Insensitive
Superstar
While I agree with the premise of this thread in a lot of ways, I kind of disagree with the whole
lack of a European influence. What makes "African Americans", "American" is we're "Africans" in
the new world. Our music and cultural leanings are a direct result of that, out of all of the pain
and ugliness something really, really beautiful came along which is our unique musical heritage.
This isn't to say that "African" music isn't THERE in Black music, it's just to say that there's also some of Europe in there.
Jazz for example is a highly rhythmic form of music and relies on that syncopation to break what was then considered
conventional musical rules.
Look at a Bebop scale for example, it has 8 notes versus 7, it's played with a different rhythmic emphasis
and it's built around being able to change keys with relative ease (passing tones). This was and still is a fukking
revolutionary idea but it's basis clearly comes from a melding of classical music (adding onto the diatonic 7 note scale)
and BLACK music (heavy rhythmic emphasis, swing, space in the music etc.). Leading into a unique language
that's recognized the world over as a distinctly (African) American Art form.
Some of the absolute giants in the genre have even had "Classical" training (Nina Simone Soul/Blues/Jazz musician was
classically trained from a young age and Miles davis had no problem studying European masters) but the music they ultimately
released was as "Black" as it fukking gets.
So to me, I don't see "European" influence as something inherently bad and before anyone mistakes what I'm saying here,
I won't go so far as to attribute it this radical new music that came about to Europe.
Chart Black American Music and you get a pretty unmatched influenced on the whole planet for the past 100 and something years.
lack of a European influence. What makes "African Americans", "American" is we're "Africans" in
the new world. Our music and cultural leanings are a direct result of that, out of all of the pain
and ugliness something really, really beautiful came along which is our unique musical heritage.
This isn't to say that "African" music isn't THERE in Black music, it's just to say that there's also some of Europe in there.
Jazz for example is a highly rhythmic form of music and relies on that syncopation to break what was then considered
conventional musical rules.
Look at a Bebop scale for example, it has 8 notes versus 7, it's played with a different rhythmic emphasis
and it's built around being able to change keys with relative ease (passing tones). This was and still is a fukking
revolutionary idea but it's basis clearly comes from a melding of classical music (adding onto the diatonic 7 note scale)
and BLACK music (heavy rhythmic emphasis, swing, space in the music etc.). Leading into a unique language
that's recognized the world over as a distinctly (African) American Art form.
Some of the absolute giants in the genre have even had "Classical" training (Nina Simone Soul/Blues/Jazz musician was
classically trained from a young age and Miles davis had no problem studying European masters) but the music they ultimately
released was as "Black" as it fukking gets.
So to me, I don't see "European" influence as something inherently bad and before anyone mistakes what I'm saying here,
I won't go so far as to attribute it this radical new music that came about to Europe.
Chart Black American Music and you get a pretty unmatched influenced on the whole planet for the past 100 and something years.
