A Millsboro-based non-profit highlights the contributions of traditional African sounds to the music of the Americas.
At the heart of Echoes and Footprints’ mission are the polyrhythms; complex, layered rhythms from the African drumming tradition brought to the Americas by enslaved people. That, combined with European and indigenous music, created a diverse collection of musical styles.
“It's not just jazz," says Herman Boyd, the group’s president. "It's not just Blues. It's not just rock, but it encompasses all the various genres in the Americas and South America.”
When polyrhythms met European harmony in the New World, the result was multiple types of music, all unique to the Americas.
"We think about the harmonies of Europe. It was nice, clean harmonies and, you know, layers of harmonies and everything," Boyd said. "With the polyrhythms, multiple rhythms that came with the enslaved Africans, it became a lot more complex.“
Recently, Echoes and Footprints took their work on the road to libraries around the state, educating people about polyrhythms and their influence on the music we listen to today. Boyd says those sessions included a chance to try some polyrhythmic drumming.
“At first, it's kind of awkward," Boyd said. "It sounds kind of jarring, but then they hear it. The rhythm comes together, and once they hear it come together, they start. ‘Oh, I know this sound. I've heard this in songs before.’”
Later this month, Echoes and Footprints will bring a Uruguayan musician to the First State to talk about and demonstrate a South American style of music called Candombe.
Delaware Public Media's arts coverage is made possible, in part, by support from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.
