Africana Studies Commons^™

Cecil Taylor, 1950–1976: Theory & Practice In His Own Words, Michelle A. Yom

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Cecil Taylor (1929–2018) was a poet, composer, pianist, and dancer who is widely regarded as one of the founding figures of Free Jazz. Despite this historical significance, Taylor has not been a subject of substantial archival research. Some scholars have written his name into music scholarship through explicitly or implicitly reiterating the notion of “freedom” that circulated among contemporary jazz critics of the late 1950s and the 1960s. Others have focused on analyzing Taylor’s solo piano music, often reducing Taylor’s musical theories and practices into the formal structures of the music itself. To date, the scholarship has simplified Taylor’s work …

Feelings That Drive, Kayla M. Jackson

LSU Master's Theses

Feelings That Drive is an interdisciplinary, multimodal thesis that blends poetry, personal narrative, lyrical essays, and spiritual reflection to explore the complex intersections of Black identity, memory, trauma, resilience, and healing in the contemporary American South. Framed in five thematic sections—Worn, Anxiousness, Desperation, Hopeful, and Restored—the work traverses emotional and geographic landscapes, most notably the author’s home in New Orleans, to trace the cumulative effects of racialized trauma, familial rupture, and spiritual seeking. Through nonlinear storytelling and form-breaking verse, the thesis confronts experiences such as anti-Blackness in institutional spaces, gendered violence, economic precarity, generational silence, and the haunting …

Hip Hop At 50: Reflections From Our Students, Dana Horton, Lavar Pope, Travis Harris

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

Hip Hop transcends time and space, however, its confluence in the Bronx in 1973 is worth commemorating. During the celebration of fifty years of Hip Hop, the authors asked their students to reflect on fifty years of Hip Hop. In particular, the authors asked students to discuss why Hip Hop is still popular in 2023, as well as the direction the culture has taken. Students are at the forefront of keeping Hip Hop culture alive, and their contributions to our 50th Anniversary are valuable.

A similar question was asked in the authors' courses: “Hip hop started 50 years ago in …

(Special Section, Hymns Beyond The Congregation Ii): “We’Ll Understand It Better By And By:” Nomenclature, Negotiation, And Naming Our Neighbors, Emmett G. Price Iii

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

Hymns, whether composed for religious contexts or as expressions of spiritual reflection, are historically revered for their redemptive nature. For generations, Black Hymnody has cried out for Christological interventions to end shambolic and systemic oppression against Black people. The vicious murder of George Perry Floyd, Jr. on May 25, 2020 reverberated and initiated, as a catalyst, an overdue global awakening that sparked a catalytic moment for conversations too long deferred. Conversations that question how we experience and name things; how we negotiate trauma; and how we engage one another as neighbors. In many ways, the redemptive nature of hymns has …

The Sounds Of The Shore: An Afrofuturistic Double Record Performed Through Vernacular Technology, Collin Bright

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Predominately white institutions are socially exclusive hostile environments that uphold white heteronormative patriarchal systems (Harper, 2013; Holliday & Squires, 2021; Razzante, 2018). The everyday task of existing on campus is a struggle for students of color as they are asked to enter spaces/places that are not diverse, inclusive, equitable, or accepting. To address the oppressive and dismissive forces of campus, my thesis uses Afrofuturism to reimagine what it means to exist as a student of color at a PWI. Afrofuturism is a “counter-imaginative cultur[al]” aesthetic-based practice that uses creative postcolonial critiques to reimagine future possibilities (Asante & Pindi, 2020; Pirker …

The Black Ass History Of House Music, Segen D. Assefa

Capstones

Contrary to current thinking, the history of house and techno music is overwhelmingly Black. This capstone was written in collaboration with three members of the house music scene, who have offered their lived experiences and personal anecdotes to help us better understand the true history and culture of the genre, and how marginalized identities in the creative industry suffer through lack of widespread historical knowledge (https://imsegen.com/2023/05/04/the-black-ass-history-of-house-music/).

Intro To Jazz, Jon De Lucia

Open Educational Resources

OER Based Syllabus for MUS 145 Intro to Jazz course at City College. Covers the history and development of jazz along with basic music fundamental vocabulary.

Producer Interview: Teak Underdue, Kris Jones

Backstage Pass

This interview is with three-time Grammy-nominated music producer Teak Underdue of Hallway Productions. He discusses his background and the path he has taken to become a well respected music creator and producer. The interviewee offers advice for aspiring producers on how to build their reputation and credits in the music industry.

The Correlation Between Traditional And Modern Day Performance Poetry: Where Music And Poetry Collide, Jaya Hodges

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

"Music and poetry have similar roots that have made them both into what they are today. From chants to church hymns, they both have kept the Black community intact during times of sorrow and grief. The words that ride along the rhythm and structure of any song brings an unforgettable emotion out of these art forms. This paper will discuss how they have merged themselves together along with the influences they have made within Jame Weldon's "Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing" and Lauryn Hill's "Doo Wop (That Thing)".

