Why this instrument explains Black American folk music
Vox・7 minutes read
Jake Blount, a scholar and performer of traditional Black folk music in Providence, Rhode Island, discovered the song "Once there was no sun" from a 1940s black stringband field recording, highlighting the banjo's West African roots in early bluegrass music and its association with Black history and exclusion in the music industry. Blount's new album, "The New Faith," explores Afro-futurist themes in traditional Black folk music post-climate crisis, drawing inspiration from Gullah Geechee ring shout tradition and historical banjo descriptions by Hans Sloane.
Insights
- The banjo, with its roots in West African instruments, has a complex history intertwined with Black culture, from its association with enslaved people to its popularization through minstrelsy performances, highlighting the significant influence of Black musicians on the development of bluegrass music.
- Jake Blount's album "The New Faith" delves into Afro-futurism by exploring traditional Black folk music in the context of a post-climate crisis world, drawing on inspirations like the Gullah Geechee ring shout tradition and early banjo descriptions by Hans Sloane, showcasing a blend of historical influences with contemporary themes.
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Recent questions
Where does Jake Blount live?
Providence, Rhode Island
What inspired Jake Blount's song "Once there was no sun"?
Field recording by Murph Gribble, John Lusk, and Albert York
What is the history of the banjo?
Rooted in West African instruments
How were Black musicians categorized in the early record industry?
"Race records"
What is Jake Blount's album "The New Faith" about?
Afro-futurist exploration of traditional Black folk music post-climate crisis
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Summary
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Jake Blount: Resurrecting Black Folk Music Tradition
- Jake Blount, a performer and scholar of traditional Black folk music, resides in Providence, Rhode Island, specifically in Altamont.
- Blount discovered the song "Once there was no sun" from a field recording by Murph Gribble, John Lusk, and Albert York, who were part of a black stringband in the 1940s, considered an early bluegrass band.
- The banjo's history is rooted in West African instruments, associated with Black people during enslavement and popularized through blackface minstrelsy performances, leading to the emergence of bluegrass music.
- Early in the record industry, Black musicians were confined to "race records" while white musicians were categorized as "hillbilly records," resulting in the exclusion of Black musicians from certain genres.
- Blount's new album, "The New Faith," is an Afro-futurist exploration of traditional Black folk music post-climate crisis, drawing inspiration from the Gullah Geechee ring shout tradition and Hans Sloane's early banjo descriptions.
