"A bravely, deeply researched, rich and relevant book, it addresses the critical crossroads of ritual, creativity, object art and its cultural value and meaning"–Dr. William( Bill) Banfield, Professor Emeritus founding director of Black Music Culture Studies, Berklee College of Music
"Black music has been going on forever: longer than me, longer than you, longer than most people know. But some people
know. This book, managed by a museum and powered by love, looks at African American music over the centuries and through the people, instruments, and objects that made it happen. There is no future without the past."– Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, Academy Award-winning filmmaker, drummer, DJ, producer, New York Times best-selling author, and member of The Roots
"Musical Crossroads models for both scholar and novice how instruments, photographs, clothing, and other forms of ephemera offer insights that affirm, but also have the potential to challenge and expand our understanding of Black musicking in America. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of African American music, its relationship to the formation of American identity and its larger impact on global communities.–Tammy L. Kernodle, University Distinguished Professor of Music, Miami University (Ohio), Immediate Past President, Society for American Music