Sound
— as storytelling
Across the diaspora, music has long been a tool for survival, joy, and preservation. Through sound, stories are carried, transformed, and passed forward.
and storytelling as survival
Recording
— memory
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JAZZ & THE BLUES
Jazz grew out of early 20th-century New Orleans, blending blues, ragtime, and West African traditions into a new improvisational sound. It became a powerful form of cultural expression and went on to influence modern music across the world.
Blues emerged in the American South from African American spirituals, work songs, and oral traditions, expressing hardship, resilience, and lived experience. Its raw emotional style shaped countless genres, becoming a foundational influence on modern popular music.
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A powerful form of storytelling and cultural preservation rooted in the Black diaspora.
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CALYPSO & REGGAE
Calypso originated in Trinidad and Tobago, blending African rhythms with Caribbean storytelling. It is used to comment on social issues, share news, and preserve cultural identity. Calypso serves as a medium for cultural resistance.
Reggae emerged in 1960s Jamaica, evolving from ska and rocksteady with African rhythms and Rastafarian themes. Known for its syncopated beats and socially conscious lyrics, it expresses resistance, identity, and hope.
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Communal
rhythm
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Samba and Cumbia
Samba developed in Brazil from Afro-Brazilian rhythms, blending African percussion with European melodies. It became a key way to celebrate community, tell stories, and preserve cultural heritage.
Cumbia originated in Colombia, combining African, Indigenous, and Spanish musical traditions. It served as both dance music and a way to carry cultural memory across generations.
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Soul
Soul music emerged in the United States by blending gospel, blues, and R&B into a deeply emotional, expressive form. It gave voice to personal and collective experiences, reflecting love, struggle, and resilience within Black communities.
Rooted in storytelling and feeling, soul preserves cultural identity and memory. Its rhythms and vocals continue to carry emotion, connection, and history across generations.
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Community lives in the music carried forward
Duke Ellington
JAZZ
/
Big Mama Thornton
BLUES
/
Etta James
jazz
Sister Nancy
REGGAE
/
Roaring Lion
Calypso
/
Martinho da Vila
SAMBA
Calypso Rose
Calypso
/
Petrona Martínez
CUMBIA
/
Marvin Gaye
SOUL
Pioneers of Sound
Sound Against Erasure
Music operates as a counter-archive to historical silencing. Through rhythm and sound, communities preserve cultural knowledge and history, refusing to let oppressive systems erase their stories.
Transatlantic Rhythms
Black sound moves across geographies through migration, displacement, and exchange. These musical traditions connect Africa, the Americas, and the Caribbean through shared histories of movement and survival.
Community and Tradition
These musical traditions are shaped through shared experience and collective knowledge. Sound becomes a living practice of connection and survival. Through music, people come together to sustain culture, care, and resistance.
Jazz &
The Blues
Reggae &
Calypso
Samba &
Cumbia
Soul
Genres to explore