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Americana/Roots music is a vehicle for people across the world to express themselves in a shared musical language of common people. For many cultures of the wo
by danans 1y ago
Americana/Roots music is a vehicle for people across the world to express themselves in a shared musical language of common people.
For many cultures of the world, the most prominent musical genres are either highly parochial or highly corporatized (the latter also being the case in the USA).
Americana/Roots music still sits in place apart from those other genres, and while this probably limits the possible financial success of its practitioners, it preserves its authenticity and therefore it's broad appeal.
That raises the question, why doesn't every other form of authentic folk music around the world have the same broad appeal? Why aren't musicians all over the world taken up, say, Indian or Chinese folk music in total (vs borrowing themes or instruments)?
Because even Americana/Roots music has been a major source of the waves of US cultural and economic imperialism that have flowed over the world, from at least the early days of jazz and and definitely in the days of blues, rock, r&b, and rap.
- darkerside 1y agoI'd say all the popular genres are descended from the same musical tree, from baroque to classical to romantic to modern. Americana is probably barely a century old, and is just another branch on that trunk. Eastern folk music is a different plant. African drum music as well, but is a hybrid that has integrated itself into the modern music structure.
- danans 1y ago> Americana is probably barely a century old, and is just another branch on that trunk. It's arguably a branch with connections back to at least two trees, African being one and European being the other.
- throw3726383 1y agoThis is about soft power, isn't it? There was a time when Chinese folk music was extremely popular in Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, and the rest of Southeast Asia. Then Japanese folk music started to become really popular. These days, it's K-pop that's super popular all over Asia and it's catching on throughout the rest of the world too.
- danans 1y ago> This is about soft power, isn't it? Yeah, it is. > These days, it's K-pop that's super popular all over Asia and it's catching on throughout the rest of the world too. And K-pop owes its roots to American pop and hip-hop, which itself descends from Americana/Roots music, so these things go full circle.
- analog31 1y agoAt least among musicians, it's my understanding that "Americana" is a relatively narrow category of indigenous American music. For instance, it doesn't include ragtime, jazz, funk, rock, hip-hop, blues, soul, spiritual, gospel, etc. It might mean something different worldwide.
- danans 1y ago> At least among musicians, it's my understanding that "Americana" is a relatively narrow category of indigenous American music. I've never heard of it referring to the music of indigenous Americans (American Indians). The most common definition (per the Americana Music Association) has connections to nearly all the genres you mentioned, and with a strong historical connection to the American South. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americana_music https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americana_music
- apercu 1y agoMy definition includes all those genres. And I’m a musician. I’d say that among music critics maybe, but in my musical circle and maybe even musicologists, Americana is inclusive of blues, jazz, rock, etc.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]