The No Tears Project is a jazz collective that interprets civil rights history through music—conceived by pianist Christopher Parker and vocalist Kelley Hurt in partnership with the Oxford American. The group formed in 2017 when Parker and Hurt were commissioned to write music honoring civil rights heroes, the Little Rock Nine. The resulting composition, No Tears Suite, premiered with the goal of creating community unity during events commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Little Rock Nine’s brave—and dramatically contested—integration of all-White Little Rock Central High School in 1957.
Jazz St. Louis has partnered with Oxford American and Gateway Arch National Park to produce and present a concert event in St. Louis that includes songs from the original No Tears Suite composition—performed by a seven-piece jazz ensemble led by Parker and Hurt, alongside brand new music, poetry, and dance created by and in collaboration with beloved St. Louis artists Oliver Lake, Brian Owens, Treasure Shields Redmond, and Ashley Tate. The jazz ensemble will include Christopher Parker (piano), Kelley Hurt (voice), Rodney Jordan (bass), Chad Anderson (drums), Bobby LaVell (tenor saxophone), Marc Franklin (trumpet), and Chad Fowler (alto saxophone).
The program is made possible in part by support from Jefferson National Parks Association, Gateway Arch Park Foundation, and Stella Boyle Smith Trust. In addition to the concerts at the Ferring Jazz Bistro, the multi-day residency on April 26-29 also includes panels and programs at the Gateway Arch National Park.
Tickets
Jazz St. Louis will present The No Tears Project concert four times over two nights. Tickets are free, but required. There is a $1/seat handling charge for tickets ordered online or over the phone. There is no handling charge for tickets ordered in person at the box office. In order to accommodate as many people as possible, there is a limit of four tickets per household.
Tickets will be available to the public starting August 31, 2022.
Featured Guests
Oliver Lake
Esteemed saxophonist, composer, poet, and visual artist Christopher Parker (left) and Kelley Hurt (photo: Brian Chilson) has written a new composition and poems for the No Tears Project ensemble that will enjoy its world premiere in this concert. Lake will not appear live as part of the ensemble for this performance. As a founding member of the venerable World Saxophone Quartet and now-renowned Black Artists Group (BAG), a multidisciplinary arts collective that existed in St. Louis from 1968 to1972, Lake’s prodigious catalog spanning more than 50 years demonstrates his deep commitment to Black Arts and his craft as a composer and writer. He is a past Guggenheim Fellow and the recipient of the Mellon Jazz Living Legacy Award and Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, among other honors. He attended St. Louis’s historic Sumner High School.
Dr. Treasure Shields Redmond
Also premiering in this special presentation will be a new long-form poem inspired by St. Louis and the No Tears Project by author and educator Dr. Treasure Shields Redmond. She is the author of chop: a collection of kwansabas for fannie lou hamer (2015), and is the co-founder of both Fannie Lou Hamer House, a retreat space for Black artists, and The Black Skillet, a funding collective for Black artists.
Brian Owens
Singer, songwriter, and community activist Brian Owens will join the No Tears Project ensemble as a special guest vocalist for the premiere of a new song he’s written. In addition to his career as a professional soul musician, Owens is Executive Director of LIFE Arts, Inc. This organization provides leadership development experiences and opportunities for urban youth pursuing the arts. Owens has released three studio albums to date, including SOUL OF FERGUSON, which featured a critically acclaimed duet with vocalist Michael McDonald (The Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan).
Ashley Tate
Dancer, choreographer, and educator Ashley Tate, Artistic and Executive Director of Ashleyliane Dance Company, will create improvised movement to accompany a portion of the concert. She’s a co-founder of Dance the Vote, an arts program designed to support voting infrastructure, and is a Grand Center Visionary Award-winner. Tate has choreographed and danced for NFL and NCAA productions. Her recent work explores themes of environmental justice, including the piece “Environmental Intelligence” (2021), inspired by the life and work of Hazel Johnson.
Little Rock Crisis of 1957
The now infamous Little Rock Crisis of 1957 was a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement, during which nine Black students (the Little Rock Nine) became the first children to attend the previously all-White Little Rock Central High School. Integration was anything but smooth, and the Nine suffered physical and psychological abuse for their bravery. During the four weeks preceding the Little Rock Nine’s entry through the front doors of Central High School on September 25, 1957, contentious and sometimes violent mob protests occurred on the school grounds. During this chaotic period, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus sided with segregationists, using members of the Arkansas National Guard to bar the students’ entry into Central High. The escalation of unrest led President Eisenhower to eventually intervene. Eisenhower issued an executive order to deploy 1,000 members of the US Army 101st Airborne Unit to protect and escort the Nine into Central High School, thus upholding the law and long-planned integration. The President’s actions and the Little Rock Nine’s commitment to desegregation through a tortuous school year were crucial in upholding the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Kansas (1954) United States Supreme Court ruling, and for paving the way for the rest of the country to integrate education facilities.
No Tears Project History
Originally inspired by the Little Rock Crisis and informed by Little Rock Nine member Melba Pattillo Beals’s memoir Warriors Don’t Cry, since 2017 Christopher Parker and Kelley Hurt’s No Tears Project has evolved into a touring outreach program that uses concerts and conversation to engage communities in dialogue about civil rights. Through this work, No Tears Project strives to create recognition as a precursor to reconciliation.
In 2019, Oxford American commissioned multiple GRAMMY-nominee Rufus Reid to work with Parker and Hurt to expand the original score for a 7-piece jazz band to include a 16-piece chamber orchestra. This reprise symphonic version of No Tears Suite premiered in March of 2019 with members of Arkansas Symphony Orchestra conducted by Geoffrey Robson.
Past No Tears performances and residencies have occurred in New Orleans (2020); Tulsa’s historic Greenwood District (2021), and Fayetteville, Arkansas (2021) in addition to Little Rock (2017; 2019)
A community of exceptional musicians have appeared as ensemble members in No Tears Project concerts and recordings since 2017. These guests have included multiple GRAMMY-winning drummer Brian Blade, bassist Rufus Reid, GRAMMY-nominated singer-songwriter John Fullbright, bassist Roland Guerin, saxophonist Bobby LaVell, bassist Bill Huntington, trumpeter Marc Franklin, Jamel Mitchell, Smokey and the Mirror, and Chad Fowler.