Blues People: Negro Music in White America [Bargain Price] [Paperback]

Leroi Jones (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 3, 1999

"The path the slave took to 'citizenship' is what I want to look at. And I make my analogy through the slave citizen's music -- through the music that is most closely associated with him: blues and a later, but parallel development, jazz... [If] the Negro represents, or is symbolic of, something in and about the nature of American culture, this certainly should be revealed by his characteristic music."

So says Amiri Baraka in the Introduction to Blues People, his classic work on the place of jazz and blues in American social, musical, economic, and cultural history. From the music of African slaves in the United States through the music scene of the 1960's, Baraka traces the influence of what he calls "negro music" on white America -- not only in the context of music and pop culture but also in terms of the values and perspectives passed on through the music. In tracing the music, he brilliantly illuminates the influence of African Americans on American culture and history.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This extremely pertinent work will make a valuable addition to the musical and sociological collections of public and academic libraries.”–Library Journal --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

This extremely pertinent work will make a valuable addition to the musical and sociological collections of public and academic libraries. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Quill, 1999 (February 3, 1999)
• ISBN-10: 068818474X
• ASIN: B000H5U7MY
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #742,312 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a classic in every sense of the word, April 13, 2000

By 

T. Bekken (Austmarka Norway) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blues People: Negro Music in White America (Paperback)

This book is probably the greatest ever written on the early history of black music in America. With rare clarity and glowing intensity, Baraka traces the evolution of black forms such as blues and jazz back to Africa, and presents the reader with genuine insight into the world of the creators of these important 20th century art forms. The book is as gripping as any novel you will ever read, and also crammed with facts and mindboggling lines of thought. Anybody with even the slightest interest in modern black music needs to read this book, and consider its contents thoroughly.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Starting Point, August 24, 2005

By 

N. Guven Ilter (Istanbul Turkey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blues People: Negro Music in White America (Paperback)

I actually purchased the first paperback edition this book a long time ago, and I learned that it had been out of print for quite some time. It was a time when I was a casual listener of blues and jazz, and didn't think about the roots of the music I was listening to. The book was interesting enough, but it didn't have information about more contemporary stuff, as it was printed in 1963.

Recently, I found this book in the upper shelves of my library, having completely forgotten about it in spite of my infatuation with the blues for the better part of the last two decades. It was a most welcome surprise for me, as it contained a compact but comprehensive introduction to the time period from the first Africans came to America to the 1920s when their music was first recorded, and laid the groundwork to how this music evolved in a sociological context. The rural lifestyle, the reflections of the exodus from the south on the music and subsequent refined, urban sound are discussed in this framework.

Although it would not really appeal to the casual reader and listener, "Blues People" is invaluable for the serious blues and jazz fan for setting the music into the general context of social life and external effects that made this music what it is today.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars most "effective" for the "proper" study of Black Music, June 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Blues People: Negro Music in White America (Paperback)

I used Blues People by Leroi Jones when I designed the History of Black Music courses at Harvard University in September 1970.It is still the most "effective" text in introducing a "proper" study of the Music of Black Americans.