Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey just emeregd from the Church Studio in Tulsa, OK studio where it recorded The Race Riot Suite. Based on the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot, the suite is written by Chris Combs for the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey quartet (Brian Haas piano, Chris Combs lap steel, Josh Raymer drums, Jeff Harshbarger bass). The band just finished recording with guest horn players Jeff Coffin (Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, Dave Matthews Band), Steven Bernstein (Sex Mob, Levon Helm), Peter Apfelbaum (Hieroglyphics, Don Cherry) and Mark Southerland (Snuff Jazz).

In 1921, Tulsa, Oklahoma was home to the most powerful and affluent African-American community in the country. In one of the largest racial conflicts and cover-ups in America’s history “Black Wall Street” was burned to the ground. The Race Riot Suite is a long form musical work that tells the story of the evolution, destruction, and silencing of one of America’s greatest cultural epicenters.

Here is a look at the sessions, as photographed by Jeremy Charles