Since the humble beginnings of old-time string band, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, in late 2005, they have grown to be unexpectedly well known within the North American Folk world. The string band first met five years ago in North Carolina and committed to gathering with African American fiddler, Joe Thompson once a week for finger-picking, knee-slapping jam sessions.
At the time, Thompson was in his 80s, but was a highly regarded fiddler. He provided the three young African American musicians, Dom Flemons, Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson, with the opportunity to learn about this traditional style and study the music with him that he had been playing for generations. The Carolina Chocolate Drops then decided to play shows with what they had learned from Thompson as homage to the tradition of African American String bands.
The Carolina Chocolate Drops released their fourth full-length album on Feb. 16th titled “Genuine Negro Jig.” Equipped with kazoos, banjos, guitars, jugs and fiddles, musicians Flemons, Giddens and Robinson all interchange their instruments. Since the release of their first album in 2006, The Carolina Chocolate Drops have toured throughout much of the Eastern part of the country, sharing their music.
Sewn throughout the entire album are strong elements of early mountain bluegrass. One must almost fight the urge not to fly from their chair and submit to dancing. On tracks like “Trouble in your mind,” the fiddle is swift and vicious while a banjo and guitar provide a steady backbone to the song. As well as a mix of folk instruments, Flemons plays a jug and the spoons.
The jug is an instrument that became used extensively during the 1920s and is simply made of glass or ceramic. The player purses their lips and blows air onto the rim of the jug. The product is a loud, booming sound. The spoons are snapped together producing a clapping sound. Both the jug and spoons are equally unlikely instruments, but are utilized throughout the new record and give the album a rustic vibe.
When describing the Carolina Chocolate Drops’ sound, band member Flemons once said, “Tradition is a guide, not a jailer. We play in an older tradition but we are modern musicians.”
A listener can easily identify the roots of tradition within their music; however, tracks such as “Hit ‘em up style” embody a new voice in this old genre of music. This is a rendition of the song by R&B artist Blu Cantrell in 2001. Rather than loops and various backing tracks, The Carolina Chocolate Drops version of the song uses the jug as bass and Rhiannon singing while the fiddle fills in as backing vocals.
“Genuine Negro Jig” is an album that is so uniquely interesting that it’s best not to be ignored. Even though the style is traditional and fashioned after an old form of music, the youthful band crafts their music in a way that feels as though their brand of old-time string music is a new genre and sound altogether.
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