At the close of the Second World War; waves of African American musicians migrated to Paris; eager to thrive in its reinvigorated jazz scene. Jazz Diasporas challenges the notion that Paris was a color-blind paradise for African Americans. On the contrary; musicians adopted a variety of strategies to cope with the cultural and social assumptions that confronted them throughout their careers in Paris; particularly as France became embroiled in struggles over race and identity when colonial conflicts like the Algerian War escalated. Using case studies of prominent musicians and thoughtful analysis of interviews; music; film; and literature; Rashida K. Braggs investigates the impact of this postwar musical migration. She examines key figures including musicians Sidney Bechet; Inez Cavanaugh; and Kenny Clarke and writer and social critic James Baldwin to show how they performed both as artists and as African Americans. Their collaborations with French musicians and critics complicated racial and cultural understandings of who could represent ldquo;authenticrdquo; jazz and created spaces for shifting racial and national identitiesmdash;what Braggs terms ldquo;jazz diasporas.rdquo;
2016-01-07 2016-01-07File Name: B01AB9O6XG
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A Love Letter to MusicBy S. BerginReading Matt Pinfields book youre struck by just how much the man loves music. Not like how you or I love music; but like how a child loves his mother. Maybe even thatrsquo;s not a strong enough analogy: Probably more like how humans love air. The depths of his passion for music are bottomless and his encyclopedic; enthusiastic love for all things rock; both mainstream and obscure; is contagious as hell.A little backstory - I grew up in Monmouth county; NJ and discovering 106.3 WHTG ldquo;Modern Rock at the Jersey Shore;rdquo; was akin to the moment I suddenly realized I was no longer concerned about the cootie epidemic and was suddenly; surprisingly attracted to the opposite sex. As corny as it may sound; 106.3 was the dawning of a whole new level of cosmic consciousness. A realization that there was so much music I had never heard of out there; and it was; without question; going to change my life.Matt and the DJs at WHTG (for me it was also Rob Acampora and Michele Amabile) were the philosophy 101 professors you get your first semester that completely turn your world views upside down and make you question your own insulated reality. Such was their impact on many of their listenersrsquo; lives. When Matt made the move to MTV and hosted 120 Minutes it was like that amazing professor popping back up in a second year class you were taking. There was a tremendous comfort in knowing my musical education was going to continue. The bands he showcased became essential listening for me and completely knocked me on my ass. Sunny Day Real Estate; Hum; Archers of Loaf; Jawbreaker; even obscure bands like For Squirrels; who I absolutely loved; found an eager audience and champion in Matt Pinfield. These bands were the soundtrack of my youth and would have remained anonymous to me without Matt bringing them into my world. Matt made me feel like I was part of a secret club of people that had a line on the good shit nobody else knew about.Matts book is an unbridled; unfiltered journey through his passion for music. While some reviews on here think hes name dropping or being boastful about his influence in music history; they are missing the point. Hes not some polished; haughty journalist whos looking to break a rock scandal or play gotcha journalism with musicians in some misguided attempt to overshadow them. Hersquo;s not a plastic TV personality asking the same 5 questions of every band or musician. Hes a fan. A pure; die hard fan that is all of us. Hes any kid that waited outside a venue; hoping to see their heroes; shake their hands or miracle of all miracles - exchange a few pleasantries and relate to them on another level. The conversations hersquo;s had with some of the most legendary artists in history are not conversations a casual fan or a journalist with no in-depth knowledge of the artist would have; or could have. His conversations are so granular and knowledgeable that you almost canrsquo;t believe how much he knows about EVERYTHING in relation to that artistrsquo;s repertoire. His stories and memories hearken back to a simpler time in all of our lives when each new musical discovery felt like the most important thing in the world and the eagerness to share it with everyone you knew left you practically breathless with the anticipation of their reaction. For me; this book was a journey through some of my most formative years and the music I loved; some of which I hadnrsquo;t thought about in 20 years and the re-connection with that excitement.As I got older; life got in the way and I no longer sought out new music or was interested in expanding beyond what I already knew I loved. Matt has kept that torch lit for people like me. His insatiable thirst for new bands and new music has reignited my long dormant love of new music. Full disclosure: I downloaded about 20 albums worth of music last night; all Pinfield recommendations from the book and now I feel like Irsquo;m 16 again; discovering exciting new music that I never even knew existed. Mattrsquo;s is an extraordinary story of a regular guy busting his ass; having no fear and making his wildest dreams come true; despite whatever odds may have been thrown his way. Thank you for sharing these stories; and more importantly - thanks for the music; Matt!2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Its about the music.By Jon c PalmieriIf youre a music obsessive like I am; youll love this book. A lot of what Matt talks about I totally identify with. Buying way too many cassettes; cds; songs; going to show after show because you just cant do without it; I know it well. Matt is honest and he knows his stuff. I cant recommend this book enough. I read it in a couple days; just couldnt put it down. Well done Matt.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Good readBy Mark LitarowichI liked the sincerity that Matt shared in this book; he. Ones across as a true fan. I also liked all the Jersey references; he grew up in the town next to mine and I loved hearing about the Melody. Now I know why he was so open about music when I used to talk with him DJing at the Melody in New Nrunswicj
