photo by Lauren Serpa

I am excited to announce that on Thursday, October 30th, 2014, the ScottClark4tet, will be premiering a new work that I have written called “Bury My Heart”.  I have been writing and researching this piece for quite some time and I look forward to debuting it at Virginia Commonwealth University.

“Bury My Heart” comes from a journey of self-discovery into my own ancestry and the profound impact that reading and studying the history of Native Americans has had on my life. Many years ago I began researching my family’s Native American ancestry and the history of the many tribes of North America. The way I viewed life and nature had always intrigued me; and when I began to discover my own Native American background, those views led me to intensify my research.

One of the first books that opened my eyes to these events in the history of Native Americans was Dee Brown’s Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. (Subsequent books that had profound impacts on me included The Sand Creek Massacre by Stan Hoig, The Killing of Crazy Horse by Thomas Powers, and Trail of Tears by John Ehle and many others). The events described in these books sent me on a path of discovery and research that has inspired the songs contained in this suite of music.

Of all the events described in these books, the one that has had the biggest impact on me is the Sand Creek Massacre, in which a village of peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho were attacked and over 100 men, women and children were killed. November 29, 2014 will mark the 150th anniversary of the Sand Creek Massacre. We are premiering this music, at VCU, as a remembrance of one of the most tragic days in American history. The history of so many Native American tribes goes completely untaught in our society. One of my hopes is that through this music, and the stories behind the music, I can do a small part to reach others who will be inspired to look further into the histories, and present-day realities, of so many tribes in North America.

I hope that you will be able to join us for this night of music…and we look forward to sharing the music with you.

Thursday October 30th, 2014
8pm 
Admission is Free and open to the public 
Vlahcevic Concert Hall,
W. E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts
922 Park Avenue
Richmond, Virginia 23284-2004

you can see a small preview of the music from our performance on Virginia This Morning via the link below
http://wtvr.com/2014/10/24/celebrate-your-friday-with-two-jazz-numbers-by-the-scott-clark-4tet/

also on 10/29 you can hear an interview and performance of some of the music from the suite on WCVE FM 88.9 NPR starting at 7pm.  (http://ideastations.org/radio)

https://www.facebook.com/events/1476847545873294/?ref=br_tf

This concert is co-sponsored by VCU Jazz (http://arts.vcu.edu/music/events/) and the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (<www.omsa.vcu.edu>) in anticipation of Native American History Month (November) and of the 150th anniversary of the Sand Creek Massacre (November 29).

The ScottClark4tet is:
Cameron Ralston-bass
Bob Miller-trumpet
Jason Scott-saxophone
Scott Clark-drums

thank you for your support….
more soon………