Skip to main content

Wayne Shorter - Devil's island

The Blues and Gospel Train created a similarly exoticized theatre for white British audiences – engendering, through its representational matrix, the very cultural differences it claimed to portray. The anachronistic use of frontier motifs, including a steam locomotive, wanted posters and hardware alluding to a western saloon, a historically combined with southern paraphernalia including sacks of cotton, a surrey wagon and a rocking chair, constructed a scenario rich in pastoral myth. This setting, however, paid no attention to the presence of de jure segregation, constructing a factitious southern past free from violent Jim Crow divisions. Providing a more palatable substitute for British audiences indicative of a desire to reconceive history, this portrayal erased disagreeable yet defining aspects of African American history... Once again, this fantasy scenario made some artists look absurdly out of place , such as Tharpe, dressed in high heels and a sumptuous coat, while supporting the rugged, down home personae of others, notably McGhee, Terry and Waters. As established professional entertainers, these musicians were nonetheless consummate actors, adopting roles that demonstrated intimate access to the codes of blues expression. The unfortunate effect of such astute personification, however, was a restriction of their creative compass.

Barthes memorably grounds his analysis of myth in a photograph from Paris Match in which a young Negro in a French uniform is saluting, with his eyes uplifted, probably fixed on a fold of the tricolour... we witness an equivalent motion whereby blues revivalism condemns black performers to be instrumental signifiers of racial alterity while simultaneously using them to establish and justify the very racialized ontology upon which blues revivalism rests... using black performers as props to signify a paradigm of cultural validity untarnished by mainstream pop and interracial contact... those who participated in the revival, he notes, believed they had discovered an object called blues... proved to be an ideal surrogate thanks to his skill in creating the illusion of deep, artless immersion in song, Waters, in contrast, faltered due to his persistent self fashioning, a position that, for purists, revealed the intolerable truth about such performative fictions. The racialized logic of blues spectatorship, in short, sought to keep those Others under its gaze, supreme witnesses to the exploitative malice of modern capital, both disciplined and premodern.


Wayne Shorter - Devil's island
  • Written by: Wayne Shorter
  • Released on: Wayning Moments album
  • Released in: 1962

"Wayne Shorter was almost another player entirely, his lovely tone attuned more to lyrical thoughts, his choice of notes more spare. He co founded Weather Report in 1970 and through 1986 released Grammy winning albums."

See previous Song of the Day 

Labels

Labels:
Location: United States

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Spiritualized - Spread Your Wings

Spiritualized - Spread Your Wings Released in: February 1995 Duration: 6:17 Vocals: Jason Pierce "The first Spiritualized release was a space rock esque cover in 1990, a record which heralded the official split of Spacemen 3. On 15 June 1997, Spiritualized became the last band to play at Factory Records' Manchester nightclub." See Previous Song of the Day  
Post a Comment
Read more

Steve Winwood - Domingo Morning

There have also been plenty of blues festivals and events in Ireland, which have brought the styles to a greater number of people. The Cork Jazz Festival is a massive annual offering that attracts thousands, while there’s also the Dublin Blues, Roots, and Brass Festival that brings in local and international blues enthusiasts. The events are a prime opportunity to celebrate the heritage of these music varieties and showcase some of the best talents around. The influence of reggae and blues music in Ireland goes beyond the music scene and has had a broader impact on the entertainment industry. It’s clear that the incorporation of these genres into Ireland’s entertainment landscape has helped bring diversity and richness to the culture of the country. This has, in turn, led to the attraction of more diverse audiences to Irish entertainment. Companies that offer entertainment to people in Ireland now must consider this diversity, and market their offerings to a broad spectrum of consumers...
Post a Comment
Read more

Duke Pearson - I'm An Old Cowhand (Take 5)

Sanctified gospel music, especially in the western part of the state, is represented by members of the Holiness or Pentecostal church, such as The Church of God in Christ founded... in 1897 near Memphis. One of its present ministers, Reverend Robert Wilkins, a practicing herbalist now 90, became active in church work after several years as a highly regarded blues singer. Sanctified singers perform in a shouting musical style, accompanied by hand clapping, tambourines, guitars, and other instruments. A number of Holiness singers were recorded in Memphis during the 1920s... Of the many Pentecostal churches presently in Memphis, that of Reverend J. 0. Patterson is prominent, where the exceptional soloist Mattie Wigley still performs with the choir.        Among its many songwriters Tennessee has had three who were prominent in Black sacred music... Campbell, 1885 - 1963, composed 45 gospel songs and was also music director of the National Baptist Convention, one of seve...
Post a Comment
Read more