CITY OF BONES
#5 Thelma Lovette YMCA
track description:
“garden of bam / no sooner written”
The voices of Sonia Sanchez and Amiri Baraka, forebearers of the Black Arts Movement, are interspliced with George Benson’s “No Sooner Said Than Done” from Benson’s iconic album Bad Benson. August Wilson often cited Baraka as one of his greatest influences, directing Baraka’s plays at the Black Horizon Theatre which met at the A. Leo Weil School. Sanchez was one of the early teachers in the University of Pittsburgh’s Black Studies department and in 2012, dedicated a poem to Wilson’s work and life, which is used in this track. Benson was born and raised in the Hill District.
about City of Bones
City of Bones | Gem of the Confluence is a mixtape that explores August Wilson’s artistic life and theatrical work through the rich history of Black music in Pittsburgh, collaging archival audio and play dialogue with the sounds of artists such as Mary Lou Williams, Ahmad Jamal, and more.
The mixtape and installation are based on August Wilson’s play Gem of the Ocean, set in Pittsburgh circa 1904. In the play, the elder Aunt Ester invites a troubled Citizen Barlow to a meeting with his ancestors in the mythological City of Bones.
Following Aunt Ester’s instructions to Citizen Barlow, the mixtape is installed at various sites across the city relevant to this history.