Topic: Cross The Water Blues

[jharris]

Here's a new book that may be of interest - "Cross the Water Blues: African American Music in Europe"
Here's the blurb from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cross-Water-Blues-African-American/dp/1578069602

This unique collection of essays examines the flow of African American music and musicians across the Atlantic to Europe from the time of slavery to the twentieth century. In a sweeping examination of different musical forms--spirituals, blues, jazz, skiffle, and orchestral music--the contributors consider the reception and influence of black music on a number of different European audiences, particularly in Britain, but also France, Germany, and the Netherlands.

The essayists approach the subject through diverse historical, musicological, and philosophical perspectives. A number of essays document little-known performances and recordings of African American musicians in Europe. Several pieces, including one by Paul Oliver, focus on the appeal of the blues to British listeners. At the same time, these considerations often reveal the ambiguous nature of European responses to black music and in so doing add to our knowledge of transatlantic race relations.

This book of essays analyzing the impact of African American stylings and their European reverberations

- Examines several genres of music

- Includes outstanding essayists, internationally renown experts, plus new, young writers in the field

- Features essays from Christopher G. Bakriges (Elms College); Sean Creighton (independent); Jeffrey Green (independent); Leighton Grist (King Alfred's College-Winchester); Bob Groom (independent); Rainer E. Lotz (independent); Paul Oliver (Oxford Brookes University); Catherine Parsonage (Leeds College of Music); Iris Schmeisser (University of Erlangen, Germany); Roberta Freund Schwartz (University of Kansas); Robert Springer (University of Metz, France); Rupert Till (University of Huddersfield); Guido van Rijn ( Kennemer Lyceum-Overveen, Netherlands); David Webster (University of Gloucestershire); Jen Wilson (Women's Jazz Archive/Swansea, Wales); Neil A. Wynn (University of Gloucestershire). 

-Jeff H.

[Rivers]

Looks interesting Jeff. I've always found it ironic that blues was getting left behind, dying of the relentless commercialism of new artists and genres in the States and found a new motivation in Europe at various times. That connection is as important today as it ever was. Don't get me wrong, people here love it when they hear it. They just don't get to hear it as often as we'd all like. Keep on pushing the real thing is my motto, the Euro blues fanatics' passion for the music really helps to keep it on the radar over here and sticks it in the face of such mass crapola as 'American Idol', which remains a hugely popular topic of intense discussion around the water cooler every Monday morning. 

I potter around Austin with my Blind Lemon license plate and few people who talk to me about it know who he was. After I explain, 9 times out of 10 will mention Stevie Ray in the next sentence. Nothing against Stevie, I've come to appreciate him more since living here, but really people, wake up to what you got!  (weenies etc excepted from this rant of course, and recognizing we do got the option in TX of even having a BLJ plate in the first place...)

I love living in the States by the way. It's crazy as hell but I wouldn't live anywhere else. Unless they throw me out for crapping on moronic TV shows...