Unable to ignore the tragedies in Ferguson, MO, Beavercreek, OH, Staten Island, NY, and Los Angeles, CA, Willie Green crafted a three movement suite, entitled A Suite For Souled People, with the assistance of Armand Hammer and Curly Castro. As Green notes in his accompanying statement with the release, it’s not just about the recent events, but the continued oppression of black people in America who are told to “be quiet and gracious about their anger…”
A Suite For Souled People opens with sirens and sound bytes from Ferguson, namely Dorian Johnson delivering his eye witness account the day he fled for his life as his friend was murdered by officer Darren Wilson. Another voice interjects, “this has been going on before Michael Brown, this been going on before Trayvon Martin, before Emmett Till. This been going on a long time.” Willie Green’s enters the fabric, discovering the unspoken truths of the under represented that has always been part of a seemingly picturesque American life. He distorts bird chirps and church bells—traditionally symbols of peace, tranquility, and haven—into harbingers of a message the media and those in power aim to quell.
