Blues People: Negro Music in White America"The path the slave took to 'citizenship' is what I want to look at. And I make my analogy through the slave citizen's music -- through the music that is most closely associated with him: blues and a later, but parallel development, jazz... [If] the Negro represents, or is symbolic of, something in and about the nature of American culture, this certainly should be revealed by his characteristic music." So says Amiri Baraka in the Introduction to Blues People, his classic work on the place of jazz and blues in American social, musical, economic, and cultural history. From the music of African slaves in the United States through the music scene of the 1960's, Baraka traces the influence of what he calls "negro music" on white America -- not only in the context of music and pop culture but also in terms of the values and perspectives passed on through the music. In tracing the music, he brilliantly illuminates the influence of African Americans on American culture and history. |
Contents
Enter the Middle Class | 122 |
10 SwingFrom Verb to Noun | 142 |
The Blues Continuum | 166 |
The Modern Scene | 175 |
Index | 237 |
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Common terms and phrases
African music Afro Afro-American music Afro-American musical tradition American culture American Negro American society Armstrong attitude bebop became began Bessie Smith black America black middle class blues forms boogie woogie boppers called century certainly changed Charlie Parker Chicago chords Christian Coleman completely concept contemporary cool country blues Creoles dance bands developed Dixieland drums early economic emotional European existence expression Fletcher Henderson formal forties Garvin Bushell groes hard bop hollers idea imitation important improvised instrumental jazz band jazz musicians kind Lester Young lives Louis Armstrong mainstream of American masters melody minstrel minstrel shows moved Negro music Negro musicians North Northern orchestra Orleans Ornette Coleman Parker perhaps pianists piano played popular pure African ragtime religious rhythm & blues rhythmic seems sense shout singing slavery slaves social songs South Southern style swing term thought tion vocal West Western white America white musicians World York young Negro young white