Musical landscapes in color : conversations with Black American composers / William C. Banfield.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A sequel to the award-winning The Black Composer Speaks (Scarecrow Press, 1978), this exploration of the creative world of African American composers traces the lives and careers of 40 talented individuals and, in their own words, provides perspectives on a world that has been slow to recognize their remarkable contributions to classical music. The discussion places the music of these composers within the greater context of Western art music, but analyzes it through the lenses of sociology, Western concepts of art and taste, and vernacular musical forms, including spirituals, blues, jazz, and contemporary popular music. Each chapter is devoted to an individual composer, who discusses his or her musical training, compositional techniques and style, and the composer's personal philosophy as reflected in his or her music. A selected list of compositions for each composer is included, as well as a photo and sample of the composer's "hand." Banfield offers unprecedented insight into the history and influence of the African American composer with this documentary, which will appeal to everyone from the music scholar to the general reader.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Dedication (p. v)
• Foreword (p. vi)
• Acknowledgments (p. vii)
• Introduction (p. ix)
• 1 Laying the Foundations (p. 1)
• 2 The Arrived and the Acknowledged, Part 1 (1922-1936) (p. 23)
• H. Leslie Adams (p. 24)
• Thomas J. Anderson (p. 29)
• David Baker (p. 38)
• Noel DaCosta (p. 53)
• George Russell (p. 58)
• Hale Smith (p. 63)
• Frederick C. Tillis (p. 80)
• George Walker (p. 90)
• 3 The Arrived and the Acknowledged, Part 2 (1937-1945) (p. 95)
• Adolphus Hailstork (p. 96)
• Wendell Logan (p. 102)
• Dorothy Rudd Moore (p. 111)
• Olly Wilson (p. 121)
• 4 Perspectives on Spirituality, Jazz, and Contemporary Popular Languages (p. 139)
• Dwight Andrews (p. 140)
• Ysaye Maria Barnwell (p. 149)
• Billy Childs (p. 158)
• George Duke (p. 165)
• Jester Hairston (p. 172)
• Herbie Hancock (p. 176)
• Stephen Newby (p. 183)
• Michael Powell (p. 189)
• Billy Taylor (p. 196)
• Tony Williams (p. 207)
• Michael Woods (p. 215)
• 5 The Composer as Conductor and Composer (p. 221)
• Leslie Dunner (p. 222)
• Bobby McFerrin (p. 231)
• Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (p. 238)
• Patrice Rushen (p. 248)
• Kevin Scott (p. 258)
• Julius Williams (p. 267)
• 6 Generation X and Beyond (1950-1965) (p. 275)
• Michael Abels (p. 276)
• Lettie Beckon Alston (p. 283)
• William C. Banfield (p. 293)
• Regina Harris Baiocchi (p. 301)
• Anthony Davis (p. 311)
• Donal Fox (p. 317)
• Jonathan Holland (p. 329)
• Anthony Kelley (p. 333)
• Jeffrey Mumford (p. 340)
• Gary Powell Nash (p. 346)
• Evelyn Simpson-Curenton (p. 351)
• James Kimo Williams (p. 360)
• Postlude: Extensions of the Tradition--Linkages and Canon (p. 369)
• Index (p. 373)
• About the Author (p. 381)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Composer/jazz performer Banfield (emeritus, Africana studies, Berklee Coll. of Music; Cultural Codes: Makings of a Black Music Philosophy) interviewed 41 Black composers for this book first published 20 years ago, and now revised and available in paperback. Everyone interested in music should read it, if only to realize how much superb music people miss by slighting these productive artists. Several have backgrounds in jazz, and nearly everyone mentions Duke Ellington, but the book is about music composed in the late-20th-century concert and symphonic music tradition, not any kind of pop music. There are commonalities to interviewees' experiences: the prominence of public schools and churches as training grounds; the different ways they approach Black vernacular in their work; and whom they listen to--among Western composers, the names of Igor Stravinsky and Paul Hindemith appear frequently. While some composers are familiar (including Herbie Hancock and Bobby McFerrin), the overwhelming impression is how many unsung Black composers have contributed so much pleasure to music lovers. It's abundantly clear their work has enriched and expanded the world's musical palette. This book should bring them wider recognition. VERDICT A book that should be in every music lover's library.--David Keymer