In its inaugural Jazz, Jive & Praise Café at 4 p.m. Feb. 12, the Charles Albert Tindley Institute of Tindley Temple United Methodist Church, 750 – 762 S. Broad Street, will present the Webb Thomas Trio, featuring vocalist Ruth Naomi Floyd. Tickets are $20, and the proceeds will benefit the Charles Albert Tindley Institute.

The two-hour concert will take place in an informal café-style setting where guests can enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres and beverages, and is the first of what is slated to become a monthly jazz series hosted at Tindley Temple.

“It all came about because we had something with Trudy Pitts and Mr. C. a couple of years ago — a jazz event with the Clef Club — and it was successful,” said Melanie Dupree, chair of the Charles Albert Tindley Institute. “People kept saying, ‘We want to have jazz,’ but nobody in Philly really initiated it. I heard that there were not a lot of jazz venues around, and I heard that the Tritone on South Street was closing, so I thought that this would be a good opportunity.”

Appropriately, Philadelphia native Ruth Naomi Floyd, a gifted vocalist-composer/recording artist who has been at the forefront of creating vocal jazz settings that “express Christian theology” for over 17 years, will open the series. She will be accompanied by drummer Webb Thomas, coordinator of the event, along with Aaron Graves (piano) and Lee Smith (bass).

“I’ve worked with Ruth since she broke out on the scene,” Thomas said “I was with her first working band when she premiered her ‘Or Truth’ CD, and it was the perfect time to present the Tindley audience with Ruth. I know she does a lot of different things all over the city and throughout the country with her outreach to A.I.D.S. victims, and just her ministry in itself.”  

Floyd, who is also an accomplished photographer, has five albums to her credit, including “Paradigms for Desolate Times” (1994); “With New Eyes” (1997); “Walk and Not Be Faint” (1999); “Fan Into Flame” (2002) and “Root to the Fruit” (2006).

Webb Thomas, a cornerstone of the Philadelphia jazz community, will also present a set with his trio, along with a surprise “guest saxophonist.” He has high hopes for the proposed Jazz, Jive & Praise Café series, saying, “It’s going to be something new and fresh. It’s going to be very diverse, the music that’s presented there. There’s a lot of Philadelphia music — a lot of different genres and styles. It’s what Philly’s been known for, for years.                                                              

For tickets to the Jazz, Jive & Praise Café, call (215) 735-0442 or visit the church office at Tindley Temple. Rev. Lillian Smith is the senior pastor.

Contact entertainment reporter Kimberly C. Roberts at (215) 893-5753 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .