The Power of Black Music: Interpreting Its History from Africa to the United States

by Samuel A. Floyd Jr.

Book Overview

When Jimi Hendrix transfixed the crowds of Woodstock with his gripping version of "The Star Spangled Banner," he was building on a foundation reaching back, in part, to the revolutionary guitar playing of Howlin' Wolf and the other great Chicago bluesmen, and to the Delta blues tradition before him. But in its unforgettable introduction, followed by his unaccompanied "talking" guitar passage and inserted calls and responses at key points in the musical...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195109759
• ISBN13: 9780195109757
• Release Date: October 1996
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.19 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.3" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Informative Read

I gained knowledge from reading this book, and I could relate completely. I am giving this book a four star simply because there was a lot of jargon that made some sections hard to read, if you are not a musician. Then again, it is a book about music. Here are some excerpts that moved me: "Through the history of black music in the United States, it has been through the repetition and revision of texts, through the interplay of black language and black music in a long chain of Signifyin(g) tropes, that African American peasants became and continue to be the poets in a land that initially denied them the right to be called artists of any stripe. But poets they have become, as makers of the spirituals and the blues, as creators of R & B and rock `n` roll, and as composers of works for the concert hall. It is clear from the nature of their texts and their tunes that the makers of this music--the repeaters and revisers of the musical derivatives of the ring--have privileged and honored the spirit of Esu as, for example, that spirit is personified in the redoubtable Harriet Tubman, who bid many thousands to come ride her train.." The only thing I can say is "preach brotha, preach!" - Big Sistah Pat In the 1960s, gospel music became entertainment." Interesting! - Big Sistah Pat "Sometimes when "new" sounds emerge in jazz they are perceived as foreign to the black-music tradition and, consequently, are unacceptable to many critics, mostly white, who reside on the margins of the culture. For example, John Coltrane's sound was strongly criticized as being inferior, but was applauded and appreciated by listeners from within the culture." Ain't that some bull! De folks ise all dat matters!" - Big Sistah Pat Reviewer's Note: This comment reminds me of how the mainstream critics hate Tyler Perry. Yet he is loved and supported by numerous regular folks in Black American society. The so-called critics have no value to the folks that support Tyler's productions. They determine what is worthy of their support, not self appointed outsiders. He speaks to them and aspects of Black American culture they can identify. "In the late nineteenth century, the advertising of musical products became the primary means of developing, perpetuating, and communicating the negative images of black people in American society. The coon song was the vehicle for repeating these messages in American culture. The stereotypes perpetuated by these publications linger as both conscious and unconscious images of blacks in the memory of countless Americans." What fool said that images aren't powerful! -- Big Sistah Pat "Essentially and most fundamentally, the African-American musical experience is largely self-criticizing and self-validating. As such experiences unfold, for example, listeners show approval, disapproval, or puzzlement with vocal and physical responses to, and interaction with, events as they occur. African Americans serve critical notice on infe

A radical presentation of African American music

I am thankful to Guthrie Ramsey who referred to this book in his book "Race Music", and made me buy it and read it. There is no doubt in my mind that this is a must for anyone interested in African American music. The book begins with the spiritual-mythological aspects of African life - and their musical expressions. He shows how these aspects were brought to America with the tranplanted and enslaved Africans. Floyd generalizes these as "Ring Elements" - coming from the communal ring dance-song-drum of African culture. These elements are present, according to Floyd, in all African American music, sometimes to a great extent (gospel-blues) and sometimes to a lesser extent (composed music). Floyd moves along key points in African American history, and discusses their musical dimensions - the Harlem Renaissance, the Chicago Renaissance, and so on. I have read books on music by Amiri Baraka, James Cone, Nelson George, Albert Murray and Charles Kiel before I read this book. They were all great and illuminating, but I think this book takes things to another level. It makes a lot of bold assumptions that could be used for further research, and develops the language needed for the academic discourse on this amazing music.

Not an easy read, but worth it.

This book is not an easy read, but it's worth it. It was written by a scholar for other scholars, but a lay person with patience will draw a great deal from the reading. It explains common threads -- basic components of African music-- in genres as diverse as blues,rock n' roll, be-bop, hip-hop, etc. What's nice is that the author, a noted scholar and head of Chicago's Collumbia College Center for Black Music Research, lends in his narration some playfulness, invoking elements of the music in the text, with lots of eye-witness discussions of African-American musical events that allow the reader to feel like an observer. You'll emerge from the reading a little exhausted, but with a greater appreciation of black music in the U.S., and a better understanding of how your favorite type of black music, or in the case of rock fans, black music derivative, came into being. (Note: For those lucky enough to live in the handful of cities where Dance Africa is performed each year, reading this book would be a great idea before you attend the next performance.)

Kirkus

Has anyone noticed that the Kirkus reviews tend to be fairly condescending about works from people of color and they tend to disparage the works as limited in their understanding when in fact it could well be that they themselves are the ones with the limited understanding