Christopher Parker & Kelley Hurt - No Tears Suite (2020) [Hi-Res]

In September 1957, 61 years after the “separate but equal” ruling of Plessy vs. Ferguson, in Little Rock, Arkansas, nine Black high school students finally broke through the threshold of Little Rock Central High School after a month of facing protestors and blockades by the Arkansas National Guard. No Tears Suite, composed by Arkansas-native and music teacher Christopher Parker and his wife, jazz vocalist Kelley Hurt was initially written to commemorate and celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Little Rock Nine’s historic enrollment and their continued courage and fortitude, which has inspired every generation thereafter.

When the piece premiered in September 2017, the group of Grammy award-winning drummer Brian Blade, bassist Bill Huntington, trumpeter Marc Franklin , and saxophonists Bobby LaVell (tenor) and Chad Fowler (alto) was so successful in communicating Hurt and Parker’s vision, that the composers began to explore how they could continue to expand the No Tears Suite.

This resulted in a new collaboration with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra that premiered in March 2019 in Little Rock. The symphonic release will debut on the same day as the album as a free streaming-only live version. The "No Tears Suite" will have its CD and digital release from the Arkansas-based label Mahakala Music on Friday, Sept. 25.

Largely inspired and informed by the memoir Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals, a member of the Little Rock Nine, the music of No Tears Suite reflects the resilience of those students as they ascended the steps of Central High School in 1957 and shifted the course of American history. The tension of inequality and oppression felt by these students is felt on “Roll Call,” as Hurt details the lives of those involved Little Rock Nine and others involved in Arkansas’, and America’s, educational integration over an unsettled and lamenting pool of instrumentation. But ultimately, No Tears Suite emphasizes emotions of power and joy, highlighting the significant progress and lasting brightness the Little Rock Nine brought to Arkansas and the country. “Jubilate” bounces and uplifts, and “Don’t Cry (Warrior’s Song)” struts with a confidence and strength similar to Mingus’ composition on the same subject matter, “Fables of Faubus.”—Hurt sings words of grit and motivation over the soulful swing: “Beaten, bruised, yeah you refused/there are no cowards here.”No Tears Suite never loses sight of the astounding humanity of the nine students that prompted the piece in the first place. In speaking on the development of the music, Parker said, “We just wanted to put the spotlight on those kids… how can anyone not be proud of those kids?”

Written by members of the Little Rock community, for the Little Rock-based literary magazine, Oxford American, about a pivotal moment in Little Rock and civil rights history, No Tears Suite is the result of and a testament to a community that believes in celebration, perseverance, and growth, and serves as an enduring reminder of the progress made and the progress still required.

Christopher Parker - piano
Kelley Hurt - voice
Marc Franklin - trumpet
Chad Fowler - alto saxophone
Bobby LaVell - tenor saxophone
Bill Huntington - bass
Brian Blade - drums