Brassroots Democracy: Maroon Ecologies and the Jazz Commons
Thursday 17 October 16:00 until 17:30
University of Sussex Campus : Sussex Humanities Lab, 3rd floor Silverstone Building
Speaker: Benjamin Barson and Gizelxanath Rodriguez
Join us to celebrate the launch of Brassroots Democracy: Maroon Ecologies and the Jazz Commons. This book recasts the birth of jazz, and unearths vibrant narratives of New Orleans musicians to reveal how early jazz was inextricably tied to the mass mobilization of freedpeople during Reconstruction and the decades that followed. Black brass bands rehearsed participatory democracy through collective performance, and their militant spirit embodied the democratic ethos of Black Reconstruction--"Brassroots Democracy." Benjamin Barson presents a transnational "music history from below," tracing how the families of prominent early jazz traversed New Orleans, Mexico, and Haiti, as they built communes, performed at Civil Rights rallies, and participated in general strikes.
The book talk will be followed by a short musical performance.
Posted on behalf of: School of Media, Arts and Humanities
Last updated: Thursday, 19 September 2024