New Orleans (& Congo Square, in particular), have often been cited as links to Africa that enabled the survival of African culture, in the diaspora; (With Louisina being colonized by the French, a different set of laws applied to enslaved Africans (which, in many instances, did not initially ban the use of drums, such as at Congo Square, in New Orleans, where the former slaves were allowed to gather, to dance, drum, and practice their culture, on sundays). There were times, during Louisiana’s early history, when the drumming in Congo Sq was quashed, by local authorities (particularly, following the Haitian revolution, which was especially significant, as thousands of former planters/ plantation owners, were forced to relocate/emigrate from Hispaniola/ San Domingues (now, the Dominican Republic &?Haiti). Likewise, in many other parts of the African diaspora (particularly, throughout the Caribbean, and in the areas now commonly referred to as “Latin” America), Local governance under different colonizing powers (other than the British) gave rise to a different set of laws/rules governing slaves that some historians say were more “laissez faire”, less bent on control, and more culturally tolerant - allowing for the survival (& perhaps, the transplanting) & resurgence of African culture - If we examine the music & culture of nearly every Caribbean country, we see a similar cultural history, where African elements have flourished and become a significant part of those cultures, and their music; Likewise, we see this in the Carnival culture of Brazil (especially, in the Bahia region), and throughout “Latin” America. In the US, that link to Mother Africa, no doubt, played an enormous role, in the music that came out of New Orleans, and Louisiana (not only the birth of Jazz, but also of Rhythm & Blues, and much of the music that would eventually come to be known as Rock’n Roll).

This explains why the drum is more prevalent in the Caribbean and some parts of South America

Thanks for posting this. This is the exact same discussion/evidence that I use in my drumming classroom. Great to see that others are asserting the history. I will now use this video in my class to give more confirmation.

Its amazing the more they try to stop us the more we shine ☀🌍☀🌍☀🌍

My father who was born in 1905 taught us how to do ..The Ham Bone , basically turning your entire body into drums

The beat comes from within. ✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾

Banjo came from West Africa, Duke. It is called the Ahkonting, played by the Jolof Tribe

This dude really chilled me out the way he speaks and the pace at which he does so is great! Insightful talk also

Great explanation for those that don't know the history, and I particularly appreciated the detail about the gumbe drum, as this box drum was brought back to Africa through Jamaican maroons repatriated to Sierra Leone - the gombe is used in Ghana and although it appears to be a traditional instrument, it was likely popularized by the asiko music that spread from Sierra Leone after the repatriation.

Very informational and nice! I really like the way he explains and speaks slowly so people can hear and comprehend at the same time.

Wow. Great speaker and his approach is gentle

Thank you for this talk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Very useful. Thank you!

Man! Learn Something New Every Day.

"Gimme me dis, gimme me dat, gimme back everything you got"...-Mutabaruka

Very informative. Thank you very much.

Very captivating speaker.

*”The Negroes... formerly on their Festivals were allowed the use of trumpets after their Fashion, and Drums made of a piece of a hollow Tree, covered on one end with any green Skin, and stretched with Thouls or Pins. But making use of these in their Wars at home in Africa, it was thought to much inciting them to Rebellion, and so they were prohibited by the Customs of the Island.”* *Sir Hans Sloan’s, 1689* *see TedxHudson: “How banning the African drum gave birth to American music” by Chris Johnson*

Wow! Such an insightful expose".

The drum also played a very significant role in religion and spirituality. Hence the Shango/Orisha rhythms of Trinidad and the use of drums in other Yoruba derived faiths of the Caribbean. I am inclined to think that banning drums had a lot to do with Christianity and suppressing other religious beliefs.

Interesting how the "ban" led to innovation. They tried it.

Consequently, the first music may have been invented in Africa and then evolved to become a fundamental constituent of human life, using various different materials to make various instruments.

Wow I loved your explanation and detail of this important topic. Beauty is only skin deep ha that is drum skin.

Wow it's amazing how strikingly similar this evolution was in Trinidad & Tobago for us with repeated banning, reinventing with bamboo sticks, the string band and WWII with no Carnival for 3 years prompting the birth of our national instrument, the STEELPAN (not the steel drum as some boldfaced likely North American decided to rename it and the name persists to date)

I would have been thoroughly impressed if he had a concluded with a picture of Warren baby dodds from New Orleans that played with King Oliver in Chicago...one of the great drummers of all times... And he was also the first drummer to record drum solo albums for instruction

Drums gives off good vibration

This is such an important narrative. It left me with so much hope.

Dear Dr. Chris Johnson i really commend your well articulated presentation that is loaded with a lot of information to feed upon. May i point out that there's No "War Drums" because it is not the object or the seize of the Drum but the Beat , the sound of the drumming that dictates War, Dance, celebration or Funneral. In this you exposed how the modern drumset came about - Thank you Very much!!!

Thank you.

Afro spirit...Even though it's not made for us it must work for us

I know that he's dropping dimes...but that fact that he ain't got a belt on is really irking me. Plus he got the swag of the doctor on ST Voyager.

Interesting review of the history of African drums and drumming in the Americas, and how it influenced American music and its instrumentation. .

Everything is always About Africa bless you miotherland

I hope his professors apologized.

Yes and Banning the drum in Trinidad led to the development if the steel pan probably the most exciting musical instrument in the world certainly the only one developed in the 20th century.

Any idea about the art work shown in the background in Max Roach's photo at 9.09?

