Re: [Harp-L] blues history

[jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx]

> I didn't do my research before I posted but I took an college level african 
> music course a while ago and the professor said Blues and Funk is really JuJu 
> and Hilife music. One musician or the other could step into each others' show 
> and his/her music chops would work. 

I took several courses both in blues history, jazz history and world music.  In many ways your professor is correct today--the musics share many similarities.  But that is after the massive cross-fertilisation of African pop music with African-American forms, particularly the blues and funk a la James Brown.  Juju and Hilife are both modern forms, not traditonal forms, and both arose after the influence of African-American pop forms.  It's a bit like hearing the Cuban influenced West-African musical forms of the 50's and assuming that Cuban music is just the African music imported intact.


i doubt that is what your professor was suggesting--ie that blues or funk is just the same as African music (even with hilife and such it's not--these are different genres with different emphases--similar to blues or funk, respectively, but like zydeco they are not the same thing).  There are those who believe that African-American music is just African music with no difference and was just brought whole to the Americas, and perhaps your professor is one of those.  If he is, then I disagree entirely and in whole. 


 ()() JR "Bulldogge" Ross 
() () & Snuffy, too:) 
`----'