Multi-instrumentalists Jake Blount ’17 returned to Hamilton’s Schambach Center with fellow musician Laurel Premo to present a program of traditional fiddle and banjo music of Black and Native American communities.
The pair joined their music to bring attention to traditional tunes and songs by musicians of color. Blount and Premo performed each piece as stripped-down duets on acoustic instruments, using art and historical knowledge to inform the audience of the diverse origins of this musical tradition.
Major: Interdisciplinary
On-Campus Activities: Adirondack Adventure, Rainbow Alliance, Saves, WHCL Hamilton College Radio
Sports: Club Fencing
After graduating from Hamilton with a bachelor’s degree in ethnomusicology, Blount released his debut EP, “Reparations.” Blount, based in Ithaca, NY, has performed and recorded with acclaimed fiddler Tatiana Hargreaves and award-winning old-time string band The Moose Whisperers.
In 2016, Blount became the first Black person to make the finals at the Appalachian String Band Music Festival, and the first to win in the traditional band category. He has served as a guest lecturer at the Smithsonian Institution, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Mass., and numerous colleges and universities.
