Kara Kundert

As previously discussed in this column, much of what we consider to be “roots music” these days stemmed directly from the Black experience in America. Spirituals and gospel have their origins in the field churches of enslaved Black Americans. The blues were born in the financial despair of Reconstruction. Old-time

This series was established with the goal of revealing the hidden histories of American music. But I doubt you’ll be surprised to learn that the heart of jazz is largely in New Orleans. However, you may be surprised to learn just how specific that birthplace is. Jazz was not

If you’ve ever played American roots music, you’ve almost certainly encountered the Nashville number system. It is part of every jam, every lesson, and every fake book. It is the cipher that we use to pass on our aural folk traditions. It is so universal as to feel

When most people think of big-band jazz, they’re probably thinking of glittery urban scenes in the Roaring ’20s. They’re thinking art deco dancehalls and Prohibition-era speakeasies. There’s something about the idea of a brassy jazz band that evokes imagery of New Orleans, Chicago, and New York City.

When you think “bluegrass,” your first thought probably isn’t “Cleveland.” Or, to get a little bit more metaphorical, your first thought probably isn’t “industrialization” and “urban centers.” But maybe it should be. Despite how old bluegrass feels, it is fundamentally a young genre, and one that could only

There are a lot of jokes about modern country music. What can I say, it’s easy to make fun of a bunch of millionaires pretending to enjoy being on a farm when all they really want is to be in one of their climate-controlled mansions. But these tropes mostly