[Harp-L] race



Sigfried wrote: "Race has nothing to do with it".

But of course it does. Chicago electric harp started as black music, played by blacks for blacks in black venues. Because of racism, it took years before this music got the acclaim and the audience it deserved and still many extrodinary musicans have vanished into obscurity. In the 50s blues started entering white culture-Elvis, Chuck Berry, but not harp. It took the sixties and bands like the Butterfield Blues Band (who had the courage to integrate their band) Canned Heat and the likes to bring blues harp to white folks and get the promotion and the venues to really push the music to the wider, richer, white audience.

Being black did not make them better harp players, it just made it less likely for them to get the pay, the venue, and the acclaim they deserved. Even now the music is described as primitive and simple, without a thought about the intricate polyrythms and microtonal structure.

Rainbow Jimmy
http://www.spaceanimals.com
http://www.soundclick.com/theelectricstarlightspaceanimals.htm





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