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MMS: Children of the Sun: Current Developments in North American Black Music

This lecture offers an ethnographic exploration of contemporary North American Black music scenes with particular emphasis on artists influenced by the philosophical and aesthetic visions of space jazz pioneer Sun Ra. Drawing from extensive fieldwork and his scholarly expertise on Sun Ra’s ideology and axiology, Dr. Thomas "Bushmeat" Stanley examines how futurity and hybridity manifest in current Black musical innovation. The presentation will highlight how improvisation serves as a method of engaging with "historical epochs that have yet to begin" and activates affective dimensions of historical flow through sound. Stanley's unique perspective is informed by his diverse experience researching P-Funk, Garifuna musical traditions, and Butch Morris's compositional methodologies, providing a rich contextual framework for understanding the cosmic continuum of Black musical expression.

Ethnomusicologist and sound artist Thomas “Bushmeat” Stanley is associate professor in George Mason University’s School of Art where he teaches classes in sound art, sound studies, and critical theory. He began teaching in 2004 with a course exploring hip hop as a holistic cultural complex. Stanley theorizes an affective dimension to our experience of historical flow that can be accessed and activated by audio culture, including music. In the musical practice of Black improvisation, Stanley believes he has found ways of engaging historical epochs that have yet to begin. Themes of futurity and hybridity solidify Stanley’s scholarship and advocacy across multiple musical genres. Working under the tutelage of world music superstar Andy Palacio, Stanley earned his master’s degree studying the traditional music and culture of Garifuna-speaking Black communities in Central America. His doctoral dissertation was the first

academic exploration of the unique compositional methodology of Lawrence "Butch" Morris, an iconic figure in jazz’s continuing reinvention. Before entering graduate school, Stanley was a part of the writing team that produced the first (and only) oral history of George Clinton and P-Funk, a motive force in the advancement of urban music. In 2014, Stanley authored a monograph offering extended critical analysis of the ideology and axiology of Sun Ra and has frequently been invited to speak on the esteemed jazz master’s art, life, and philosophy.

At the same time, we also invite everyone to a subsequent workshop and a follow-up performance by Thomas Stanley. On Friday, March 14 at 17:30 in the atrium, he will run a workshop for students on working with sound, followed by his performance.

Invitation in PDF