Now available in paperback, William C. Banfield's acclaimed collection of interviews delves into the lives and work of forty-one Black composers. Each of the profiled artists offers a candid self-portrait that explores areas from training and compositional techniques to working in a exclusive canon that has existed for a very long time. At the same time, Banfield draws on sociology, Western concepts of art and taste, and vernacular musical forms like blues and jazz to provide a frame for the artists' achievements and help to illuminate the ongoing progress and struggles against industry barriers. Expanded illustrations and a new preface by the author provide invaluable added context, making this new edition an essential companion for anyone interested in Black composers or contemporary classical music.

Composers featured: Michael Abels, H. Leslie Adams, Lettie Beckon Alston, Thomas J. Anderson, Dwight Andrews, Regina Harris Baiocchi, David Baker, William C. Banfield, Ysaye Maria Barnwell, Billy Childs, Noel DaCosta, Anthony Davis, George Duke, Leslie Dunner, Donal Fox, Adolphus Hailstork, Jester Hairston, Herbie Hancock, Jonathan Holland, Anthony Kelley, Wendell Logan, Bobby McFerrin, Dorothy Rudd Moore, Jeffrey Mumford, Gary Powell Nash, Stephen Newby, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Michael Powell, Patrice Rushen, George Russell, Kevin Scott, Evelyn Simpson-Curenton, Hale Smith, Billy Taylor, Frederick C. Tillis, George Walker, James Kimo Williams, Julius Williams, Tony Williams, Olly Wilson, and Michael Woods

|Dedication

Foreword

Preface: Black Beethovens: Essential Conversations with American Composers

In Loving Memory

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part 1: Laying the Foundations

Part 2: The Arrived and the Acknowledged, Part 1 (1922–1936)

H. Leslie Adams

Thomas J. Anderson

David Baker

Noel DaCosta

George Russell

Hale Smith

Frederick C. Tillis

George Walker

Part 3: The Arrived and the Acknowledged, Part 2 (1937–1945)

Adolphus Hailstork

Wendell Logan

Dorothy Rudd Moore

Olly Wilson

Part 4: Perspectives on Spirituality, Jazz, and Contemporary Popular Languages

Dwight Andrews

Ysaye Maria Barnwell

Billy Childs

George Duke

Jester Hairston

Herbie Hancock

Stephen Newby

Michael Powell

Billy Taylor

Tony Williams

Michael Woods

Part 5: The Composer as Conductor and Composer

Leslie Dunner

Bobby McFerrin

Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson

Patrice Rushen

Kevin Scott

Julius Williams

Part 6: Generation X and Beyond (1950–1965)

Michael Abels

Lettie Beckon Alston

William C. Banfield

Regina Harris Baiocchi

Anthony Davis

Donal Fox

Jonathan Holland

Anthony Kelley

Jeffrey Mumford

Gary Powell Nash

Evelyn Simpson-Curenton

James Kimo Williams

Postlude: Extensions of the Tradition—Linkages and Canon

Index

About the Author

|"If you are intrigued by the mystery of artistic creativity, this is your book. If you want to know where these musicians believe they stand among their white peers, read on. If you are curious about how non-commercial composers and performers thrive or survive in our warped economy, there is much here to consider." —On the Seawall
"Traversing a richly diverse gamut of Black culture and heritage across classical and jazz— which many here agree is in effect...