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Now available in paperback, William C. Banfield's acclaimed collection of interviews delves into the lives and work of forty-one Black composers. Each of the profiled artists offers a candid self-portrait that explores areas from training and compositional techniques to working in a exclusive canon that has existed for a very long time. At the same time, Banfield draws on sociology, Western concepts of art and taste, and vernacular musical forms like blues and jazz to provide a frame for the artists' achievements and help to illuminate the ongoing progress and struggles against industry barriers. Expanded illustrations and a new preface by the author provide invaluable added context, making this new edition an essential companion for anyone interested in Black composers or contemporary classical music. Composers featured: Michael Abels, H. Leslie Adams, Lettie Beckon Alston, Thomas J. Anderson, Dwight Andrews, Regina Harris Baiocchi, David Baker, William C. Ban?eld, Ysaye Maria Barnwell, Billy Childs, Noel DaCosta, Anthony Davis, George Duke, Leslie Dunner, Donal Fox, Adolphus Hailstork, Jester Hairston, Herbie Hancock, Jonathan Holland, Anthony Kelley, Wendell Logan, Bobby McFerrin, Dorothy Rudd Moore, Jeffrey Mumford, Gary Powell Nash, Stephen Newby, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Michael Powell, Patrice Rushen, George Russell, Kevin Scott, Evelyn Simpson-Curenton, Hale Smith, Billy Taylor, Frederick C. Tillis, George Walker, James Kimo Williams, Julius Williams, Tony Williams, Olly Wilson, and Michael Woods
List of contents
Dedication Foreword Preface: Black Beethovens: Essential Conversations with American Composers In Loving Memory Acknowledgments Introduction Part 1: Laying the Foundations Part 2: The Arrived and the Acknowledged, Part 1 (1922–1936)
- H. Leslie Adams
- Thomas J. Anderson
- David Baker
- Noel DaCosta
- George Russell
- Hale Smith
- Frederick C. Tillis
- George Walker
Part 3: The Arrived and the Acknowledged, Part 2 (1937–1945)
- Adolphus Hailstork
- Wendell Logan
- Dorothy Rudd Moore
- Olly Wilson
Part 4: Perspectives on Spirituality, Jazz, and Contemporary Popular Languages
- Dwight Andrews
- Ysaye Maria Barnwell
- Billy Childs
- George Duke
- Jester Hairston
- Herbie Hancock
- Stephen Newby
- Michael Powell
- Billy Taylor
- Tony Williams
- Michael Woods
Part 5: The Composer as Conductor and Composer
- Leslie Dunner
- Bobby McFerrin
- Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson
- Patrice Rushen
- Kevin Scott
- Julius Williams
Part 6: Generation X and Beyond (1950–1965)
- Michael Abels
- Lettie Beckon Alston
- William C. Banfield
- Regina Harris Baiocchi
- Anthony Davis
- Donal Fox
- Jonathan Holland
- Anthony Kelley
- Jeffrey Mumford
- Gary Powell Nash
- Evelyn Simpson-Curenton
- James Kimo Williams
Postlude: Extensions of the Tradition—Linkages and Canon Index About the Author
About the author
William C. Banfield