He reminds me of that guy from curb your enthusiasm

The prohibition against wearing tartan and playing bagpipes were part of the penal laws introduced by the Hanoverian British Government after the failed 1745 uprising in Scotland and the UK and aimed specifically at breaking those Highland clans who had supported the previous Jacobite dynasty in their attempt to regain the thrones of Scotland & England (not all clans supported the Jacobites). So it was definitely in Britain but the ban was not introduced in Ireland which was also part of the UK at that time.

Missed talking about "Pattin' Juba"

Excellent, congratulations...Fine...

This is how you tell history. Perfect 👏

Btw the Banjo has roots in the Hausa culture of northern Nigeria as well and it migrated north where the Kano people brought it to Morocco and it became the Kanaoua music which became Gnawa

Robert Johnson: I invented modern, American rockabilly music. Chris Johnson: Sir, have we met?

What! The bagpipes were banned in Scotland and also the kilt was banned.

The Yoruba talking drum to this day is used to communicate in Nigeria.

👊🏾

GOGO Life TRUTH

😳if playing an African drum, develops a SixPack (abs).... I’ll be buying one on Amazon today 🙌🏼💪🏼

Brilliant......

There is a war drum in the Ashanti Kingdom. It sounds like a lion roaring literally. Look it up on KZfaq. But was blown away at the end the drum set created by African Americans

Good Ted talk! Great information... however, I just can't get over the fact that you chose not to wear a belt! 😲🤦

Loved the talk but aren't bagpipes Scottish not Irish?

✌🏾

When there is a will there is a way

drums aleady used 20,000 years in Afrika to heal the sick but the western word took over! so sad!

The roots of African music,drrumming,and culture in the new world are in Cuba.Cuba drumming,particularly the rumberos, are descended from the Yoruba culture and religion called Ifa.From Ifa we get Santeria in Cuba,Voudon in Hati,and Cundemble in Brazil,to mention a few.

many things are wrongly (my opinion) banned today. It depends on the ruling culture of the time.

That it?

Africans came up with the banjo. Didn't know that.

No air conditioning?

The English banned the Scot’s tartan.

First Church Truth of God broadcast 1512-1513 April 4th, 2021 Sunday evening

What is the connection between African and the Jewish people

The Devils are operating everywhere HEY!

I have one notable complaint - there is no such thing as "the" African drum. There are hundreds, thousands of types of African drums, and there are many words for them. Ngoma/goma is the word for drum in Bantu languages across West Africa and is probably the most widespread name for drum yet there are many types that this one word describes as Bantu is the largest language group in the continent. Djembe is the most well known coming from the Mande Empire and is used across Guinea, Mali, Senegal, the Gambia, Ivory Coast, and Burkina Faso, but there are so many other drums! In Ghana alone there are: atsimevu, sogo, kidi, kroboto, totogi, cagan from the Ewe; lunga (dondro) and gungan (brekete) from the Dagomba; atumpan, fontomfrom, kodum, aburukuwa, apentemma from the Ashanti/Akan. And that is only three ethnic groups out of seventy (70), although they are three of the largest. The drum presented in this presentation looks most similar to the apentemma from the Ashanti/Akan, but with thousands of drums across the continent it could likely be from elsewhere.

Look at this African, millenia and ages ago, 6 and 8 PACKS.

Damn, get to the freaking point, already!

There is not only a lack of evidence, this is getting way less of a response than it should. The influence of banning the drum staggers the imagination, once he explains it.

Music singing

O

having 1% African in my DNA I find a real spiritual connection with African drums and African-American people. They are my people too.

What the heck is this guy talking about drums were used in rebellions in the Caribbean

This is crazy and don't make sense... The indigenous (aboriginal) people here already had drums.

Only European music developed without drums.

The drum is and always have been used for communication. Whether for recreation, war, or religion. Name a culture who didn't have war drums?

So South east asians drums is just a copy from africans?

A gourd with strings is not a banjo... just like a Lute is not a banjo... humans have been playing stringed instruments for 10+ thousand years

The Scottish played the bagpipes so they couldn't have been banned in the British isles

Are those MASSIVE pit stains?

interesting subject, annoying presenter.

Good presentation, but he seems very eccentric and effeminate...his mannerisms.

Jazz = Masterpiece Hip Hop = Junk

I am pretty sure if anyone banned that drum it is because it is so intellectually stunting to call that art that it prevents ambitious people from Striving/thriving. But of course I don't know. And it was a tool of communication. It encourages cultural pride. A pride in uncivilness/uncultivated minds. I'm being mean. But I'd tell him to learn an instrument ... Something that was a marketable skills. Instead of beating a diaper.

The Americas 🤔🤔 you mean the USA. Stop taking about our land like if the US is the america. 😂😂 for someone preaching knowledge you don’t sound to smart when you referred to the US as the Americas.

His delivery/presentation is ANNOYING !!!!!

This should be titled "how banning the African drum HELPED give birth to American music". No one is denying the massive contribution of africans/african americans to the history of American music....however...to take 100% credit for it is just absurd.

Lol. Regurgitating the greatest lie ever told. Africans have nothing of significance to do with Amarukhans aka AMERICANS! All so called blacks didnt come off a ship nor brought drums with them which is silly. In fact, less than 100k were "brought" here. Just look up the original emblem of America which is housed in a British museum. Look up the 1828 Websters English dictionary definition on an American. Those two things alone should force questions.

Boring and shallow lecture no matter what anyone have to tell me here, simply not good enough!