Once Africans arrived on the American continent their skills took over their instincts. Living in abundance in the motherland, there had been no shortage in what resources an African could draw from. As navigators of waterways and land trails, from the outset of humanity, these women and men of the earth were ample in their universal spirit with natural elements. As whalers, as mariners , as frontiersmen and women, as bull dogging bronco bustin' herders and wranglers, as trackers, as scouts as domestic diplomats, entrepreneurs, freedom conductors and more. Anything necessary to bring civilized conditions that could include Newspaper Editors, Ship Captains, Military Officers, Educators, Barbers, Minister, Shamans, Voodoo Priestesses and Musicians. Ambassadors to the Music of Liberty.

Rendering of Alexander Leidesdorf's Hotel at Kearny and Clay. Mid 1800s

Once Africans arrived on the American continent their skills took over their instincts. Living in abundance in the motherland, there had been no shortage in what resources an African could draw from. As seamen, from the outset of humanity, these men of the earth were ample in their one with natural elements. As whalers, as mariners , as frontiersmen and women, as bull dogging bronco bustin' herders and wranglers, as trackers, as scouts and as domestic diplomats. Anything necessary to bring civilized conditions that could include educators, barbers, minister, shamans and voodoo queens.

Rendering of Alexander Leidesdorf's Hotel at Kearny and Clay. Mid 1800s

Once Africans arrived on the American continent their skills took over their instincts. Living in abundance in the motherland, there had been no shortage in what resources an African could draw from. As seamen, from the outset of humanity, these men of the earth were ample in their one with natural elements. As whalers, as mariners , as frontiersmen and women, as bull dogging bronco bustin' herders and wranglers, as trackers, as scouts and as domestic diplomats. Anything necessary to bring civilized conditions that could include educators, barbers, minister, shamans and voodoo queens. 

These are the benchmarks to how the west was truly won on the North American continent. Though the narrative hardly speaks of the way in which the Africans settled the eastern land of the continent and created prosperity for the free land held by the millions of new immigrant Europeans arriving in the 19th century, it was the Africans who provided the light, heat, textiles, shelters, protection and entertainment during the dark hours of the evolution of the United States. From Nantucket to New Orleans to San Francisco. Africans set the conditions. When San Francisco became the Center of the Whaling Industry in 1870, the blood had not completely dried in the southern soil from the last man chained and whipped out of the vestige of slavery. But even before "Re-Construction" the African man had heard the sounds of the tussle with whales in the North Atlantic. Had understood the sound of wolves in the high Rocky Mountains and Sierras as he blazed a trail into the northwest frontier. He knew the cry of the natives' whisper in the struggle to maintain buffalo herds and clean water. 

The African had arrived at Vera Cruz with Cortez and tamed wild horses alongside Vaquero to bring cattle into domestic livestock. Now, in the 1800s Africans would do the same in Texas for the poor farmers given thousands of acres of free land to simply focus on livestock for the hungry settlers across the Plains. He was not a boy who tended Cows - He was a skilled herder and wrangler whose skills enabled the great cattle drives from the Red River to San Francisco. And yes, singing the sounds heard across the prairie and southwest; as was the mountain man tracker scout sounding his goat horn from the crest of the mountains; as was the Whaler who made his way around Cape Horn to the yaw and deep bellow of mammal calls where shipwrecks amass in 100-foot-high violent swells as the Atlantic meets the Pacific. And then, those forced to lay rail by chain gangs on the burgeoning railroads, attest to new sounds they would repeat on piano keys in pine and turpentine camps in Harris County Texas. Who would lend to an evolving spirit of freedom in life, music and dance. The spikes, ties and rails of steel anchored down the Boogie Woogie tonic underpinnings of what would evolve to Jazz for both the free mind and the free man and free woman 

By the time of the 1915 International Panama Exposition at the foot of Fillmore Street in San Francisco, this music had been groomed in both New Orleans and on the Barbary Coast of San Francisco. Now ready for the World stage in Black Clubs of Pacific Avenue hosted by Buffalo Soldiers.