Theology and Protest Music

Heidi M. Altman; Jonathan H. Harwell

doi:10.5771/9781978713451

Summary

Songs of protest have been inspiring activists for millennia, and continue to be created, shared, and reworked across musical genres. From the prophet Habakkuk as proto-protest singer, through a broad spectrum of twentieth and twenty-first century artists and diverse faith traditions, Theology and Protest Music gathers compelling contributions that examine Brazilian eschatology, Black liberation and womanism, esoteric Islam in Five Percenter rap, heavy metal as anti-theology, Howard Thurman’s relevance to jazz, Cuban Santería priest Pedrito Martinez’ sacred Batá drumming, as well as theological reflections on Jay-Z, Funkadelic, Marvin Gaye, Sweet Honey in the Rock, and the social justice chorale movement. Those interested in theology and popular culture, as well as scholars of music, social justice, racial identity, LGBTQ+ studies, and gender studies will find new aspects of the broad spectrum of protest music and its diverse spiritual connections. Theology and Protest Music also features invited contributions by pioneering choral activist Catherine Roma and world-renowned performer, composer, and educator Dr. Ysaye Maria Barnwell.

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Bibliographic data

Copyright year: 2023
ISBN-Print: 978-1-9787-1344-4
ISBN-Online: 978-1-9787-1345-1
Publisher: Lexington, Lanham
Language: English
Pages: 346
Product type: Edited Book

