Big City Rhythm and Blues Magazine:
Shardé Thomas is on a mission to save a musical genre: African American Fife and Drum. Her grandfather preserved the music before her. Though fife and drum might conjure ideas of regimented, military music, the African American genre is loose, playful, and dynamic. The genre developed in North America over centuries, spanning the period of slavery to the present day. Shardé and the Rising Stars not only preserve the tradition but continue to stretch the genre by creating greater complexity. Her talk about the music is followed by a live performance: one piece featuring the drums and another featuring the fife with drums. Sharde Thomas is the granddaughter of the late Otha Turner, a well-known and studied fife player, with a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail. She is the heir of her grandfather’s musical legacy and serves as the lead vocalist, fife player, and manager of the Rising Stars Fife & Drum Band. Thomas is on a mission to revitalize the tradition of African American Fife and Drum music. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx