This is a random, hilarious moment of me getting ready for a church concert, with a lot of history attached ...
African music in North America is a long story of triumph over great oppression ... beginning with my enslaved ancestors taking the music they brought with them and keeping it although blending it with new ideas from English-language hymns and folk songs. This is the origin of the Negro Spiritual, the sweetest music out of the greatest human oppression of the modern age. Chattel slavery sought to destroy the humanity of the enslaved down to the soul. The Negro Spiritual is the first evidence of the failure, the deepest body of music produced in the Americas, and one of the parents of jazz, blues, and gospel music.
But the other parent, the work song, is very much neglected, and although the Negro Spiritual and its more elevated themes and souns made it to the concert hall and the admiration of Europeans and their idea of a Christianity that allowed for a Sunday to be holy and peaceful and calm and devoid of any reminder of the suffering their choice of enacting colonialism and slavery , the work song and its closer connection to the African chant and drums was not embraced as readily ... and thus, as Black people embraced Christianity and at last began to hope to be accepted into Eurocentric Christian circles, Black Christians began to be afraid of both jazz and blues ... as if Africa itself and all its contributions that could not be pigeonholed as chattel were unholy.
It is 2025. I am 44 years old, and still having conversations with frustrated people who get scared when younger musicians use jazz chords and blues scales in church ... churchiness does not include five-note chords and flat fifths and progressions of that sort ... although both Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk played for church groups, and if you really listen, the only major difference between traditional gospel and traditional blues is really the lyrics...
I am free of the old prejudices because I am studied enough as a musician and a Christian to know that God loves every sound in music that Africans in America brought here, and that all of it can be used for His glory ... so I tickle myself sometimes doing traditional gospel progressions and listening to the great jazz musicians I have studied coming right on out in a harmonious blend. This was such a moment!
"Trouble In My Way" is a big-time traditional gospel song, and as an arranger I have been looking at the chant section in it on the phrase "Jesus, He Will Fix It" ... as both arranger and composer i look at repetitive phrases from the bass side for variety ... I always start out traditional but things can get interesting in a hurry when one has Jelly Roll Morton and Thelonious Monk under one's hands too... and because I am not afraid of my full musical heritage, what happens is what happens!
▶️ 3Speak
I listen to a pretty wide variety of genres. Ragtime, blues, old-time, bluegrass, alternative, metal, classical, and weird indie stuff. There's a long history of holier-than-thou types hating popular music.
My generation's response:
The Baby Boomer generation's response:
Yep ... the syncopated rhythm is hated because it is something they couldn't control ... people get happy on the 2 and 4 and start seeing a future not dependent on the schemes of folks playing god... the "Houseplant Song" is definitely a fresh look at the same issue!
It depends on my mood as to what I want to listen to. I pretty much like all types of music.
!ALIVE
!LOL
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I actually do too -- I thank God I was not raised directly by people who thought any kind of music was sin. My preacher dad watched Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock with me on public television and said, "He was a genius."
That is awesome, I wish my dad was like that. If it was not Gospel or Country, he did not want us listening to it. BUT!!!! What he didn't know didn't hurt me.
ᗪIGITS TᕼᗩT ᗪᗩᑎᑕᕮ ᑌᑭOᑎ Tᕼᕮ KᕮYS ᗯITᕼ Gᖇᗩᑕᕮ,
ᕮᐯᕮᖇY ᑎOTᕮ YOᑌ ᑭᒪᗩY ᑭᗩIᑎTS TIᗰᕮ ᗩᑎᗪ Sᑭᗩᑕᕮ.
ᕮᗩᑕᕼ ᗰᕮᒪOᗪY ᖴᒪOᗯS ᒪIKᕮ ᗩ ᗯᕼISᑭᕮᖇᕮᗪ ᗪᖇᕮᗩᗰ,
ᗩ ᐯOIᑕᕮ SO ᑭᑌᖇᕮ, IT ᗰᗩKᕮS Tᕼᕮ ᕼᕮᗩᖇT ᗷᕮᗩᗰ.
ᑎᕮᐯᕮᖇ-ᕮᑎᗪIᑎG IS Tᕼᕮ ᗰᗩGIᑕ YOᑌᖇ ᗰᑌSIᑕ ᗷᖇIᑎGS,
ᑎOᑕTᑌᖇᑎᕮS ᗷᒪOOᗰ ᗩS YOᑌᖇ SᑭIᖇIT SIᑎGS.
ᗪ, ᖴOᖇ ᗪᕮᐯOTIOᑎ—YOᑌᖇ ᗩᖇT’S Tᖇᑌᕮ ᖴᒪᗩᗰᕮ,
ᗰᕮᒪOᗪIᕮS ᒪIᑎGᕮᖇ ᒪIKᕮ ᗰOOᑎᒪIT STᖇᕮᗩᗰS,
ᗩᒪᒪ ᗯᕼO ᕼᕮᗩᖇ YOᑌ ᗩᖇᕮ ᒪOST Iᑎ YOᑌᖇ ᗪᖇᕮᗩᗰS.
Tᕼᕮ ᑭIᗩᑎO ᗷᕮᑕOᗰᕮS ᗩ ᗯOᖇᒪᗪ Oᖴ YOᑌᖇ Oᗯᑎ,
ᕼOᑭᕮ ᗩᑎᗪ ᕼᗩᖇᗰOᑎY Iᑎ ᕮᐯᕮᖇY TOᑎᕮ.
ᕮᗰOTIOᑎ ᑭOᑌᖇS ᖴOᖇTᕼ, ᖇᗩᗯ ᗩᑎᗪ SIᑎᑕᕮᖇᕮ,
ᗯIᑎᗪS ᑕᗩᖇᖇY YOᑌᖇ GIᖴT ᖴOᖇ ᗩᒪᒪ TO ᕼᕮᗩᖇ.
S, ᖴOᖇ SIᑎᑕᕮᖇITY—YOᑌ SIᑎG ᖴᖇOᗰ Tᕼᕮ SOᑌᒪ.
Thank you so much ... this is so kind ... thank you so much
La mejor forma de apoyarte es con un Lite , muchos éxitos, Dios te respalde ese talento.
Muchas gracias -- a Dios sea la gloria!