Refeflecting on today's lecture from Professor Waldo Martin, I am intrigued to see how his personality and lecture style are so closely connected to the music he loves. Professor Martin (or Waldo as he preferred) approached the topic of "Black Music and the Civil Rights Movement" like a skilled jazz musician would approach playing a standard. Sure there was some predetermined structure and melody (lecture theme), but after introducing his topic he quickly moved to improvisation and invited the rest of the class to join in the way a jazz combo would dialogue through solo choruses and trading 4s.
Professor Martin pointed out that his style of lecture could leave students confused and wondering where he was leading them, but I found it to be refreshing to witness someone present a lecture that carefully infused personal experience and reflection on how a culture, specifically that of the church, can influence society.
Something he said struck me. I had never before considered gospel music as 'folk' music. Professor Martin repeatedly made statements about how the popular artists are not as good as the 'real thing'. From Little Richard to Madonna, popular artists borrow from the vernacular culture, but they are only a facsimile, lacking the soul of the original performers. Popular music is artificial sweetener. Motown simply made 'black music' more appealing to a wider audience. One has to wonder if we will ever get to a time when we demand a more organic music in our everyday diet.
-- Allen Stith
