I See The Rhythm

I See The Rhythm   Text By Toyomi Igus   Paintings By Michelle Wood  Childrens Book Press 1998

This is a stunning book that provides a sweeping overview of 500 years of  African American musical developments rendered through stunning paintings and poetically rendered prose.

Michelle Wood’s art provides a colorful representation of each genre, and within the paintings, one can often find cultural and historical points of reference.

The caption for each painting gives more specific information about the context, purpose, function, and aesthetics of each musical style.

Additionally, there is sidebar featured for each genre that highlights historically significant events in African American History and in the development of the music itself. I find this historical context to be quite valuable. One could use this as a springboard to initiate a conversation about how contemporary socio-economic and historical factors can influence the development and expression of a music.

Likewise, music sometimes plays a prominent role in catalyzing role in movements that create social and economic change. Consider the role of music in the Civil Rights movement and in the history of the Labor movement in this regard.

This last consideration is well beyond the scope of this book. The text is rather sparse, and the book is designed to provide an overview. Any study in depth would require additional resources.

However, this book can be used to study the development of music over time.

It can also lend flavor and introduce some additional context to a larger study of a time period.