Does Dave Brubeck count as African American Music?

Question

I need to know because I plan on attending one of his shows, and I have to do a research paper on authentic African American Music, I don't wanna ask my professor because he is a jerk.

Answer 1

Dave Brubeck mostly plays, composes, and arranges music that has been derived from the African-American (black) culture, so on one level, the answer is a resounding "yes." Generally speaking, jazz is an amalgamation of musics as seen through the lens of that culture.

On the other hand, some folks feel that music is a universal language. Jazz is a form of music, so it shouldn't "belong" to any one group of people.

Some people feel that jazz is the process of creating music and not bound by any one easily identifiable musical signpost (ex. swing, minor chords, sax solos, etc..).

Maybe I've created more questions than I have answered.

One thing I do know--race and the application of race as culture and in lieu of knowing the individual has destroyed and confused more people than I could ever count and helped very few along the path of enlightenment and truth.

Answer 2

No, you cannot say that what Brubeck plays is 'authentic' African-American music, especially if you are writing a paper for a 'jerk' professor. You will no doubt fail in this assignment.

Dave Brubeck was classically trained by Darius Milhaud (an important modern composer) and it shows throughout his music. I would classify Brubeck as 'Chamber Jazz', as it is far more structured and calculated than most African-American jazz styles.

If you truly want to do a paper on African-American music, choose Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis or Thelonious Monk. Their music embodies the African-American experience. There is much material on the web for all of these artists.

Answer 3

No, although the basic of any type of jazz is African American.
Dave Brubeck played cool jazz, university jazz, a different kind of jazz that was smooth and swung .
But remember that Eugene Wright his bass player in the 50-60's was Afro American.
Newport 58 is still an album recorded live that I listen often. For me that is probably hist best album ever. Better than Take Five which is a bit boring.
He would have had a hard time to make it without Paul
Desmond his alto sax player and his melodic drummer Joe Morello

Answer 4

So much of what is referred to as :"authentic" is certainly questionable. To me, music is music, no matter who's making it. Brubeck certainly draws on certain streams of African American music - jazz comes directly out of the those traditions. I wouldn't say Brubeck was the best representative of that tradition, since so much of his work is also rooted in European classical music. But I would say this: see Brubeck anyway!

Answer 5

Technically, no, because Brubeck is white. However, Jazz itself was created by African Americans, and Brubeck has often experimented with its fundamental motifs. I'm not sure that any ethnic group can lay claim to 5/4 time.

Answer 6

Nope, he's white. He also does not play traditional "African American" music. He was one of the first people to try out unique and different beats and time signatures like Take Five. But it would still be cool to see him live.

Answer 7

here is a bad theory for you to indulge (but at least it is a better theory than the metallica theory inept put forward): music marketing is inherently racist. perhaps less so now, but when rock and roll was formed in the mid 50s it was very racist. very quickly the same music being played by black musicians would be called R&B and Soul as that of white musicians which would be called rock. institutional marketing segregation became musical segregation and the genres evolved separately and became more and more distinct. there are certainly some black musicians playing rock these days just like there are some R&B musicians who are white, but inevitably the power of media to segregate us even in something as unifying as music is very strong. on the one hand you look at the TV and you see racially uniform bands playing the genres that they are stereotyped to play, on the other hand most of the bands that i go see in clubs are integrated.

Answer 8

I don't think so, unless all Jazz is African American Music, although I think it is certainly derived from it.
Dave is certainly not A-A http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00008NGAF.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Answer 9

No

Answer 10

does eminem?