"Diligently traces the history of Black music
its African influences and evolution."
Emerge "Dares to take on the whole span of black musical history."
Chicago Tribune "Important...An exceptionally erudite and thoroughly readable work."
I.S.A.M. Newsletter "Impressive."
Booklist "[I]t brilliantly illuminates the centuries-old linkage between the music, myths, and rituals of Africa and the continuing evolution and enduring vitality of African-American music....Floyd clearly shows that black ... Read morefolk culture remains a driving force in the black music of America, a force with the power to enrich cultures the world over."
Black Media News "Samuel A. Floyd Jr...illuminates the connections between the music, myths, and rituals of Africa and the continuing evolution of African-American music."
The Washington Post Book World "A classic study inspired by pioneering monographs, it advocates a fresh critical account founded in the forms and traditions of the music itself."
Come-All-Ye of Legacy Books "Floyd's theories give him a solid basis by which to make judgments about black music, and also to describe that music."
Fanfare "In this singularly focused and highly articulate study, [Floyd] is attempting to place in proper perspective the true foundation of all forms of African-American music, a complex of several related core-culture practices generally ignored in previous histories. His work can only be judged fairly by its adherence to his intentions, and on that score he succeeds beyond measure."
The Mississippi Rag "A deeply personal and passionate book that dares to take on the whole span of black musical history, from ancient Africa to modern America....Striking....Bold....Never before has a black musical history drawn such sweeping links between centuries past and present, and Floyd is one of the few writers with the scholarly techniques, the musical training and the personal passion to make them persuasive."
The Chicago Tribune "An important contribution to scholarship on African-American music....By examining the ways in which a concern with the vernacular was reflected in diverse forms of African-American musical expression, from classical compositions to gospel music and blues, Floyd offers fresh readings of creative cultural production in its broadest reaches during the period....Floyd deploys his sophisticated theoretical framework in fruitful ways....The range of this book...is impressive....Floyd makes deft use of the tools of critical theory, yet his lucid writing style avoids the dense jargon often associated with this approach. As a result, The Power of Black Music is an exceptionally erudite and thoroughly readable work."
I.S.A.M. Newsletter "Floyd...diligently traces the history of Black music in America (the jazz of New Orleans funeral parades, blues, bebop, 1960s concert hall composers, rock)
its African influences and evolution."
Emerge "Floyd's work shows an uncanny coordination of ear, heart, and intellect. The author brings his subject into the realm of ideas while manifesting a love for the music and respect for the people who have made it. His grasp of the continuity of ring-shout values, and of what it means to Signify musically, uncovers and explains the vital core of African-American music making more convincingly than any other account I have read."
Richard Crawford, Professor of Music, University of Michigan "The most scholarly and imaginative exploration yet of the origins and development of black music....An invaluable contribution."
Sterling Stuckey, Professor of History and Religious Studies, University of California, Riverside "African American music deserves but seldom gets as much attention from academics as from music critics. Floyd takes a rare scholarly approach to it and sets a standard for subsequent studies. The range of genres he discusses is comprehensive...and the connections he makes are particularly perceptive....Academics, critics, scholars, and fans alike stand to gain much from carefully reading this impressive work."
Booklist "Offers a new way of listening to the music of Black America and appreciating its profound contribution to all American music."
National Black Employment Directory "Scholarly but never stuffy...a lively historical overview of all styles of African-American music....Contributing mightily to the book's excitement is Floyd's willingness to interpret music through folklore, literary criticism and soulful personal memories."
Pulse (Tower Records publication) "A sweeping, selective overview of black music in the US, beginning with the role of music in African society."
Choice Show Less