Black Notes

Reviews / Votes

Bill Banfield is a modern magician who when he raises his baton on music of all kinds fetches forth a spirit and image that touches new meanings and interpretations. This beautiful and innovative volume breathes new life and understandings to all notes and interpretations. It is a volume not to sleep with but to sing on. Nobody interprets with a clearer voice and higher tone. -- Ray B. Browne, Book Review editor, Journal of American Culture William Banfield is extremely well qualified to have written this book. Here is a project that brings together all of his gifts as a scholar, an academic, and a musician, one who has played in many different contexts and has composed for them as well. Nothing like this has ever appeared before and that could be because no one as qualified as Mr. Banfield has made the choice to take on a project of this magnitude. His belief comes down to something he likes to say about the role of those work in culture, which is "to illuminate the world." This book contains, as it should, plenty of light. -- Stanley Crouch Dr. Banfield is undertaking a daunting task defining Black music...Dr. Banfield's text is without a doubt a significant contribution to the research that has been and is continuing to be collected for present and future scholars who are engaged in solving the riddle of who Americans really are...This approach creates many more questions than answers, but at this time in our history, literature of this nature is a welcome respite to the alternative of sociopolitical and historical subterfuge perpetrated through the mythology of the dominant culture. This is a must read. -- Ellis L. Marsalis, Professor Emeritus, University of New Orleans Recognizing the social and cultural importance of musical expression alongside its aesthetic import, Banfield...has many concerns for the state of music today in the "post-album" age. He engages these concerns while simultaneously celebrating African American music in this series of 49 essays of cultural and aesthetic criticism. One of his primary concerns is the ideological power of popular cultural expression in the context of the "current cultural revolution of the combined power industries of popular music, media, and information technology" and the consequences that cultural revolution may have on the ability to use popular music to express healthy social and political values. * Reference and Research Book News * Despite being deeply troubled by much of what he sees and hears, William C. Banfield avoids churning out another of those 'things were so much better in my day' volumes. Instead, this comprehensive and insightful collection of essays celebrates past glories and recognizes current achievements, neither demonizing nor excusing rockers and rappers for what he considers questionable actions and debatable sentiments. Banfield is certainly concerned that so many gifted performers place more emphasis on production and image than artistry and excellence, but he also understands that the current system of corporate-dominated popular culture deserves as much, if not more criticism for the state of things than the latest crunk star. Blending reflection with interviews and analysis, Banfield moves from classical to jazz, then to rock and into the spiritual realm. He even dips into film and television scores, while continually returning to the key question of what the future holds for music in general and, particularly, the sounds created by African-Americans. Black culture may be his principal focus, but William C. Banfield's treatment extends across the broad spectrum of the arts, exploring complex problems, posing innovative solutions and inspiring readers to caref * JazzTimes Magazine * Bill Banfield-composer, performer, scholar, and critic-has produced another must-read book with Black Notes. He writes about the glorious past, the controversial present, and the boundless future of black music from his position on the front lines, and no one does it more engagingly or insightfully than he does. This is a book from which to learn and by which to teach, and to enjoy. -- Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Chair, Department of African and African American Studies, Harvard University Despite being deeply troubled by much of what he sees and hears, William C. Banfield avoids churning out another of those 'things were so much better in my day' volumes. Instead, this comprehensive and insightful collection of essays celebrates past glories and recognizes current achievements, neither demonizing nor excusing rockers and rappers for what he considers questionable actions and debatable sentiments. Banfield is certainly concerned that so many gifted performers place more emphasis on production and image than artistry and excellence, but he also understands that the current system of corporate-dominated popular culture deserves as much, if not more criticism for the state of things than the latest crunk star. Blending reflection with interviews and analysis, Banfield moves from classical to jazz, then to rock and into the spiritual realm. He even dips into film and television scores, while continually returning to the key question of what the future holds for music in general and, particularly, the sounds created by African-Americans. Black culture may be his principal focus, but William C. Banfield's treatment extends across the broad spectrum of the arts, exploring complex problems, posing innovative solutions and inspiring readers to carefully consider the songs, films and television shows that define their existence. * JazzTimes Magazine *