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Around Annapolis: Music minister to record 5th gospel album

By By DIANE M. REY and For The Capital

Oct 26, 2012 at 1:00 PM

Dr. Jeff Jacobs, a longtime minister of music in Annapolis and the surrounding area, will record his fifth gospel album at a live concert in Annapolis on Saturday night.

Dr. Jeff Jacobs, a longtime minister of music in Annapolis and the surrounding area, will record his fifth gospel album at a live concert in Annapolis on Saturday night. (Courtesy photo, Capital Gazette)

Whether he's at a cancer patient's bedside or leading a gospel choir, Dr. Jeff Jacobs is focused on healing those who are hurting.

The senior radiation therapist at the DeCesaris Cancer Institute at Anne Arundel Medical Center performs high-tech scans that guide treatment for cancer patients. He's also minister of music at a large church in Capitol Heights, a position he's held at various local churches for the past 35 years.

This Saturday, he'll take his music ministry to another level when he records his fifth gospel album at a live concert in Annapolis.

The dual roles have him on the go, sometimes from 4:30 a.m. until midnight on rehearsal nights, but Jacobs is content with his calling in life.

"I've always done music and oncology," said the Bowie resident, who turns 54 on Tuesday. "I consider it a blessing to be in a position whereby I can assist other people and relieve hurt, whether it's physical or emotional or spiritual. My whole life encompasses that."

Jacobs' history in the Annapolis faith community goes back generations.

The native Annapolitan developed his musical foundation at Asbury United Methodist Church on West Street, where his great-grandfather, the Rev. Walton Hardesty, was a minister. His grandfather, the Rev. Purnell Hardesty, was also a pastor in Annapolis.

He credits his grandmother, Victoria Parker, who played piano, for introducing him to "old-school gospel."

His interest in the genre soared when he joined The Soul Choir as a student at Annapolis High School in the mid-1970s. The combined choir representing several Annapolis churches was "60 to 80 strong," he remembered.

Another influential figure was Bishop Wilbert Baltimore of Holy Temple Cathedral. Jacobs directed the music program at the church on Kirby Lane and after its move to Bestgate Road, leading a large choir and bringing in guest artists.

Jacobs, who holds a doctorate from the North Carolina College of Theology, also served as minister of music at the historic Bethel AME Church in Baltimore and the East Friendship Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.

The music program he currently oversees at Maple Springs Baptist Church in Capitol Heights encompasses five choirs, a musicians group and dance, drama and sign language programs.

Although his music ministry reaches 1,000 people on any given Sunday, his recordings allow him to take his music to a larger audience outside the church walls.

Jacobs cut his first gospel album, titled "Delivered," in 1985 while touring and teaching with the International Praise Gospel Music Workshop Choir, which he founded. "It went international from California to Japan," Jacobs said.

Recently he saw a YouTube clip of a choir in Italy singing one of the songs from the album, accompanied by a full orchestra. "I was just blown away," he said.

Four albums followed, offering a mix of praise, worship and gospel music with simple melodies and complex vocal arrangements. This fifth one has the working title "Fight for Your Life," a reference to the struggles that everyone experiences.