Brassroots Democracy: Maroon Ecologies and the Jazz Commons—Book Talk by Benjamin Barson

Book talk by Benjamin Barson, Assistant Professor of Music at Bucknell University

Abstract: In his new book, Brassroots Democracy: Maroon Ecologies and the Jazz Commons, Benjamin Barson offers a fresh perspective on the origins of jazz. Barson takes readers on a journey through New Orleans, Haiti, Mexico, and the broader U.S. South, illustrating how African American and Caribbean musicians played a pivotal role in social movements aimed at liberating both the land and its people. He reveals how jazz was deeply intertwined with mass mobilizations during Reconstruction and the years that followed.

Benjamin Barson is a saxophonist, historian, radical educator, and organizer. He serves as an assistant professor of music at Bucknell University and holds a PhD in Music from the University of Pittsburgh. Barson has held postdoctoral fellowships at the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California and Cornell University’s Africana Studies & Research Center. His research has been published in journals based in the United States, México, and Brazil. A 2018 ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award winner, Barson has performed with luminaries such as Fred Ho, Arturo O’Farrill, Salim Washington, and Geri Allen at a wide range of venues from the Kennedy Center to the Tijuana Cultural Center. Barson is also a cultural organizer with Ecosocialist Horizons, combining his musical talents with a commitment to social and environmental justice.

Host or Publisher The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music