"Jazz" -- new book by Gary Giddins & Scott DeVeaux

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

well, John Szwed once told me that there are parts of Africa with concert band traditions - lots of horns and orchestras.

Pre-nineteenth century? There is such a tradition in Ghana, but it's as a result of the English colonial influence. I'd be interested to know more about that.

One has to remember, when making comments about African influences in US music, that the nationalities most brought in via Charleston were Mandinke and Bambara. New Orleans, under French control in those days, would have been the port of entry mainly for people from the Wolof kingdoms. It is to those nationalities that one must look for influences, such as there are, not to nations whose populations largely turned up in the Caribbean, Central or South America. Africa is probably the least culturally homogenous continent.

MG

[AllenLowe]

I'd have to speak to John - I DO remember that the book he referred to which talked about such things was, as he told me, in German, and had never been translated.

Edited November 27, 2009 by AllenLowe