What could be more fitting for a class on world music than an album with the title A Letter to the Earth? It is a recent production of Dominican-American jazz drummer and composer Ivanna Cuesta, who is a featured performer at this weekend's Mission Hill Arts Festival.
Yesterday's edition of the GBH program The Culture Show begins with an interview about the festival and her role in it, along with her in-studio performance of the title track. The program itself is wide-ranging, so after learning about the festival and the music, you can learn about the wacky story of the marathon at the 1904 Olympics and about ice cream in Massachusetts today.
I am initiating this post is on the centennial of the birth of James Baldwin (August 2, 1924). It will be updated between now and the centennial of Amílcar Cabral's birth (September 12, 1924).
I recently noticed that the two men were born in the same summer. Neither is thought of as a musician, but both were poets, and their contributions are relevant to the way this course approaches world music.
Regarding Cabral, to begin I sharing Cabral ka Mori (Cabral is Not Dead), a song that was produced by my friend and BSU colleague Angelo Barbosa to honor this centennial. Many more songs are forthcoming in this project. We will have much more to share about this project. The title itself is a reminder that something that is very poetic in one language might appear less elegant in translation.
I also recommend the Wikipedia article about each of them -- James Baldwin and Amílcar Cabral for some basic facts about them and their work.
We will have much more to say about why Cape Verde (Cabo Verde) is so important to our region of Southeastern Massachusetts. The Tale of Two Capes museum exhibit by 2023 BSU graduate Carolyn King tells part of the story.
I will be adding resources about both men to this particular post, and will invite students in The Planet Sings to draw their own comparisons. Please check the version date at the top of this post when you return.
