A proclamation on black music appreciation month, 2021

[Longrobante]

The last years of the 19th century saw the rise of “public amusements,” an explosion of commercialized leisure that indexed america’s turn from victorian sensibilities. Advances in technology, the emergence of cultures of consumerism, and unprecedented black mobility together with increasing educational opportunities created a social milieu in which black musicians became a strong presence in the culture industry. As the specter of minstrelsy still prevailed, many black musicians would have to engage its practices in order to gain opportunities in the newly emerging mass-market enterprise. For creoles of color to enjoy light comedies in french together with other kinds of variety shows that included music.

Independent record labels were key in disseminating the music as their owners sought to maximize profits as major labels initially ignored these styles. Ultimately, major labels would seek out, record, and distribute the music, and by doing so, facilitate their dominant national and international impact. An important generation of black composers would benefit from opportunities that opened up in education for african americans as a result of the civil rights movement. As a result of this shifting tide, many would secure professorships at american universities in addition to securing major prizes and commissions. Their works, ranging from neo-classical styles to uses of more avant-garde materials, were written for chamber groups, opera, solo singer, and symphonies, among other settings.

A term applied to distinct configurations of sound organization linked historically and socially to people of african descent living within the united states. While scholarship has identified a shared body of conceptual approaches to sound among the numerous idioms of african american music, musicians have employed them across various functional divides in american culture such as written and oral, sacred and secular, art and popular. In addition, many historians of african american music have included the activities of blacks that participated as performers and composers in the eurological concert tradition under this rubric.

Commentators differ in their view of whether the blues or gospel, country and folk had the greater influence in the development of rock ‘n’ roll – and to the degree which it was a re-branding of african-american rhythm and blues for a white market, or a new hybrid of black and white forms. As slaves became christians, a religion forced upon them, they began singing hymns later termed spirituals. Like jazz, hip-hop has become a global phenomenon and has exerted a driving force on the development of mass media. Hip-hop music spawned an entire cultural form, while rap remains a means for artists to voice opinions and share experiences regarding social and political issues. However, the idea of “ragging” an improvisation of a popular song still remained a living tradition along side the new “classic ragtime.” scott joplin became particularly well known as a composer of piano ragtime, writing syncopated pieces with multiple strains or themes similar to the march. Sheet music and piano rolls allowed ragtime composers to reach a broad swath of the american public.

There would also be no hip-hop without james brown, the hardest working man in show business, a force of nature who created funk music and whose heavily rhythmic tracks inspired two decades of rap. & rakim, ll cool j and many more — were indebted to the jbs’ “funky drummer” and countless other brown songs. With its droning, improvisational instrumentation, the byrds’ “eight miles high” is often considered the first psychedelic rock song. The california group had been listening to a lot of jazz saxophone master john coltrane while recording. But that history is often eclipsed by the massive money-making machine of country music and culture, says trumpet player and professor larry jenkins.

Vocalists sarah vaughan and betty carter influenced legions of singers with their command of bebop techniques. Pianist thelonious monk’s idiosyncratic compositional approach and acerbic solo approach emerged as the quintessential voice of new era in jazz. Between world war I and ii, jazz grew from a localized phenomenon and into an internationally known genre. Musicians on both sides of america’s racial divide—duke ellington, louis armstrong, count basie, bix beiderbecke, benny goodman, mary lou williams, and many others—became well known jazz figures, and in some cases, true icons. His idiosyncratic approach to composition, arranging, and orchestration demonstrated the artistic potential of popular music. The impact of jazz could be measured not only in record sales—it would become by the late 1930s america’s popular music choice—but also by its emergent written criticism, which over time bloomed from discographical surveys for collectors to record reviews, essays, and book-length studies.

Musically simplistic and textually derivative, early american religious music would through a series of sonic and ideological developments become wholly “american,” though in a persistent relationship—adaptations, rejections, and importations—with european models. In appreciating the indelible contributions of black americans to the music landscape, we must also recognize the crisis of racial inequity that black americans have faced in america for centuries — a crisis that is often reflected and challenged in black music. We must rededicate ourselves to rooting out systemic racism from every part of our society,themarkwilliams and work together to advance racial justice and equity. In the music industry, that work includes identifying and eliminating barriers that black creatives face in producing and maintaining ownership of their music and other creations. In this month of june, we celebrate the black music that has shaped and enlivened our lives and our country, and recommit ourselves to advancing racial equity for artists — and for everyone.