"NOMMO"-The Power of the Spoken Word
What elements of West African Music are found in American Blues Music?
African American history begins with the slave trade. Many of the enslaved Africans were from the West African Coastal region. Tribes in that coastal region included the Ashanti, Bini, Yoruba, Dahomey, and Ibo, to name a few.
I can only hint at the essence of the power of blues music. The DNA, if you will, of a force that we apply to blues music. The raw elements of blues music are the power of the spoken word using the vehicle of a song and the fusion of field hollers, work songs, religious music, and the black human soul. *The secret of the blues lies centuries deep in the soul of the black and the blue races. Handy Quote.
Language is one of the most stable elements in African societies. The Bantu word "NOMMO" refers to the life force or the vital energy that carries words as water vapor from the mouth. What you hear is both water and words. NOMMO represents the power of the spoken word. Therefore, all human activities and natural movements rely on the word and its productive capacity, using water and word. Thus, NOMMO is the life force itself.
Nommo is a critical component of the foundation of the African ethos. Nommo serves as a building block of strategic importance. Nommo encourages the speaker of the word and the listener to unite and affirm each other's reality. The Nommo holds a significant place in the heart of blues music. In West African music, the song is called the "Nommo." It does not reflect, but creates a mood instead. African singers do not describe feelings or moods to their audience. Instead, they create a mood that puts their listeners in that frame of mind. This musical mood creates a climate where mystical powers to heal and transform exist.
Something magical may happen when someone taps into the blues genre of music. Blues music provides a sense of empowerment that is truly overwhelming. It makes you feel like you are not alone - that someone else has been where you are and that everything will be all right. Listening to the blues can positively impact your psychological and emotional well-being. Blues music allows you to express your feelings and thoughts and connect with peers and oppressors.
European music is blueprinted, scored, and known for its precision. Musical notation governs how short or long musical notes are played using timing, structure, and metering.
In contrast, the African musicians talked through their instruments, and the individual players' personalities were infused with the music. African musicians used their instruments to communicate. The Africans incorporated vocal inflections into their music by playing around, above, and below musical notes. They would manipulate notes by bending or sliding and use their voices to add guttural sounds and slurs to color melodic lines. These elements or techniques have survived by finding their way into American Blues Music and have become integral to the genre.
-Fruteland Jackson
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