Abstract: Summary: "At the turn of the twentieth century, the United States extended its empire into the Philippines while subjugating Black Americans in the Jim Crow south. And yet, one of the most popular musical acts was a band of "little brown men," Filipino musicians led by an African American conductor playing European and American music. The Philippine Constabulary Band and Lt. Walter H. Loving entertained thousands in concert halls and world's fairs, held a place of honor in Taft's presidential parade, and garnered praise by bandmaster John Philip Sousa-all the while facing beliefs and policies that Filipinos and African Americans were "uncivilized." Author Mary Talusan draws on hundreds of newspaper accounts and exclusive interviews with band members and their descendants to compose the story from the band's own voices. The heretofore untold story of the Philippine Constabulary Band offers a unique opportunity to examine the limits and porousness of America's racial ideologies, exploring musical pleasure at the intersection of Euro-American cultural hegemony, racialization, and US colonization of the Philippines"-- Provided by publisher.
Content Notes: Acknowledgments -- Introduction. world's fairs, symphony halls, and America's racist others -- Chapter 1: Instruments of empire: brass bands, Black soldiers, and American imperialism in the Phillipines -- Chapter 2: Marching to racial progress: civilizing Filipinos at the 1904 St. Louis World 's Fair -- Chapter 3: Hearing with an imperial ear: racializing the PC Band on their tour of America in 1909 -- Chapter 4: Sounding Philippine nationalism at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915 -- Chapter 5: Musical resonances of empire: the Golden Gate International Exposition and the end of an era -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
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