It All Comes Together

I'm so psyched to have found Jean Vengua's blog on Fil-Am music and her article (in Our Own Voice) on Filipino-American musicians in the early 20th century. After writing about the various similarities I've observed between jazz and Kali in previous posts (see Part I and Part II), stumbling across Jean's research is like finding a cool, clear waterfall in the middle of a long hike.

She writes about the influence of Hawaiian slack-key guitar on American blues (which, in turn, influenced and shaped American jazz), for example, and about a touring band of Filipino-American musicians who entertained Midwestern audiences as part of the Redpath Chautauqua traveling tent circuit in the early 1900s. Musicians from other racial and ethnic groups also toured with the Chautauqua, and I bet they had some off-the-hook, cross-cultural jams after hours!

Fascinating stuff Jean's unearthed, folks. And proof that music is more universal and resistant to pigeon-holing and cultural 'ownership' than we can ever know.

Enjoy your Tuesday,
Rona