Hello, I'm Brittany Loose, and you're listening to It's Been a Minute from NPR, a show about

what's going on in culture and why it doesn't happen by accident.

June is Black Music Month.

And that doesn't just mean hip-hop R&D and Gospel.

We are everywhere.

But today I want to explore one genre where the contributions of black artists have gone unsung.

Classical music.

Even though the genre hasn't always been hospitable to us.

There are a lot of black folks who love classical music and more than a few

black musicians who've made classical music their own.

When I heard it, I just knew it spoke to something in me and from

there I think I was off the races. That's Miles Blakenmore. Trumbonist, composer,

Howard University professor, and great appreciator of classical music.

It's a great way for me to express myself without having to be able to use things like my voice.

You know, I'm not a great singer, so it's something that I can do through the instrument which is just wonderful.

In his music Miles has been adapting the classics, turning up the tempo and putting the trombone

center stage. You can hear it in his recent album, Bachish, which is what I like to call a

Johann Sebastian Bach tribute album. And today, Miles is going to help us learn to hear the finer points in classical music.

This critically acclaimed international trombonist and the steam professor at my alma mater

is going to give us a crash course in music appreciation

and share how one classical music giant influenced

some of your favorite artists.

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