Slave songs, songs of hope.

January 5, 2015 12:42 AM

Béatrice "Betty" Bonifassi (wiki) has been exploring music rising from slavery for some time now. About 10 years ago she recorded a song called No Heaven (4min) with DJ Champion et ses G-Strings, where the influence is present. She recently released a self titled album with the subtext of chants d'esclaves, chants d'espoir or slave songs, songs of hope. A taste from a live presentation of Prettiest Train / No More my Lawrd . (5min 27sec) Here is a short interview she did in English talking about the music. (5min) Lomax audio recordings of prisoners with hoes preforming Prettiest Train (3min45sec). And prisoners with axes give rendition of No More, My Lord (2min50sec)

More listening available via bandcamp

"This album is a tribute to the resilience, dignity and beauty of the African slaves who were deported to America for labour.
The African continent has shaped the American continent, deeply affecting its structure as well as its art, at a great cost.
I would also like to thank Mr. Alan Lomax whose meticulous research as an ethnomusicologist made it possible for us to hear these songs a century later, so that we never forget what happened to them."

posted by phoque (8 comments total)

Wow there are some amazing harmonies on No More, My Lord. I would love to see accurate transcriptions, as has finally been done for Robert Johnson's guitar playing.
posted by colie at 6:13 AM on January 5, 2015

As good musicians as they are, it still squicks me out to see an all-white band playing slave songs for an all-white audience. Either they didn't even try to involve people of color, which sucks, or nobody they asked was into it, which should maybe give them pause about whether this was a good idea in the first place.
posted by Jon_Evil at 7:13 AM on January 5, 2015

Not actually all-white, but you have to look sharp to notice. And yeah, while I am not opposed to white people playing/singing music that originated with blacks, the potential problems are certainly intensified when it comes to slave songs, and I'm surprised not to see the issue even addressed in the post. Powerful music, though, and I thank phoque for introducing me to it.
posted by languagehat at 7:27 AM on January 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

As good musicians as they are, it still squicks me out to see an all-white band playing slave songs for an all-white audience. Either they didn't even try to involve people of color, which sucks, or nobody they asked was into it, which should maybe give them pause about whether this was a good idea in the first place.

I'd be happy to be corrected about this, but I have to think that people descended from the slaves that sang those songs are pretty thin on the ground in greater Montreal.

And again I'd be happy to be corrected about this, but I'm not sure what benefit seeking out nonwhite musicians from other backgrounds would bring except in the general workplace-equity sense -- it doesn't seem to me that having people of Asian or African-immigrant or Haitian or First Nations descent implicitly say that it's okay with their participation means very much, since it's not "their" music being played or appropriated.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 8:17 AM on January 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

the potential problems are certainly intensified when it comes to slave songs, and I'm surprised not to see the issue even addressed in the post

I hear this and have been mulling it over for the past couple weeks. But couldn't really find a way to dig in that wasn't a derail to the essence of the post, which as noted, is powerful music /singer.

I tried to head things off with the album dedication and interview to try to make clear the empathetic inspiration, respect and head nod to the source of the music that touched her, rather than appropriation of culture, as she doesn't seem to be making any statement beyond, this music spoke to me.

I have seen her interviewed in French where she has talked a tiny bit more on the place and purpose the music served. Which she sees as having been refuge or temporary escape from a tortured, punishing and degrading existence.

So while I knew this discussion was possible, I hoped it wouldn't be too big a detractor and finally hit post. Still don't really know how to address it further beyond pointing out Bonifassi isn't a one trick pony and sings in many styles.

Here is an example of her doing a small studio recording of "Out of Control"(3min11sec) with Beast (her former music making duo thing) for Radio France International. You can almost hear the radio host pick her jaw off the floor at the end as she giggles giddily at what she just witnessed and proclaims, "that will work".

And here she is in Café Italia on St.Laurent in Montreal, where she offers a completely different flavour to the seeming surprise and delight of most patrons.
posted by phoque at 9:42 AM on January 5, 2015

Yeah, no, I didn't mean to complain about your post at all—you did a great job. It's just such a huge elephant in the room, and I was a little bothered by the interview where she kept talking about how she empathized with black slaves because Serbs were enslaved to the European powers, which, well, is problematic in various ways. But she's a musician, not a historian, and her music is terrific, so what the hell, I'll give her a pass. But then, I'm white.
posted by languagehat at 2:18 PM on January 5, 2015

The enormity of presumption by Person B in describing Person A's culture, and Person A's responsibility to it, admits only of ridicule.
posted by carping demon at 3:55 PM on January 5, 2015

It's just such a huge elephant in the room

It definitely is. But at least, unlike all the white guy blues bands that I run into around town, she is actually really good, which makes up for any number of sins.
posted by Dip Flash at 4:57 PM on January 5, 2015 [2 favorites]