African Traditional Music
Elizah Smith
Variety of Music
Africa has a variety of music. Some they have begun themselves and others it has developed into their music overtime. All over the four regions of Africa has different music; for instance, East Africa has much of percussion and basic horns; West Africa is influenced by griots; Central Africa is focused heavily on western rock and pop music, afrobeat, and soukous; and South Africa is influenced by apartheid. But, we are focusing on Funk and the Boogie-woogie.
Funk
Funk developed in the mid to late 1960s when African-American musicians developed a new form of music from soul music with a greater emphasize on beats, and rhythm/influences from jazz and R&B. Jamie Brown was one of the founding fathers of funk.
In the video below, you can hear the African and American traditions by the drum beats are similar to the ones you would hear in Africa, while the rhythm is very Americanized and not as heavily sounding-like in Africa.
Jonathan Joseph - Exercises In African-American Funk
Boogie-woogie
Boogie-woogie developed in the 1870s, but did not become popular until the late 1920s. It is mainly associated with dancing. It extended from piano, to guitar, gospel, country and western music. Boogie-woogie is not strictly solo piano, it can accompany singers or be associated in an orchestra. Beethoven was one of the first to use boogie-woogie in the third variation of the second section his 32nd piano sonata.
In this video, it is difficult to hear the African in it but the quick beat is a representation. It indicates that most African music is up-beat. While the American is, again, the rhythm.
Boogie Woogie Piano