Cool Stuff no. 2 - "Strange Fruit" and Afro-Ecuadorian Music
Billie Holiday was an African American singer known today for her influence on Jazz and Swing. As today is MLK Day, I thought I’d write about one of her songs that aided the Civil Rights Movement, “Strange Fruit.” Released in 1939, this song protested racism and the lynchings of African Americans in the South. The song's lyrics are a metaphor linking a tree’s fruit with lynching victims. "Strange Fruit" originated as a poem written by Jewish-American writer, teacher, and songwriter Abel Meeropol under his pseudonym Lewis Allan. In the poem, Meeropol expresses his disgust at lynchings inspired by Lawrence Beitler's photograph of the 1930 lynching of Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith in Marion, Indiana. In 1978, Holiday's version of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. It was also included in the list of Songs of the Century by the Recording Industry of America and the National Endowment for the Arts. It was also dubbed "a declaration of war ... the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement."
Marimba music comes from Esmeraldas, and gets its name from the prominent use of marimbas, along with drums and other instruments specific to this culturally-blended region such as the bombo, the cununo and the wasa. Sometimes, this music is played in religious ceremonies as well as in celebrations and parties. Catholic worship is common in Esmeraldas, and is sometimes accompanied by marimba music. It features call and response chanting along with the music. Some of the rhythms associated with it are currulao, bambuco and andarele.
Bomba or Bomba del Chota is an Afro-Ecuadorian musical style, dance from the Chota Valley area of Ecuador in the province of Imbabura and Carchi. Its origins can be traced back to Africa via the Middle Passage and the use of African slave labor during the Ecuador’s colonial period. Africans brought to labor as slaves brought with them this musical form heavily influenced from the Bantu cultures of the Congo. The people dance in pairs to the drums and use improvisation to build relationships between the dancer and lead drummer. It can vary from mid tempo to a very fast rhythm. This music is very different from marimba, having a more prominent Spanish, mestizo and indigenous influence.
It was a tough time for African American back in the old days. Music was their only hope of dealing with the suffering. Fortunately the music they created are inspiration now.
ReplyDeleteIt is so interesting and cool to me that slaves brought to light dances like the bomba. They are amazing dances with such history.
ReplyDeleteHi Hannah!
ReplyDeleteI remember listening to "Strange Fruit," when I was in high school. The lryics are just so real and I think that is extremely important; in helping others relate to something they don't quite understand. It's truly amazing what music can do. I love how every culture seems to have a dance association. I was unaware of the bomba so that was interesting to me!
I like the music videos you have. In terms of information though, it's really cool how you went into detail with the music's background. Like with Strange Fruit that is only information I would've gotten from the song if I lived in that time period. But after you explained that it was a protest song I totally got it.
ReplyDelete-Hayley
I like Billie Holiday's music and I like the video that you shared! I did not know a lot of that information so thank you for sharing that!
ReplyDeleteBillie Holiday has such an amazing voice! I had never really heard of marimba until this class, and had only ever known of it as the iPhone ringtone lol!
ReplyDeleteWow--Strange Fruit. That's such a hard song to listen to--sometimes I can hardly bear it.
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