"Roots," the 1977 television miniseries based on author Alex Haley's book of his family's history, returned to TV in May in a four-night remake airing on the History Channel, and the Lifetime and A&E networks.
To ensure the music held to historical accuracy, producers sought assistance from experts on the music of slavery.
One such expert was Julie Moore '97, who teaches world music at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. Moore was brought in for historical consultation on plantation scenes in nights one and two of the miniseries.
"Over the last several years, my research has focused on revealing the cultural predominance of the Mande people in the early generations of the slave trade," Moore said. Mande is a term used to identify the language group that embraces the western third of Africa's great northern savanna and coastal forests.
"This research came in handy to the A&E producers of the "Roots" series. I was able to assist in some of the musical details of the film," she said.
Exploring the roots of American music is a passion of Moore's. She has started a nonprofit that illuminates the influence of West African music, theory and culture in American music traditions.
That assistance included finding music lessons for actor Forest Whitaker, who stars as the character Fiddler, a slave and mentor to central character Kunta Kinte.
Exploring the roots of American music is a passion of Moore's. She has started a nonprofit that illuminates the influence of West African music, theory and culture in American music traditions.
In 2011, Moore and her husband, Andrew, founded the Cradle of Jazz Project, which aims to broaden the scope of jazz history by demonstrating the strength of its roots in the Mande music of West Africa.
Moore will return to Roanoke College in October, when the Cradle of Jazz Project's Mande Strings tour makes a stop on campus as part of a series of performances at East Coast colleges and universities. The tour features three artists performing on four of West Africa's predominant stringed instruments.
"I want our enjoyment of these beautiful artists and their music to serve the artists and their families in as meaningful a way as their music and culture serve us Westerners who've come to love it."
The Roanoke College Performing Arts Series will bring the Mande Strings to campus on Friday, Oct. 7. The group will conduct a workshop and perform in concert. For more information about the event, click here. For more about the Cradle of Jazz Project, visit cradleofjazz.org. Look for a full story about Julie Moore in the fall/winter issue of Roanoke magazine later this year.
Exploring, embracing our musical roots
Actor Forest Whitaker, left, as Fiddler in the recent "Roots" remake. Photo courtesy of A&E Networks.
Julie Moore '97, a Furman University music professor who served as a consultant on the recent TV remake of "Roots." Photo by Jeremy Fleming, Furman University.
Mande Strings musicians, left to right, Assigue Dolo, operations manager and interpreter, Lamine Soumano on guitar, Assaba Drame on jeli ngoni and Kokanko Sata Doumbia on kamalen ngoni.
The jeli ngoni.