In order to understand the history of the banjo, and the history of bluegrass music, we need to move beyond the narrative we've inherited, beyond generalizations that bluegrass is mostly derived from a Scotch-Irish tradition with influences from Africa. It is actually a complex Creole music that comes from multiple cultures.
Interpretation
Understanding bluegrass music requires looking beyond simplified narratives to appreciate its diverse cultural influences.
Rhiannon Giddens highlights the need to recognize the multifaceted origins of bluegrass music, which is often mistakenly attributed solely to Scotch-Irish roots and African influences. Instead, she argues that bluegrass is a Creole music form, shaped by the interplay of various cultural traditions, calling for a deeper exploration of its historic narrative.
In practice
In a lecture about the evolution of American music, this quote could serve to emphasize the importance of understanding diverse cultural influences.
When I first heard the minstrel banjo - I played a gourd first - I almost lost my mind. I was like, Oh, my god. And then I went to Africa, to the Gambia, and studied the akonting, which is an ancestor of the banjo, and just that connection to me was just immense.
I've been getting interested in reimagining folk songs and writing songs that should have existed but didn't, particularly around the Civil War when black voices were muted and only allowed particular channels.
I think it's important that everybody has access to music, and not just people who live in cities or who can afford to drive to the nearest city.
The question is not how do we get diversity into bluegrass, but how do we get diversity back into bluegrass?
For a long time I wasn't listening to music, to the rock and roll stuff on the radio, because it would cause me to get sweaty. It would bring back memories I didn't want to know about, or I would get that feeling that I'm not alive 'cause I'm not making it. And if it was good, I hated it 'cause I wasn't doing it. And if it was bad, I was furious 'cause I could've done it better.
One thing that sticks in my mind is that jazz means freedom and openness. It's a music that, although it developed out of the African American experience, speaks more about the human experience than the experience of a particular people.
I must tell you I take terrible risks. Because my playing is very clear, when I make a mistake you hear it. If you want me to play only the notes without any specific dynamics, I will never make one mistake. Never be afraid to dare.
The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band
I respected Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra. Those were my heroes, and they were 10 years older than I was.
People have been brainwashed into believing that it's got to be down or it wouldn't be blues. But it's not so. It's got to be a fact or it wouldn't be blues.
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