Mt. Airy resident Warren Cooper, who will perform at Woodmere on Friday, Oct. 2, 6 p.m., in the second of the art museum’s Friday Night Jazz series along with vocalist Kim Payton, may not be an ordained minster, but he has always used his musical talents in the service of a higher purpose. Although he will be performing Motown hits at Woodmere, Cooper is better known for what has come to be called “sacred jazz.”

“Sacred jazz is among the most organic and authentic forms of spiritual expression,” Cooper told the Local last week. “The improvisational aspect of the music of jazz delivered with the levitical, worshipful intent of the players yields an experience that is a pure faith-focused expression of Sacred Soul.”

Warren Oree, spokesman for the Friday Night Jazz series and founder of the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble, said, “Warren Cooper is a seasoned Philly vocalist who’s often called on to articulate and relate the melodies and lyrics to his songs that touch audiences, and Kim Payton sings like a beautiful bird that takes us all on a flight to passion and purpose.”

Cooper was born in York, Pa.; his family moved to North Philadelphia when he was just 3, but he has lived in Mt,. Airy for several decades. A musician, composer and performance artist, Cooper has played professionally since the age of 9.

He is the founding host and producer of “Ovations” on the Temple National Public Radio Network (WRTI), where he spotlighted gospel and jazz programming from 1994 to 2022. He is also a pioneer in jazz worship, blending gospel, hymns and jazz traditions through his production company Music Media Ministry.

Cooper studied at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, served as minister of music for Broad Street Ministry and leads jazz worship services at institutions like Old Pine Street Presbyterian Church. He has also been an outspoken advocate for human rights, peace and environmental justice, and he founded the TAKE 5 Violence De-Escalation Protocol.

Cooper is the son of the late Rev. J. Jerome Cooper, who served as the pastor of Berean Presbyterian Church for 33 years. Influenced heavily by his father’s work and the 1964 Philadelphia race riots, Cooper has frequently used his music as a tool for healing, reconciliation and activism — collaborating with various regional faith institutions.

In his “day job,” Cooper serves on the executive leadership team for the Justice Center for Sacred Theological Studies in Atlanta (JCSTS.org), where he does program and curriculum development.

“I concluded my tenure with Broad Street Ministry in 2007,” Cooper said, “having served four years as the Founding Minister of Music in charge of the formation and operation of the music ministry. They are currently in their 24th year of ministry. Since then I have maintained my production company, Music Media Ministry.

“One of my favorite performances was at the Basilica in Rome, Italy, with a choir whose performance program included a setting of Psalm 46 that I co-composed.”

Cooper’s favorite live performances were:

• “The live recording of my first full release ‘Doing Church … with Jazz’ in 1993 because it was the culmination of 10 years of incubation and was the launchpad for my Sacred Jazz Ministry Career;

• “The debut performance of my song ‘Pray’ at Jazz Under The Stars in Philadelphia’s Planetarium because of the etherial nature of that song in that place;

• “The Washington National Cathedral, where I did solo vocal and piano in a program with theologian Chad Myers because of the grandeur of the sound, substance and setting;

• “And every gig I’ve done across the U.S. with the Alexander Cooper Project, which is nicknamed the Planetary Alignment Band because that’s the circumstance required for us to get to play together, because of the creative energy explosion that happens every time we play together.”

Kim Payton, who will also perform Friday night, is the daughter of the Philly Soul artist Brenda Payton of Brenda & The Tabulations, formed in 1966. They had two major hits: “Dry Your Eyes,” which hit number 20 in 1967, and “Right on the Tip of My Tongue,” which hit number 23 in 1971. One music writer wrote that “Kim is her mother’s daughter who captures you instantly as soon as she utters the first notes. Effortless and ethereal vocal abilities paired with a generous heart.”

For more information, visit woodmeremuseum.org, then click on “Happening” and then “Jazz.” Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com.