Jeremy Pelt’s new book Griot is filled with stories from Black jazz musicians in an effort to broaden representation and share on social issues within the industry.
Jeremy Pelt began his musical journey at a young age listening to stories from his grandparents. When setting out to write his new book Griot, he wanted to embody variety. He felt compelled to broaden music representation as there is consistent mislabeling in the industry. By interviewing intrinsic artists who are not in the spotlight as often despite their talent and role in the jazz industry, Pelt is highlighting Black jazz musicians’ experiences. To understand one’s experience the right questions are needed. In this episode Jeremy Pelt and Dave Levine discuss the art of questioning and Pelt’s process for writing his book.
“Being a black person and also being a black musician.. is not a monolithic experience at all” – Jeremy Pelt
“I’m a big advocate of music being honest representation of who you are as a person and your perspective” – Miguel (musician)