Acclaimed NE saxophonist, educator & Knight Arts Challenge Grant recipient brings interdisciplinary multi-movement suite, "Nine Lives," inspired by the victims of the Charleston church shooting of 2015. Featuring Chris Coles, Evan Hertrick, Tommy Lehman, Joey Skoch, Max Weiner, Zaire Darden.
[Written by Chris Coles] On June 17, 2015, Dylann Roof entered Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, with the intent of killing innocent black members of the congregation. The 21-year-old white gunman chose this particular church precisely because of its historical significance as one of America’s oldest black churches and a center of civil rights activisim. After sitting through the prayer service, Roof opened fire on the congregation, resulting in the death of nine black people.
As a jazz saxophonist, I grapple with social issues and sort through my emotions through performance and music composition. During the aftermath of the shooting, I was moved to sit down at the piano and write Nine Lives. The twelve-minute tone poem is a narrative of the tragedy as it unfolded. In addition to commemorating the nine who were killed and serving as a reminder of the horrific event, the piece brings further attention to the racial injustice still plaguing this country. Nine Lives is my contribution to the long tradition of protest music, a history that is integral to black music.
I recently decided to expand Nine Lives into an interdisciplinary, four-movement suite for jazz ensemble. Each movement will build upon the story of the Charleston shooting to examine broader societal problems through different art forms: animation, spoken word, dance, and instrumental music.
The collaborators that graciously agreed to do this project are some of the most gifted in their field of expertise. Gregory King a dancer is currently teaching Dance and Choreography at Kent State University.
Samuel Blakeslee is a composer and bandleader currently residing in the Akron area. James Quarles is a freelance illustrator and animator currently residing in Cleveland and Julien Huntley aka Jul Big Green is an emcee currently in the Akron based RnB group Bluelight. Along with my collaborators, I am interested in exploring the fear that seemed to drive Dylann Roof to act as he did, how mob mentality affects racial awareness in this country, and most importantly, how constant self-examination and empathy can bring about positive transformation.
In recent years, there has been an artistic renaissance throughout Akron. Young artists committed to cultivating the performing and visual arts scene have revitalized the city through engaging programming and culturally relevant projects. Every musician and collaborator on this project is active in their respective fields through teaching, performing, and community engagement.
By presenting the concert-length version of Nine Lives free of charge at the Akron Art Museum over three consecutive days, I will have the opportunity to reach a broad cross section of the Akron community. Given the increased presence of the arts and the diverse makeup of the city’s population, Akron is the perfect audience to receive Nine Lives. By bringing people together to experience this powerful work, I hope to invite listeners and performers alike into a shared space of reflection.
Featuring Evan Hertrick (tenor sax), Zaire Darden (drums), Joey Skoch (piano), Max Weiner (bass), Tommy Lehman (trumpet), Chris Coles (alto sax).