Interwoven with this footage are interviews with the organizers who helped to create the Center and with family, friends and contemporaries who knew August Wilson and deeply understand the essence of his plays and his significance in Pittsburgh and the world. Also showcased are performances and exhibits that have been mounted in an ongoing effort to develop a presence and patronage for the Center. These represent many of the art forms, and both local and national talent, included in the Center’s programming. More than just the story of one Center, Building On A Legacy offers an example that emphasizes the importance of all such institutions to local and national culture and the uncertainties they face. The interviews and events are supported by music and archival film and Teenie Harris photographs from more than six decades in Pittsburgh history, August’s personal and professional story, and the Center’s development. Original music and narration by Charles “Rock” Dutton weave together this seamless presentation.

This Grammy winning musician, with 30 recordings as leader and more than 100 as a guest artist, started his studies at Juilliard at 17. While still in his early twenties, Bartz worked with Max Roach, and later with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, McCoy Tyner, and Miles Davis, among many others. By the late 1960s, he was fronting his own band, NTU Troop, and by the late 70s he was also working in a Los Angeles studio. Fans and reviewers rave about his discography, which includes concept albums some call “decades ahead of their time.” Pure and Simple will be condensed from more than 80 hours of coverage ranging from “reality” films of family life to interviews with family and band members, and Bartz himself, and footage of numerous performances in the U.S. and Paris.