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The
State Of Black Music: The Art vs. The Machine
By David P. L. Dodson
I sit completely surrounded by the media, CNN on my television, The Roots Things
Fall Apart spinning in the background, magazines encircling me - all proclaiming that
there's a "war" going on, but I'm supposed to write about the state of black
music. A voice in my head says"If you want to know the people, know their art."
But I wonder what is the artistic value in our music today? Living in such a MTV,
pop-driven period it is difficult to determine what truly can be called artistic and what
is merely a product of the marketing machine. Are our successes ours or are we simply
rewarded for conforming to the machine?
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I'm very cautious of rewards because they often come with
many strings attached. In recent years, black music has been rewarded and praised over and
over again. Hip-hop has suddenly become the "in" music again because it is
making money. Close behind, and with a lot of help from the success of hip-hop, is
R&B/Soul. Thus, as I write this article I could say the state of Black music is great
and lucrative. But, as I think back on the past, I find that those words would be
offensive to anyone who has followed the Black music for any great length of time.
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"Hip hop has suddenly become the 'in' music again because it is making
money."
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"In the past, we followed musicians because of their music not their
image."
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In the past, we followed musicians because of their music
not their image. Artists pushed the creative boundaries and though they were rewarded for
this, the truly legendary were not motivated by the rewards but rather by the beauty of
creation. However, times have changed and with the current pop climate I wonder if those
days are long gone. In preparation for the coming millennium, I suggest we reflect on some
of those classic times and tunes in Black music history and maybe the nostalgia will
prevent us from letting the idea of true musicianship die. In this regard, I suggest that
lovers of Black music make sure that the following are part of their library:
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What's Going On by Marvin Gaye
What more can be said about this album. Although it tells the story of a very specific
time in our history, its message is timeless.
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Kaya by Bob Marley
For those of you who have only heard Marley through greatest hits collections and box
sets, pick up this album to appreciate the fact that the Marley not only created great
songs, but also great albums.
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Sign O' The Times by Prince
Arguably, Prince's best album. This is one of the few double albums of consistent hits.
Those exploiting the double album trend really should listen and learn how it's done
properly. Also with Adore the albums closer, Prince single-handedly redefined the
soul ballad.
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A Love Supreme by John Coltrane
The essence of the jazz suite. This album shows that Coltrane was not only a great player,
but also a great orchestrator of visions who used improvisation to express the purest of
emotions.
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Maggot Brain by Funkadelic
When this album first dropped, it ushered in a whole new sense of the term Black music. It
expanded the boundaries completely to include what many thought was on the fringes. There
are few musicians in America that came after this album who weren't influenced by the
Funk.
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Sketches of Spain by Miles Davis
(orchestra conducted by Gil Evans)
A masterful album expressing the complexities of jazz and accompanied by the beautiful
orchestration of Gil Evans. Although Miles wasn't the first to use an orchestra, when he
did so for this album everyone listened.
M
June 1999
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