How Black Music Took Over the World

“Mr. Gibbs’s book–equal parts memoir, cultural history and musicology, all tethered to an argument about the nature and power of African-American music–is filled with revelatory moments… [his] nuances of tone and emphasis make his story and his point sound bold, undeniable and appealingly cool.”–Wall Street Journal
”[An] exuberant debut study.“–The Millions
“A revelatory new book.”–New York Times
“Insightful.”–Essence
“An illuminating and comprehensive story.” –Brooklyn Rail
“A stimulating take on the complexities and influence of a rich and multifaceted musical tradition.” –Publishers Weekly
”[Gibbs’] passion comes through consistently, and his discussion of his own versatility is winning and never boastful.” –Kirkus
“An insightful, revelatory, and informative read that lives in the realm of both information and healing salve to many of my own burning questions.”–Meshell Ndegeocello, singer-songwriter and poet
“From the first time I saw Melvin Gibbs onstage, I could immediately tell that Melvin knew stuff that I did not know. I could tell from the look in his eyes and his wry smile that he was thinking big thoughts at the same time he was using his bass to drive the punk rock grooves and to shake the room. Now, all these years later, I’ve been proven correct. Melvin Gibbs is a keen observer of everything he has seen, and he has seen a lot. Melvin’s prose grooves just as hard as his bass playing.”–W. Kamau Bell, comedian, author, and director
“In How Black Music Took Over the World–part thesis, sonic roadmap, and autobiography–Melvin Gibbs, bass player and well-traveled veteran musician extraordinaire, takes the reader on a compelling and immersive journey, not only into music’s DNA, but also into why and how it does what it does to us. Conclusion: music is life and inextricably woven into the human experience. A deeply researched and well-written work.”–Henry Rollins, writer and radio show host

Melvin Gibbs is a Grammy-nominated songwriter, composer, and musician. He is the 2019 winner of the JazzTimes Critics’ Poll for electric bass. His cross-disciplinary work encompasses an ongoing collaboration with the theoretical cosmologist Stephon Alexander and a long-term working relationship with filmmaker and conceptual artist Arthur Jafa. He splits his time between Brooklyn and Minneapolis.

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