African Rhythm and African Sensibility: Aesthetics and Social Action in African Musical Idioms [AUDIOBOOK] (Audio Cassette)

by John Miller Chernoff (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

"We have in this book a Rosetta stone for mediating, or translating, African musical behavior and aesthetics."—Andrew Tracey, African Music

"John Miller Chernoff, who spent 10 years studying African drumming, has a flair for descriptive writing, and his first-person narratives should be easily understood by any reader, while ringing unmistakably true for the reader who has also been to West Africa."—Roderick Knight, Washington Post Book World

"Ethnomusicologists must be proud that their discipline has produced a book that will, beyond doubt, rank as a classic of African studies."—Peter Fryer, Research in Literatures

"A marvelous book. . . . Not many scholars will ever be able to achieve the kind of synthesis of 'doing' and 'writing about' their subject matter that Chernoff has achieved, but he has given us an excellent illustration of what is possible."—Chet Creider, Culture

"Chernoff develops a brilliant and penetrating musicological essay that is, at the same time, an intensely personal and even touching account of musical and cultural discovery that anyone with an interest in Africa can and should read. . . . No other writing comes close to approaching Chernoff's ability to convey a feeling of how African music 'works'"—James Koetting, Africana Journal

"Four stars. One of the few books I know of that talks of the political, social, and spiritual meanings of music. I was moved. It was so nice I read it twice."—David Byrne of "Talking Heads"

The companion cassette tape has 44 examples of the music discussed in the book. It consists of field recordings illustrating cross-rhythms, multiple meters, call and response forms, etc.

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; 1 edition (August 15, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226103463
• ISBN-13: 978-0226103464
• Product Dimensions: 4.4 x 2.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,875,519 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece in analytical cultural exploration, March 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: African Rhythm and African Sensibility: Aesthetics and Social Action in African Musical Idioms (Paperback)

What begins as a primer in African polyrhythm becomes a spiritual quest to understand culture and humanity. Don't skip the endnotes in this impassioned examination of musical tonality and rhythm. Forging a tentative balance between scholarship and interpretation, Chernoff's book addresses the subconscious dynamics of culture, and unwittingly explains "race" more convincingly than the agitprop self-promoters whose explicit goal is to deconstruct the historical consciences of Africans and Europeans.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Classics, April 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: African Rhythm and African Sensibility: Aesthetics and Social Action in African Musical Idioms (Paperback)

This is a remarkable work that fits African music into its cultural context and is consistently provocative and enlightening. It's a world music classic, along with such studies as "The Latin Tinge," "The Brazilian Sound" and "Catch a Fire."

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The heart beats ..., July 14, 2000

By	Myron Maciejewski (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: African Rhythm and African Sensibility: Aesthetics and Social Action in African Musical Idioms (Paperback)

This book's sweetness, modesty, humor and graceful scholarship honors one of the world's greatest achievements. It's about drumming, and life.