Fife and Drum Blues
Fife and Drum Blues is an American style of music that is considered one of the roots of the blues ; its origins go back far into American history. The fife and drum music mixes elements of military marching music with African rhythms. Instruments are the fife, a simple transverse flute made of reed, and various drums , the number and composition of which vary. Typically, a single fifa player is accompanied by a group of several drummers, and the group moves around dancing while playing. Fife and drum bands usually perform at local festivals called picnics.
Alan Lomax first recorded Fife and Drum music in 1942. The group led by Sid Hemphill played an Fife, two small drums (snare drums) and a bass drum (bass drum). The same group also performed as a string band with violin, banjo, guitar and bass drum.
Well-known representatives of Fife and Drum Blues include Napoleon Strickland , Othar Turner , Turner's granddaughter Shardé Thomas and Jessie Mae Hemphill .
Movies
Web links
- Historic Fife and Drum recording on YouTube
- Rising Star Fife and Drum Band with Shardé Thomas on YouTube
- Gravel Springs Five and Drum (1972) on Folkstreams.net
Individual evidence
- ^ A b David Evan: Black Fife and Drum Music in Mississippi on Folkstreams.net; 1972 (english)
- ^ Adam Fisher: Blues Travelers . The New York Times , May 17, 2012 (English)