Early African American Composers: Ragtime, Blues, and Jazz (Virtual)
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African-American Composers
Black composers were on the forefront of American popular music; ragtime itself was the combination of African syncopation over a European march beat and formed the basis for the development of blues and jazz. Growing up as the children of former slaves, many black composers and musicians had to navigate – and even perpetuate – racism in popular entertainment as they grew their careers.
We’ll look at composers such as Shelton Brooks and Scott Joplin, and also some leaders in the field such as W.C. Handy, “father of the blues,” and Ernest Hogan, “father of ragtime.” who once got stuck in Sydney, Australia after a tour gone wrong. From there we’ll head over to share music from Handy’s groundbreaking “Blues Anthology.”
Bio
“Cherry & Jerry” is Isaac Cherry on percussion and Jerry Rabushka on piano. Based in St. Louis, Missouri in the USA, the duo is also part of the larger “Ragged Blade Band,” and has toured music of the ragtime era throughout their state and region. They’ve found this music is great for good times – brewpubs, wineries, markets, festivals, and more! They’ve appeared in the Big River Steampunk Festival in Hannibal, MO, the Oddities and Curiosities Expo in Chicago and Tulsa, the RAGBRAI bicycle event in Iowa, and the St. Louis World’s Fare in their hometown. A typical performance includes some well known songs of the early 20th century as well breathing life back into as some rarely played tunes. They look forward to sharing some of their music with you!
Follow them at facebook.com/cherryandjerrymusic.