Description
Book SynopsisNow available in paperback, William C. Banfield’s acclaimed collection of interviews delves into the lives and work of forty-one Black composers. Each of the profiled artists offers a candid self-portrait that explores areas from training and compositional techniques to working in a exclusive canon that has existed for a very long time. At the same time, Banfield draws on sociology, Western concepts of art and taste, and vernacular musical forms like blues and jazz to provide a frame for the artists’ achievements and help to illuminate the ongoing progress and struggles against industry barriers. Expanded illustrations and a new preface by the author provide invaluable added context, making this new edition an essential companion for anyone interested in Black composers or contemporary classical music.
Composers featured: Michael Abels, H. Leslie Adams, Lettie Beckon Alston, Thomas J. Anderson, Dwight Andrews, Regina Harris Baiocchi, David Baker, William C. Ban?eld, Ysay
Trade Review
"If you are intrigued by the mystery of artistic creativity, this is your book. If you want to know where these musicians believe they stand among their white peers, read on. If you are curious about how non-commercial composers and performers thrive or survive in our warped economy, there is much here to consider." --On the Seawall
"Traversing a richly diverse gamut of Black culture and heritage across classical and jazz-- which many here agree is in effect ‘the classical music of America’—the crucial contribution of Black composers in and far beyond the US becomes clear. Wise, moving, and thought-provoking, it's a timely reiteration of the continued need for their wider acknowledgment." --BBC Music Magazine
“A valuable guide to the repertoire.”--Times Union
"While some composers are familiar (including Herbie Hancock and Bobby McFerrin), the overwhelming impression is how many unsung Black composers have contributed so much pleasure to music lovers. It’s abundantly clear their work has enriched and expanded the world’s musical palette. . . . A book that should be in every music lover’s library." --Library Journal, Starred Review
Table of Contents
Dedication
Foreword
Preface: Black Beethovens: Essential Conversations with American Composers
In Loving Memory
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part 1: Laying the Foundations
Part 2: The Arrived and the Acknowledged, Part 1 (1922–1936)
- H. Leslie Adams
- Thomas J. Anderson
- David Baker
- Noel DaCosta
- George Russell
- Hale Smith
- Frederick C. Tillis
- George Walker
Part 3: The Arrived and the Acknowledged, Part 2 (1937–1945)
- Adolphus Hailstork
- Wendell Logan
- Dorothy Rudd Moore
- Olly Wilson
Part 4: Perspectives on Spirituality, Jazz, and Contemporary Popular Languages
- Dwight Andrews
- Ysaye Maria Barnwell
- Billy Childs
- George Duke
- Jester Hairston
- Herbie Hancock
- Stephen Newby
- Michael Powell
- Billy Taylor
- Tony Williams
- Michael Woods
Part 5: The Composer as Conductor and Composer
- Leslie Dunner
- Bobby McFerrin
- Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson
- Patrice Rushen
- Kevin Scott
- Julius Williams
Part 6: Generation X and Beyond (1950–1965)
- Michael Abels
- Lettie Beckon Alston
- William C. Banfield
- Regina Harris Baiocchi
- Anthony Davis
- Donal Fox
- Jonathan Holland
- Anthony Kelley
- Jeffrey Mumford
- Gary Powell Nash
- Evelyn Simpson-Curenton
- James Kimo Williams
Postlude: Extensions of the Tradition—Linkages and Canon
Index
About the Author
