Jake Blount was born August 8, 1995, in Washington, DC, USA. He is a talented musician and speaker who is passionate about highlighting the African roots of the banjo and the ways in which African Americans have shaped and defined roots music and Americana. He also emphasizes the Black and Indigenous histories of popular American folk tunes.
Blount’s latest album, The New Faith, explores dystopian Afrofuturism and is set on an island in Maine populated by black refugees after the collapse of global civilization due to catastrophic climate change. The album presents songs of resilience that draw on the spirit of the ancestors who endured slavery, Jim Crow, police brutality, and other forms of oppression.
Many of the songs on The New Faith were sourced from field recordings in the American Folklife Center archive at the Library of Congress, adding to the album’s historical and cultural significance. Blount’s use of parables of the future to investigate the present with honesty and integrity is reminiscent of the work of science fiction writers like Octavia Butler and N.K. Jemisin.
Discography:
Reparations, EP (Self-released, 2017)
Spider Tales (Free Dirt Records, 2020)
The New Faith (Smithsonian Folkways, 2022)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.