This was the first night of Criss Cross, a symposium on American Music given at the Michigan League on the U of M campus in honor of Richard Crawford, who is retiring.
First speaker was Judith Tick, who has helped me in the past with my work on Ruth Crawford Seeger and has written a definitive text on the composer's life. I was "jazzed" to see her in person, having exchanged so many emails with her. Her topic was "Modern Feminist Scholarship and American Music", and it was very all-encompassing. She produced a handout that laid out a whole method for feminist scholarship in American Music - it was the blueprint as to how to conduct a reasonably comprehensive study in this field. She speaks in a low voice and very rapidly, and I wanted to understand all that she said, but couldn't. It was far too much anyway - she could've have used three talks to cover the scope of material she addressed in a mere 20 minutes.
Of course, for something like Tick's massive undertaking to be instituted, she would need people to get on board and research this with her. Judging from the handout I found in the garbage out front of the building, I suspect that's one less candidate. No matter - I suspect that she will find takers - as method her thinking (and outline) is very sound.
Next up was Paul Anderson's talk, which was not given as printed in the program. This talk ended up being "Ralph Ellison's Music Lesson". This drew parallels between Ellison's writings and some of the jazz artists that he knew and admired. I have made use of some of these parallels in my own work - a passage of Ellison was cited in my AMG bio of blues singer Peetie Wheatstraw, which may be foiund on the web at www.allmusic.com or in the newly published All Music Guide to the Blues. But this talk didn't seem to reach a conclusion, and I got nothing out of it.
Better was Philip J. DeLoria's talk on "Indian Sound" which was a scattered but well reasoned attempt to work backwards from Paul Revere & the Raiders' 1971 song "Indian Reservation" to find the roots of the pseudo-Indian sound in American Music. It was a provocative and enlightening talk, and I enjoyed it very much. Responding was James Borders, who did a PDQ-Bachish analysis of the Paul Revere song and other similar tunes. It was comical to see a musicologist in a suit reciting the lyrics to "Half Breed" with word emphasis and animated hand gestures. I wanted to ask some questions at this point, but I had to go to catch a ride with Mrs. Lewis, and she doesn't keep.
There was a break, and more afterward. At this juncture I need to break too - the next session is at 8:30 in the morning. I will report more once I can.
Uncle Dave Lewis