Post by Admin on Jul 9, 2014 9:47:27 GMT -5
From Harriet Vinson:
"...Observers writing in the 1800s often mentioned their inability to describe performance practice adequately or to represent what was actually sung in standard Western notation...
Yes. If we focus on (clutch the pearls) *integrity* then we have to ask that people who write about cultures from the outside admit that they are writing from limited anecdotal information and that what they write may not ring true to those inside the culture...cultures they're writing about. It is abundantly clear that only a handful of Blues authors have made any attempt to black-test what they write as "experts." Check references sometime,--there are a fair number of books (most in fact) that have NO reference to the African-American authors who came before them. The "discovery" of black media is a case in point: it has always been there, the "experts" just never looked. African-American authors have been writing the Blues from well-before the end of slavery. How many books use images from black photographers, opting instead for "special-access insider" photos from white photographers even though "Pookie" hung out every weekend and had a camera too...even though there were *professional* black photographers, which was exactly where these artists would have gone for portraits because white photographers would not take their pictures? If the goal is to capture the essence and share something of the "truth" how can this be? In the same way, those writing from inside the culture must be reminded that we may be myopic and not see the forest for the trees. If we really care about the Blues as an art form, we have to tell the truth: every Blues artist earning money today benefits from books about the Blues. On the other hand, many Blues artists don't have much to say that is truly profound. Even with older musicians, their wisdom is the wisdom of an Elder, which has nothing to do with that guitar/piano/harmonica. Books aren't just about selling the genre, there has to be some cultural and social truth: if artists sound like they have something to say, it's because they come from a context that gave them that wisdom. Integrity means holding writers to account for what they write, supporting them when they write well and asking the right questions when they write rubbish. Toni Morrison has a lot to say about that as a significant Blues writer, who almost never gets quoted in the Blues media. #glovemeetcheek"
"...Observers writing in the 1800s often mentioned their inability to describe performance practice adequately or to represent what was actually sung in standard Western notation...