“That it was the history of the African American people as text, as tale, as story, as exposition, narrative, or what have you, that the music was the score, the American life, our words, the libretto, to those actual, lived lives…the music was explaining the history as the history was explaining the music. And that both were expressions of and reflections of the people!” (Amira Baraka, Blues People)
Intense
Expressive
Personal
Physical
Vocal
Cultural History
Call and Response
Audience participation
Dancing
A “negation”(?) of elements
Individuality
Uncensored
Groove
Story
Slide Guitar
Coded language
Heavy Metaphor
Locality
Work Song/Rhythm
Poetry
Poverty
Slavery
Segregation
Migration
To make sophisticated/to make raw
Not two, not one
Irony
Mississippi
New Orleans
Kansas City
St. Louis
New York City
Aural
Gospel Music
Baptist
Congregation, Choir, Minister
Water, Trains, Highways, Guns, Women, Men, Work, God, Devil, Crazy, Abuse, Love, Fine and Mellow…
