Race Music: Black Cultures from Bebop to Hip-Hop (Music of the African Diaspora) (Paperback)

by Guthrie P. Ramsey Jr. (Author) "History, because it is an intellectual and secular production, calls for analysis and criticism..." (more)
Key Phrases: African American, World War, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This is a challenging and fascinating look at various ways in which popular music from the 1940s to the 1990s represented "anchor moments in the cultural, social and political realms of twentieth-century African American history." Ramsay, an assistant professor of music at the University of Pennsylvania, notes that this "is not a comprehensive, strictly chronological study"; he also uses a wide range of source material including family narratives, recordings, live concerts and films. But his sophisticated understanding of current ethnological, musicological, literary and historical theories-as well as a clear and engaging writing style remarkably free of theoretical jargon-explores a central theme: the "subjective understanding of black music as shaped continually by community sensibilities." Through nuanced looks at such musical artists as Dinah Washington and Dizzy Gillespie, Ramsay shows not only that their work displays a wide range of expressive possibilities but also that, "taken together, they provide a realistic representation of a diverse African American culture always in the process of being made." For example, Ramsay shows how James Brown's "musical language, lyrical subject matter, public presentation, and cultural politics are saturated with the new consciousness of the late 1960s... at the crossroads between the Civil Rights and Black Power movements." While Ramsay's shift toward the end of the book from the music of the '60s to an insightful analysis of music in films like Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing is jarring, this is a valuable exploration of American culture.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review
"Race Music is slammin'! Ramsey brilliantly interweaves oral history with his own scholarly readings of jazz, gospel, popular music, and film soundtracks with pathbreaking results. Race Music revolutionizes the way we receive and critique African American popular culture and provides a new context for our understanding of black music and cultural memory. A must read - intelligent, engaging and powerful." - Rae Linda Brown, author of The Heart of a Woman "This work easily makes Guthrie one of the top musicologists of his generation who writes on black music. The scope, depth, and breadth are highly impressive. His criticisms of other scholars are fair. And his treatments of black musical artists in time, in space, and in place are quite illuminating. I know no one else who has his mastery of knowledge over such a broad range of black musical works of different genres and periods." - Cornel West, Princeton University; "Witty, powerful, smart, opinionated, beautifully written, groundbreaking, and bold. Scholars will read Race Music and debate it for years to come." - Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Freedom Dreams"

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 293 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (November 22, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520243331
• ISBN-13: 978-0520243330
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #472,354 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars extraordinary, July 6, 2003

By	Marc Lamont Hill (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Race Music: Black Cultures from Bebop to Hip-Hop (Hardcover)

Race Music is a wonderful example of music scholarship. Ramsey's work provides a rigourous, fresh, and inciteful look into African American Music. Unlike many music scholars who unsuccessfully negotiate the academic and popualar terrains simultaneously, Ramsey presents an unflinchingly academic book in a way that allows the lay public access into his wonderful world of idas. A must read!!!!