Got To Be Something Here: The Rise of the Minneapolis Sound By Andrea Swensson. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2021.

Abstract

Wilderson and its core ideas of Black social death and exclusion from humanity. Indeed, Williams finds Wilderson’s stark conception of Black inhumanity to be fundamentally incompatible with the vibrancy and global impact of Black music and with his subjects’ dedication to affirming their humanity through their art (18). He points instead to moments of multiracial collaboration from jazz history to illustrate Black musical space’s as-yet-unrealized potential to include all of humanity (19). Crossing Bar Lines is an excellent and timely addition to the literature of jazz studies, critical improvisation studies, and Black studies. With his insightful combination of cultural theory and music analysis, along with his engagement with urgent contemporary issues of race and gender, Williams has provided an especially illuminating look at Black musicians as improvisers and as theorists of politics and culture. His book will be useful for scholars in fields like Black Studies, American Studies, and Women’s and Gender Studies who seek a deeper understanding of contemporary Black improvised music and its relevance to ongoing social justice struggles.