GATHERING | An invitation for now and maybe tomorrow.

This winter, join If I Can’t Dance 2019-2020 Performance in Residence researcher Derrais Carter for Black Revelry Quiet Storm (BRQS), a three-part monthly radio broadcast series that places Carter in the role of the late-night DJ. In its exploration of different modes of storytelling, the show takes its inspiration from the nocturnal ‘Quiet Storm’ radio format, which originated in the 1970s and featured jazz, soul, and R&B songs about romance and intimacy. BRQS is part of Carter’s broader Black Revelry project, which takes up the detail—or “the sample”—as a method for reading the iconic Sugar Shack (1976) by Ernie Barnes, a painting that has circulated widely within Black popular culture (for example, as the cover art for Marvin Gaye’s album I Want You) across over four decades. In so doing, Black Revelry affectively maps Black social life in the United States as it has been registered through the painting’s circulation.

Each show focuses on a key term: GATHERING, DISPERSAL, and FREQUENCY. Thematically, these key terms set the stage for Carter’s close readings of Barnes’ painting, which unfold through song selections, personal commentary, and readings of Black critical theory.

TRACKLIST:
“Invitation” (1979) by Norman Connors
“Honey” (1975) by Ohio Players
“Baby Come to Me” (1989) by Regina Belle
“If Only For One Night” (1985) by Luther Vandross
“With You” (1990) by Tony Terry
“Soon I’ll Be Loving You Again” (1976) by Marvin Gaye
“I’m So Into You” (1978) by Peabo Bryson
“I Miss You” (1972) by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
“There U Go” (1992) by Johnny Gill
“As We Lay” (2000) by Kelly Price
“Lose Control” (1992) by Silk
“Give Me Your Love” (1972) by Curtis Mayfield
“If I Were Your Woman” (1971) by Gladys Knight & the Pips
“I Touched a Dream” (1980) by The Dells
“Woman to Woman” (1974) by Shirley Brown
“Door to Your Heart” (1974) by The Dramatics
“Come Over” (2003) by Aaliyah
“Slow Jam” by (1983) by Midnight Star
“In the Rain” (1971) by The Dramatics
“It’s You That I Need” (1977) by Enchantment
“Shhh” (1993) by Tevin Campbell
“Stairway to Heaven” (1975) by O’Jays
“Hello, It’s Me” (1974) by The Isley Brothers