Banjo Roots and Branches
“Banjo Roots and Branches” by Robert B. Winans, published by University of Illinois Press on August 15, 2018, is an illustrated exploration of the banjo’s historical journey from Africa to the western hemisphere. This 344-page book blends music and history, examining the cultural intersections that shaped the instrument’s evolution. Winans presents cutting-edge scholarship that delves into the banjo’s West African origins, its adaptations in the Caribbean, and its circulation in the United States.
Readers will find detailed ethnographic and technical research on related instruments such as gourd lutes and ekonting in Africa, as well as the banza in Haiti. The essays also investigate tuning practices and regional playing styles, placing the banjo within the context of slavery and highlighting the contributions of black banjoists. With twenty color images, “Banjo Roots and Branches” offers valuable insights for scholars of African American and folk music, as well as for the global community of banjo enthusiasts.
Official synopsis Publisher
The story of the banjo’s journey from Africa to the western hemisphere blends music, history, and a union of cultures. In Banjo Roots and Branches, Robert B. Winans presents cutting-edge scholarship that covers the instrument’s West African origins and its adaptations and circulation in the Caribbean and United States. The contributors provide detailed ethnographic and technical research on gourd lutes and ekonting in Africa and the banza in Haiti while also investigating tuning practices and regional playing styles. Other essays place the instrument within the context of slavery, tell the stories of black banjoists, and shed light on the banjo’s introduction into the African- and Anglo-American folk milieus.
Wide-ranging and illustrated with twenty color images, Banjo Roots and Branches offers a wealth of new information to scholars of African American and folk musics as well as the worldwide community of banjo aficionados.
Contributors: Greg C. Adams, Nick Bamber, Jim Dalton, George R. Gibson, Chuck Levy, Shlomo Pestcoe, Pete Ross, Tony Thomas, Saskia Willaert, and Robert B. Winans.
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