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Full-Text Articles in African American Studies

Sanabria, Bobby, Mark Naison Oct 2018

Sanabria, Bobby, Mark Naison

Oral Histories

Bobby Sanabria Summary

Summarized by Ian Smith, August 2022

Bobby Sanabria is a drummer, percussionist, composer, arranger, conductor, documentary film producer, educator, bandleader, and activist. He is a 7-time grammy nominee as lead, and his versatility as both a drummer and percussionist, from small group to big band, has become legendary. His knowledge of latin jazz, both as a historian and as a maker of its history, has earned him worldwide acclaim.

Bobby Sanabria’s family were from rural Puerto Rico. Bobby was born in 1957 at the historic St. Francis hospital in the South Bronx. When he was 3, his …


Parker, William, Bronx African American History Project Jan 2018

Parker, William, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Interview: William Parker

Interviewer: Mark Naison

Date of Interview: December 8, 2018

Summary by Bailey Barnett

William Parker was born in the Bronx in 1952. As a child, Parker had the opportunity to play several different instruments before ultimately settling on the bass. Parker not only discusses some of the teachers who influenced him but also explains what he believes distinguished people who were truly "from the Bronx." He spent many years working various odd jobs until, during the 1980s, he was able to support himself by traveling and sharing his music with others. The belief that music has the …