(photo credit Richard Grzelka)
I’ll be performing “Who Is Sam Blow?” the original poem I composed about Dred and Harriet Scott, enslaved ancestors who sued for their freedom, on two occassions in Memphis:
June 10th at The Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library
And June 11th at The Crosstown Arts Green Room
The show features “A 90-minute concert from the No Tears Project ensemble led by Christopher Parker (piano) and Kelley Hurt (voice). The band will perform the world premiere of new works written by and in collaboration with Memphis artists, including saxophonist Robert “Bobby LaVell” Garner. A new arrangement of Memphis pianist Donald Brown’s song “Poem for Martin,” written by Marc Franklin, as well as selections previously written by Oliver Lake, Parker, and Hurt, in honor of the Little Rock Nine will also be performed. Poet and spoken word artist Treasure Shields Redmond, and dancer Ashley Tate will also join the ensemble as special guests for both community concerts.”