T+Valentine

Ethnomusicology: A look at how African American history affected and still affects music.  Hello, and welcome to Taylor Valentine’s page! On this page, each song has a picture that shows either the artist or the album cover, (in case you’ve never heard of them). In the “Save the Country” synopsis, you will find a link to the lyrics. They directly relate to African American history, so make sure you check them out. The last song, “Hinei Zeh Bah,” is a Sephardic Jewish song and was produced by a relatively new band. I hope your enjoy. If you have any questions or comments, you can contact me at tvalentine@scienceleadership.org

media type="file" key="08 Can I Get A Witness.mp3"
 * Song name:** "Can I Get a Witness"
 * Date published:** 1963
 * Musician(s) name:** Marvin Gaye
 * Genre:** R&B
 * Synopsis:** This song has many elements of African American music. It has a blues progression (A, B, A, C, A), which was typical of African American music in the early 1900s. The drums on the back-beats (2 and 4) give the song a gospel feel; it is very similar to the clapping in gospel music. “Can I Get a Witness” also contains a horn section, which was part of the small-band jazz in the early-mid 1900s.

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 * Song name:** "Save the Country"
 * Date published:** Written in 1969, covered in 1970
 * Musician(s) name:** written by Laura Nyro, covered by The 5th Dimension
 * Genre:** R&B
 * Synopsis:** The [|lyrics] in this song are directly related to African American history. They discuss the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. Martin Luther King, who was assassinated a year before the song was written. Like Dr. King’s words, the lyrics say “we shall overcome” and “In my mind, I can’t study war no more.” This song helps people understand the struggles that African Americans went through during the 1960s.

media type="file" key="Hinwi Zeh Bah.mp3"
 * Song name:** Hinei Zeh Bah
 * Date published:** 2007
 * Musician(s) name:** Shakshuka
 * Genre:** World
 * Synopsis:** This song represents a cross between Sephardic music and jazz. Because jazz originated with African Americans in the late 1800s, it is directly related to African American history. The saxophone, an instrument very commonly found in jazz, is also found in this song. The first few measures of this song contains African drumming, which further connects it to African American history.