William Grant Still Arts Center Presents Its 15th Annual African American Composers' Series

The William Grant Still Arts Center (WGSAC) presents its 15th Annual African American Composers' Series (AACS) Bullerengue and Beyond: Learning the Palenques of the South West Caribbean Through Sound. This year, AACS is expanding the definition of American by looking beyond the borders of the United States and into communities along the Caribbean coast of Colombia and Panama, looking beyond our canonized forms of approaching who is a composer. The exhibition runs Saturday, April 1, 2023 through July, 2023. An opening reception begins at 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m., on Saturday, April 1, 2023, and will feature music from the "Palenques" as well as sounds inspired by the traditional rhythms as an archive of transit. DJs Yukicito and Fresko will dig into their extensive collections of vinyl from super vintage recordings to funky 70s to contemporary and spin in a backyard party.

Maroon towns were developed by runaway enslaved Africans and continue to be occupied by their descendants today. Palenques are the name for these communities in the south west caribbean. This year's AACS will focus on the music of these palenques, called bullerengue, which draws from the Congo, Angola, and West Africa and centers the voices and hand clapping of women. Bullerengue, cumbia, vallenato, and salsa also use sounds and polyrhythms that mirror those found in nature.

The AACS exhibit will also include a look at Caribbean pico culture. Picos are beautifully hand-painted speaker stacks used to blast music out to a community. Much like a pico, the AACS seeks to amplify the resilient and anonymous voices through whom oral and sonic tradition has kept maroon communities thriving.

The matrilineal traditions of Bullerengue, Tambora and Congo highlight the compositions of women who invent lyrics and songs while they do their work in the home, field, and society at large. The music is then workshopped in communal "Ruedas" and subsequently performed and interpreted in endless ways to the present day. The fundamental percussive element is women's hands clapping to create the rhythms. It is then played on drums.

The exhibition will also include vibrant Caribbean Pico culture. Picos are huge hand-painted speaker stacks used to blast music out to the community. They are similar to sound systems found in Jamaica. As stated by Don Alirio, "a Pico is Africa's speaker in the Colombian Caribbean." The unifying chord between this region and Africa is clearly seen in the music and dances shared and created by the communities of the Caribbean.

Much like a Pico, the AACS seeks to amplify the resilient and anonymous voices through whom oral and sonic tradition has sustained the culture and faith that keeps their communities thriving.

For more information, and gallery hours please visit wgsac.wordpress.com

To post a comment, you must register and login.