Two musicians who contributed to the Academy Award winning score for “Sinners” will be in North Texas this Saturday.
Justin Robinson and Jake Blount are among the headliners for the Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival.
Robinson can be heard in the film and Blount served as a music consultant.
It’s the sixth annual festival presented by Decolonizing the Music Room. One of the nonprofit’s board members, Rhiannon Giddens, also contributed to the soundtrack.
“You can watch ‘Sinners’ several times and it's layers and layers of history lessons down from geographic stuff to clothing, to religion, to music, and it's so meticulously done,” said Brandi Waller-Pace, the festival’s founder.
It makes me feel so joyful to see something that is a ‘by us, for us’ creation. And ‘for us’ doesn't mean that no one else can consume it, but someone from our culture speaking about and to our culture is just a whole new thing and to see it on such a wide scale.”
Waller-Pace started playing the banjo about 10 years ago.
“I remember finding a video and listening to it, and I didn't know what it was but something resonated. I personally think it was like a cultural memory for me, so I started playing that and finding out more about the history. … It really felt like a form of coming home.”
As she built her chops and connected with other musicians, she learned that enslaved Africans invented the instrument. She wanted to share her learnings and build community, and the festival was born.
“Everything kind of converged: The need to educate more people about the history of the banjo, about Black culture and traditions deeply at the heart of the music,” she said. “And also to find more joyful space for gathering among the music community I had built and space that really focuses on Blackness where we didn't feel like tokens invited to a space that wasn’t really made for us.”
This year, the festival’s offerings have expanded. It will still include jam sessions for attendees and a slew of great local and national acts.
On Friday, a live band and dance caller will lead a free community square and contra dance at Southside Preservation Hall.
On Sunday, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth will host a screening of the documentary “German Soul” and a talkback session. The film follows Robinson, a Grammy-winning musician and ethnobotanist, as he travels to understand the food history behind his family recipes.
FWAAMFest was also recognized by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States.
Performances for the Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival start at noon on Saturday, March 21 at the Southside Preservation Hall, 1519 Lipscomb St., Fort Worth. Tickets range from $20-$50. Kids under 12 are free.
Got a tip? Email Marcheta Fornoff at mfornoff@kera.org.
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