British Black Music Month 2024 Recommended Book: 'Beyond The Bassline: 500 Years Of Black British Music' Paul Bradshaw ed (British Library Publishing)
Review
by Kwaku
First
of all, it was a no-brainer to make this the 2024 BBMM Recommended
Book! So whether you are able to read the rest of this review of not,
we simply say if you are interested in British black music or British history, this is certainly a book that needs to be either on your
book shelf or in your local library.
Clocking
in at nearly 290 pages, it's not quite a tome. It's quite an
accessible read, with a great spread of images. Although we have not
yet visited the eponymous exhibition at the British Library, we are
of the view that this book has an independent life of its own, and
isn't meant to serve as an exhibition brochure. Indeed, even if
you're not particularly interested in British black music, but are
into history, then this is a book you should check out.
It's
worth repeating that this book isn't about musicology, it's about
music history.
And as an independent history researcher and historical musicologist,
we found this book fascinating. Because even though we've researched
and delivered programmes that cover 500 years of black music in
Britain – our 'British History, Black Music, Racism & The Music
Industry: 1507-2020' video mashup documentary gets an airing via Zoom
on Friday July 19 2024, 6.30-9.00pm (see
https://bit.ly/BritishHistoryBlackMusic1507),
and we even make a claim of two thousand years of black music on
these isles, we discovered several new and some surprising facts.
If
one is an avid ready of black music newspapers, then you are bound to
have a handle on many of the topics from the mid-to-late 20th
century, particularly the abundance of coverage of the last 30-40
years, so we'll not focus on that part of the book. Suffice to say, the genres
created or developed in Britain during this period that's had some mainstream impact
such as lovers rock, jazz, grime and Afrobeats are well represented.
As
the book claims to cover 500 years, it's the early history that many
of us lack. Hence our focus will be on mainly representing the early periods up to the 1960s.
Early 16th century trumpeter John Blanke pretty much provides a reasonable marker to start. Also, naturally covered are the likes of 18th century Abolitionist and composer Ignatius Sancho and the 19th century violin virtuoso George Bridgetower.
With
such of huge spread to cover, the essays or articles are generalist
magazine type coverage in style and depth that give you enough, whilst whetting your appetite, should you wish to delve deeper, by exploring other resources.
British
black music here. for the most part, means music created or
developed by Brits of genres that have either been brought here, or
created in the British isles by artists from particularly the US, and
the Caribbean and mainly west Africa.
Talking
about west Africa, I like the fact that Ambrose Campbell has his
Nigerian name mentioned - Ambrose Adeyoka Campbell, who before Lord
Kitchener and his merry Caribbean supporters followed him through the
London streets following the West Indies' first victory over the
English cricket team in 1951, he and his African merry men made
it through the London streets music-making on VE Day May 8 1945,
marking the end of World War 2 in Europe.
If we must talk
about Windrush, as the Day is fast approaching, then it's worth
noting that that ship did not just bring Trinidadians like Lord
Kitchener and Lord Beginner who plugged into Britain's calypso scene,
but that there was also the young and talented Jamaican Dizzy Reece,
who with the likes of emigre Caribbeans like Joe Harriott, refreshed
Britain's jazz scene of the 1950s and beyond.
The role of the South
Syncopated Orchestra in popularising jazz in Britain after the World
War 1 is touched on, as are musicians like Leslie ‘Hutch’
Hutchinson , band leaders like Ken ‘Snakehips’ Johnson and
singers like Evelyn Dove, who were established names on the British music scene
during the World War 2 years.
One of the fascinating gems, though not
strictly music history, was the mention of a popular London gambling den
or frontline at Bell Street, situated off Edgware Road, which was a
bustling commercial centre of activity from the early 1950s and
provided for the recreational needs of the growing African Caribbean and African
population.
Ismail
Blagrove covers the better known frontline in Notting Hill. I commend
Blagrove for making the point that continental Africans were part of
that story, by purposely using the inclusive ''West Indian' and African' or 'Caribbean
and African', where necessary. Of course, our view is that except for
the need to be geo-specific, one believes that any person of African
heritage, irrespective of their antecedents, is African.
There
were a few errors. 19th/20th century composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was born in Holborn and not south London,
and the Empire Windrush did not arrive at Tilbury dock on June 21,
but June 22 1948, hence the date set for marking Windrush Day.
We are
glad to note that whilst Claudia Jones is mentioned, it is in
connection with the series of Caribbean carnivals she organised from
1959, and that she is in no way connected with the founding of the Notting
Hill Carnival, which she’s often erroneously connected with.
However, whilst the start of Carnival is contested, and two different
years are given in two essays, the corroborative evidence points to
1966.
For
one of editor Paul Bradshaw's articles, we just have to say “bravo,”
as it is one of the topics we have been researching for a future
project!
As
mentioned early, there is a tendency to marginalise contributions of
continental Africans. Such as the highlighting of West Indians or
African Caribbeans as part of the Southern Syncopated Orchestra, but
ignoring the fact that the Orchestra also co-opted a number of
musicians in Britain of continental African heritage. Also there is no mention of Nigerian percussionist Folunsho 'Ginger' Johnson, who with his African drummers, were part of the inaugural 1966 procession!
It's to be commended that there's been some mitigation of a nearly London-centric history but having some essays centre in the regions, such as Liverpool, Bristol and Manchester.
Perhaps
an interesting note to end with is the fact that in 1962 the
Welsh-Nigerian singer Shirley Bassey opened a record shop in
Hampstead!
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