Echoes: Shattered Flesh and Breathless Souls
(Together, We Can Make a Difference for a Safer Tomorrow)

Philadelphia’s own sacred jazz vocalist and composer, Ruth Naomi Floyd, was commissioned to create a new work reflecting on the devastating impact of gun violence. Echoes: Shattered Flesh and Breathless Souls is a meditative suite exploring the profound loss and sorrow experienced by victims and communities, where the echoes of gunfire resonate long after the gunshots have been fired. Aiming to motivate each individual to affect change, the suite embodies the contrasting emotions between mourning and celebration, encouraging the community to continue to reflect, engage in dialogue and take action while embracing the profound sense of hope and optimism inherent in the human spirit.

Known from its multi-year residency at World Cafe Live, Omar’s Hat is an inspirational music collective that grew out of weekly jam sessions in West Philly. The band will perform a collaborative, commissioned work that explores loss, community and hope. The first part of the piece will feature a contemplative horn arrangement, eventually building the echoing motifs and chords to evoke traditional songs of mourning. The work concludes on an uplifting note, taking inspiration from New Orleans jazz funerals and aiming to honor and celebrate life, spread healing and usher in an era of positive community accountability.