UMass Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press

Views on Black American Music

Edited by Mark Baszak
Photography by Edward Cohen

Chronicles an annual gathering of some of the nation's finest black musicians and commentators

Established in 1971 to recognize the major contributions that African Americans have made to American and world music, the Black Musicians Conference and Festival at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst came to be a magnet for performers, scholars, and fans of jazz, blues, and gospel music. This volume documents eleven years of the festival—from 1989 to 1999—with a stimulating range of essays and panel discussions. The text is complemented by superb black-and-white photographs of the participants.

"Featuring transcripts of talks and panel discussions, along with Edward Cohen's evocative black-and-white photos of innovators like Art Blakey, Betty Carter, Ella Fitzgerald, Max Roach and Sarah Vaughan, this book offers a compelling oral history of a most noteworthy event . . . a vital gathering place for artists and educators of all stripes. Though the focus of the conference varied from year to year—one year focused on black music and social change, one on the legacy of Count Basie, one on women in jazz—ongoing themes emerged. Indeed, many of the lectures collected in Such Sweet Thunder explore how music has been a 'soundtrack of survival' in African American culture"

Valley Advocate

"An essential exposition of the evolution of black American music. . . . I have been inspired and enlightened by this book."

Yusef Lateef, composer and musician

"A handsome and informative book. . . . I have long considered jazz and film to be our nation's most unique contributions to international art."

Dana Gioia, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts

" I would highly recommend Such Sweet Thunder for anyone who wishes to grasp the true meaning and significance of black music in America and beyond."

Cheryl L. Keyes, associate professor of ethnomusicology, UCLA

"Such Sweet Thunder is a triumph."

Jean Bach, director of the film A Great Day in Harlem

Director of Jazz in July Summer Music Programs at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Mark Baszak was associate director of the Black Musicians Conference and Festival from 1994 to 1999.

Music / Black Studies
205 pp., 91 illus., 8.5" x 10" format
$25.00t paper, ISBN 978-0-9726785-0-6
January 2005

Distributed for the Fine Arts Center, University of Massachusetts Amherst

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