No Tears Suite: Live from New Orleans

The Oxford American is teaming up with the National Park Service for two stunning virtual events celebrating the interconnectedness of civil rights and jazz music. Both events will streamed free for the public, and are as follows: 

November 5: Panel discussion, Civil Rights in Jazz: Then and Now—This discussion will focus on the often subtle ways jazz has impacted the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. Moderating will be Gwen Thompkins, journalist and public radio personality of Music Inside Out on WWNO and the New Orleans correspondent for NPR’s World Cafeprogram. Panelists include No Tears Suite composers Christopher Parker and Kelley Hurt, as well as saxophonist Bobby LaVell. Register for the panel discussion here. 7 pm. 

December 3: No Tears Suite studio concert—Composer/pianist Christopher Parker, lyricist/vocalist Kelley Hurt, percussionist Brian Blade, bassist Roland Guerin, tenor saxophonist Bobby LaVell, trumpeter Marc Franklin, and alto/baritone saxophonist Chad Fowler will perform No Tears Suite live from New Orleans. The concert will be broadcast live on Oxford American, New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, and Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site’s Facebook pages. 7:30 pm. 

The No Tears Suite is available as a studio album (released by Mahakala Music in September 2020) and can be purchased online as a CD + digital download at OxfordAmericanGoods.org or Bandcamp.com. It is also available to stream via Spotify and iTunes.