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Description: In this thoughtful, well-researched history,
Sublette (Cuba and Its Music) charts the development of New
Orleans, from European colonization through the Haitian revolution
(which was crucial to French and American negotiations over Louisiana)
to the Louisiana Purchase. Central to his account are the African
slaves, who began arriving in New Orleans in 1719, and their
contributions to the city's musical life. He considers, for example, how
musical influences from different parts of Africa—Kongo drumming and
Senegambian banjo playing—combined to forge a distinctive musical
culture. Sublette also lucidly discusses New Orleans' important role in
the domestic slave trade, arguing persuasively that the culture of
slavery in New Orleans was different from that in Virginia or South
Carolina. In New Orleans, there was a large population of free blacks,
and slaves there had greater relative freedom than elsewhere.
Furthermore, by the early 19th century, Louisiana was home to more
African-born slaves than the Upper South. Those factors, which helped
perpetuate African religion and dance, combined to offer an alternative
path of development for African American culture. As our nation
continues to ponder the future of the Big Easy, Sublette offers an
informative accounting of that great city's past. 20 b&w photos.
(Jan.)
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