeners,’ says Dan. 

Kairos Ensemble are a quartet who met and became close friends in the 1990s while studying jazz at the Royal Academy of Music and City University. 

They formed as a group in 2001, releasing their first album The River in 2002, and have previously recorded albums with different themes such as the Psalms and the Easter story. Their albums have been enthusiastically received by fans and critics.

Last summer Dan took a sabbatical from his ministry as pastor of Pembury Baptist Church and had the opportunity to fully focus on recording the new album. The band went into a studio in Lincolnshire for three days in July 2025. 

‘Our pianist Peter James is a gifted composer and arranger so he took on the mantle of arranging all of them, apart from Praise God from whom all blessings flow, which was improvised spontaneously in the studio,' Dan continues.

‘We’ve often found people have appreciated our music, even if they weren’t out and out jazz fans! 

‘The album is already getting repeated airplay on jazz shows on UCB2 and Premier Gospel and we hope it will be heard more widely and be a blessing to listeners.’

Kairos Ensemble have played live extensively in the UK and France, in settings such as intimate jazz clubs right through to music festivals in front of 1000s. 

They helped Margaret Gibbs lead worship at 2017’s Baptist Assembly. 

Band members have played with many others including Snarky Puppy, Grace Jones, David Byrne, Johnny Dankworth, Pasadena Roof Orchestra, Billy Cobham and Graham Kendrick.
 

Here is Love is fully available to download or stream from different platforms.

Kairos Ensemble will soon be scheduling in performances later in the year and beyond. If you are interested in having them perform at your church contact them here.