1. Contents No access
2. Foreword No access
3. Introduction No access
1. Introduction No access
2. Habakkuk as Protest Song No access
3. Prophecy as Protest No access
4. The Message of Habakkuk No access
5. Habakkuk Anticipates Protest Songs No access
6. The Composition History of Habakkuk as Further Evidence of Its Status as Folk Song No access
7. Pesher Habakkuk No access
8. Conclusion No access
9. Notes No access
10. Bibliography No access
1. Eschatology and the Already/Not Yet Paradox No access
2. Music, Politicization, and Theology No access
3. Protest, Music, and Eschatology in the Repression Years No access
4. Protest Rock and Democracy No access
5. Conclusion No access
6. Notes No access
7. Bibliography No access
1. Introduction No access
2. Negro Spirituals and the Origins of Black Liberation in America No access
3. The CRM’s Reconciliation Approach No access
4. The BLM Movement’s Reformation Approach No access
5. Data and Methods No access
6. Spiritual Tension: Christian vs. Secular No access
7. Tactical Tension: Reconciliation vs. Reformation No access
8. Ideological Tension: Respectable vs. Unapologetic No access
9. Conclusion No access
10. Notes No access
11. References No access
1. Introduction No access
2. Part I: The Theology of the Spirituals No access
3. The Spirituals on the Plantation No access
4. The Spirituals and Civil Rights No access
5. The Spirituals and the Pavement No access
6. 1. Songs of Sorrow and Hope No access
7. Songs of Scripture No access
8. Songs of Direction and Work No access
9. Conclusion No access
10. Coda No access
11. Notes No access
12. Bibliography No access
13. Discography No access
1. Introduction No access
2. The Five Percent Nation between Traumatic Mysticism and Indigenous African American Sufism No access
3. Build or Destroy: Influences of Islam and Eastern Esoteric Practices No access
4. The God Body and Its Correspondences to Islamic Theology, the Solar Myth, and Taoist Inner Alchemy No access
5. The Son of Man and the Water of Life in Surah al-Kahf No access
6. Jacob’s Ladder, the Light Verse, and the Kundalini Serpent No access
7. Conclusion No access
8. References No access
9. Discography No access
1. How Did We Get Here? No access
2. Our Spirituality and Sensuality Are All One No access
3. But What about the Black Church? No access
4. Who Can We Turn To? No access
5. Notes No access
6. Bibliography No access
1. Introduction No access
2. Definitions and Conceptualizations No access
3. Neglect No access
4. The Politics of Metal No access
5. Lyrical Analysis No access
6. Conclusion No access
7. Notes No access
8. Bibliography—Texts No access
9. Discography No access
1. The Ministry of Howard Thurman No access
2. Howard Thurman, the Spirituals, and Jazz No access
3. Thurman’s 1947 Ingersoll Lecture at Harvard University: The Negro Spiritual Speaks of Life and Death No access
4. The Slave Spirituals and Jazz No access
5. What Is Jazz? No access
6. Realities Worse than Death No access
7. Rahsaan Roland Kirk, “Inflated Tear” No access
8. Billie Holiday, “Strange Fruit” No access
9. Nina Simone, “Why? (The King of Love Is Dead)” No access
10. Max Roach, Abbey Lincoln, and Oscar Brown, Jr. No access
11. Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Race Riot Suite No access
12. Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra, Port Chicago No access
13. Life Is a Journey in Which We Engage in Responsible Struggle No access
14. Bassist Charlie Haden and the Liberation Music Orchestra No access
15. Steve Coleman and Metrics, Steve Coleman and Five Elements No access
16. Jon Jang, “The Pledge of Black Asian Allegiance” No access
17. Terri Lyne Carrington and Social Science No access
18. Horace Tapscott and the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra No access
19. Heaven Is Real No access
20. John Coltrane, A Love Supreme No access
21. Duke Ellington and his Orchestra, Black, Brown and Beige No access
22. Kamasi Washington, The Epic and Heaven and Earth No access
23. Charles Mingus, “Better Git Hit in Your Soul,” “Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting” No access
24. Sun Ra and his Arkestra, Space Is the Place and We Travel the Space Ways No access
25. Conclusion No access
26. Bibliography No access
27. Discography No access
1. Introduction No access
2. Sacred Music at the Jazz Lincoln Center No access
3. Practice and Performance of Batá Drums No access
4. Aberikulá: The Profane Batá No access
5. Sacred Batá de Fundamento at the Jazz at Lincoln Center No access
6. “Pedrito” Martínez: The Musician and the Priest No access
7. Ochas and the Performance of Santería at the Rose Theater No access
8. Pan-African Spirituality and #BAM No access
9. Transcendence and Diasporic Collectivity No access
10. Jazz, Latin Jazz, and #BAM No access
11. Conclusion No access
12. List of Terms No access
13. Notes No access
14. Bibliography No access
1. More Than a Feeling: The Philosophy of Funk No access
2. A Sonic Revolution: The Birth of Funkadelic No access
3. Down to the Nitty-Gritty: Funkadelic and Religious Interpretation No access
4. Something Old, Something New: A Closer Look at Funkadelic No access
5. Freedom in the Funk: Concluding Thoughts No access
6. Notes No access
7. Bibliography No access
1. 1. “Mother, Mother . . .” No access
  2. What’s Going On No access
2. Side One No access
3. “What’s Going On” No access
4. “What’s Happening Brother” No access
5. “Flyin’ High (In the Friendly Sky)” No access
6. “Save the Children” No access
7. “God Is Love” No access
8. “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” No access
9. Side Two No access
10. “Right On” No access
11. “Wholy Holy” No access
12. “Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna Holler)” No access
13. “Mother, Mother . . .”: Outro No access
14. Notes No access
15. Bibliography No access
1. A Suite of Reflection No access
2. Overture: “The work I do must sound my name” No access
3. Movement 1: “Let us now hold hands” No access
4. Movement 2: “Show Up and Don’t Travel Alone” No access
5. Movement 3: “Justice is what love looks like in public” No access
6. Notes No access
7. Bibliography No access
1. 1. 1. “Would You Harbor Me” from Safe House: Still Looking (1994) No access
  2. 1. Ibo Lesson No access
  3. 4. “More Than a Paycheck” (1981) No access
  4. 5. “Breaths” (1980) No access
  5. 6. “Music for Your Eyes to See” (2003) No access
  6. 7. Fortune’s Bones (2008) No access
2. Coda: “Wanting Memories” (1991) No access
3. Notes No access
4. Bibliography No access
Index No access Pages 319 - 342
About the Editors and Contributors No access Pages 343 - 346