Recently I received a gift of music from a friend who
knows how much I like the Blues. The CD is Stevie Ray Vaughn’s Blues at
Sunrise, and filled with some great tracks. Why does the music move me so? It’s
simple really…..the music is just that, SIMPLE, and in its simplicity, it is
emotional. Of course, the words of a great blues song speak to universal themes
of sadness, betrayal, back-breaking work, revenge, love, joy. But the rhythms
are what grab you. The pulse so near a heart-beat, so primeval. It’s instinctive.
You just gotta love the blues.
Looking back, I find that the blues has its roots, of
course, in the work songs of the African slaves. The Blues is American music,
but it came over on the slave ships. Its melodies soothed when folks felt down,
expressed joy at simple pleasures, raised hands to the Heavens to praise the
Lord. Jazz, the quintessential American music, has its roots in the Blues, made
more sophisticated through the use of different instruments and asymmetrical
syncopated rhythms.
Originally, slave music was purely vocal, but the use
of percussion developed over time. Then, In the 1740’s, many of the United
States banned the use of drums in fear that the slaves would rise up, and
signal rebellion, so the blacks managed to make those sounds by hand-clapping,
foot slapping, tongue-clucking, finger snapping. Where there’s a will, there’s
a way.
Later on, plantation workers began to play the fiddle,
or banjo, and recognizing the simple beauty of this music, their masters had them play music for their dance parties. Hey! There is
no stopping a good thing!
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