Run, Old Jeremiah

I was particularly struck by LeRoi Jones' discussion of how music, dance, and religion came to be the mediums through which African, and later African-American culture was passed on. Jones writes, "[They] do not have artifacts as their end products, so they were saved." This resonated with me particularly while listening to the track Run, Old Jeremiah, wherein the song is passed, almost viscerally, from one leader to another throughout the duration as though it were a microcosm of sharing tradition. The energy, lyrical content, and rhythmic evolution of the ring shout convey that this deeply physical form of musical expression came from a place where the body and its immediate tools were all that were available as a medium, and where there was also a profound need to release that expression in light of afflictions that came transcended even the physical bonds of slavery. 

This piece (attempts to) capture visually what the recording interprets, which is itself a secondary source of information. In this painting I tried to let 'wetness' become a mode for emphasizing the character of various media through blending. Watercolor is pervasive, ink is absolute, and the cante -the first layer of the piece - endures.  The blurry definitions of rhythm, melody, and lyricism in early spiritual music is reflected by this blending of visual media. 

Here is a link to the lyrics, approximately, of this particular ring shout. 

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5759/