African American Jazz and Rap: Social and Philosophical Examinations of Black Expressive Behavior (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780786408283)

Music is an expressive voice of a culture, often more so than literature. While jazz and rap are musical genres popular among people of numerous racial and social backgrounds, they are truly important historically for their representation of and impact upon African American culture and traditions. Essays offer interdisciplinary study of jazz and rap as they relate to black culture in America. The essays are grouped under sections. One examines an Afrocentric approach to understanding jazz and rap; another, the history, culture, performers, instruments, and political role of jazz and rap. There are sections on the expressions of jazz in dance and literature; rap music as art, social commentary, and commodity; and the future. Each essay offers insight and thoughtful discourse on these popular musical styles and their roles within the black community and in American culture as a whole. References are included for each essay.

Author: James L. Conyers
ISBN-10: 0786408286
ISBN-13: 9780786408283
Publisher: McFarland & Company
Language: English
Published: 01/09/2001
Pages: 264
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.81lbs
Size: 8.96h x 6.06w x 0.57d

Review Citation(s):
Booklist 12/15/2000 pg. 797
Booklist 03/15/2001 pg. 1340
Choice 06/01/2001 pg. 1802