Afro-Brazilian Music And Culture, Regina Castro Mcgowan

Open Educational Resources

In this course students will learn about the musical heritage Africans brought to Brazil and how through forced conversion and cultural adaptation, their traditions quickly syncretized into distinct Afro-Brazilian artistic expressions. This course will explore many musical traditions, including; Samba, Pagode, Baile Funk, Candomblé and Axé music for their social, religious and/or political significance, from the early twentieth century through today. In doing so, students will get to practice and learn the vocabulary and grammatical structures found in the music of these rich and varied genres, and acquire a familiarity with conversational Portuguese.

Black Music Since 1965: History Of Hip Hop Aaf 207, Jim Kinnie

Library Impact Statements

No abstract provided.

Issue 06, Cariso! Summer 2006, Columbia College Chicago

Cariso! The Alton Augustus Adams Music Research Institute newsletter

Cariso! is the newsletter of the Alton Augustus Adams Music Research Institute (AMRI), which was located in the U. S. Virgin Islands and operated by the Center for Black Music Research at Columbia College Chicago from 1999 to 2006. Issue articles include: "More Than A Bandmaster: The Life and Times of Alton Augustus Sr., a Cultural Odyssey", CBMR Ends Tenure in the Virgin Islands", "Performance Forum on St. Croix Music and Dance Traditions", "Thanks from St. Lucia", "Come with Me and Let's Talk about Caribbean Quadrilles". Issue 6, Summer, 2006.

Issue 05, Cariso! Winter 2006, Columbia College Chicago

Cariso! The Alton Augustus Adams Music Research Institute newsletter

Cariso! is the newsletter of the Alton Augustus Adams Music Research Institute (AMRI), which was located in the U. S. Virgin Islands and operated by the Center for Black Music Research at Columbia College Chicago from 1999 to 2006. Issue articles include: "Adams Institute is Repository, Distributor for Alan Lomas's 1962 Caribbean Fieldwork", "Alan Lomax's Caribbean Voyage: Nevis Historical and Conservation Society Received 1962 Recordings Made in St. Kitts and Nevis", "St. Thomas-Born Composer Presents Score of "Virgin Islands Christmas" to AMRI", "Students Learn V.I. Music from Master Musicians", "Cuban Abakua Society Is Derived from Calabari Region of Nigeria", "The …

Issue 04, Cariso!Summer 2005, Columbia College Chicago

Cariso! The Alton Augustus Adams Music Research Institute newsletter

Cariso! is the newsletter of the Alton Augustus Adams Music Research Institute (AMRI), which was located in the U. S. Virgin Islands and operated by the Center for Black Music Research at Columbia College Chicago from 1999 to 2006. Issue articles include: "Performance Forum on VI Music and Dance Traditions", "CBMR Rockefeller Resident Fellows for 2005-06", "March 2005 Lecture and Summit", "AMRI Holds First Workshop for Teachers", "Family of the 'Duke of Iron' Donates Instrument to the People of the Virgin Islands", "Upcoming AMRI Events", "Brown Girl in the Ring and Other Game Songs of the U.S. Virgin Islands", "Stanley …

Issue 03, Cariso! Winter 2005, Columbia College Chicago

Cariso! The Alton Augustus Adams Music Research Institute newsletter

Cariso! is the newsletter of the Alton Augustus Adams Music Research Institute (AMRI), which was located in the U. S. Virgin Islands and operated by the Center for Black Music Research at Columbia College Chicago from 1999 to 2006. Issue articles include: ""Christmas with the Ancestors: Jonkonnu and Related Festivities in Jamaica", "New AMRI Hours", "St. John People Love and Honor Their Elder Musicians", "Support from VICA", "St. Croix Colloquium" , "Rockefeller Fellow Dr. Kennth Bilby Lectures on Jonkonnu", "Teaching the Music of Alton Adams", "Tra-la-la-la-la: Music in the U.S. Virgin Islands", "The 2004=05 Rockefeller Fellows". Issue 3, 12 pages.

Issue 02, Cariso! Spring 2004, Columbia College Chicago

Cariso! The Alton Augustus Adams Music Research Institute newsletter

Cariso! is the newsletter of the Alton Augustus Adams Music Research Institute (AMRI), which was located in the U. S. Virgin Islands and operated by the Center for Black Music Research at Columbia College Chicago from 1999 to 2006. Issue articles include: "AMRI to Host Public Event in St. Croix", Quelbe is Official Music of the Virgin Islands", "Quelbe Past and Present", "AMRI to Host Rockefeller Fellow Colloquium in St. Croix", "The Adams Institute Becomes a Reality: The Opening Ceremony", "Cariso Chronicles: The Original Music", "Dance Competition, Tradition, and Change in the Commonwealth of Dominica", "May Lecture in St. Thomas …

Issue 01, Cariso! Summer 2003, Columbia College Chicago

Cariso! The Alton Augustus Adams Music Research Institute newsletter

Cariso! is the newsletter of the Alton Augustus Adams Music Research Institute (AMRI), which was located in the U. S. Virgin Islands and operated by the Center for Black Music Research at Columbia College Chicago from 1999 to 2006. Issue articles include: "Alton Augustus Adams Music Research Institute", Another Sount of the V.I. Voice: The Music of Cyril F.W. Creque", "Virgin Islands Support Is Key to AMRI Success", "The First AMRI Workshops and Summits", "Torruellas Performs in Chicago", "Notice to Prospective Contributors", "Rockfeller Resident Fellows to Study at AMRI". Issue 1, 12 pages.