(electricity cackles) - [Announcer] Ladies and gentlemen, tonight you're in for a spicy treat.

Performing for the first time on American television Making Movies.

(upbeat music) ♪ Well come here babe my little American dream ♪ ♪ And sing somethin' sweet to me ♪ ♪ Yeah, sing somethin' sweet - My name is Enrique Chi.

I'm the lead singer of a band called Making Movies.

We formed in Kansas City but we formed with immigrant roots.

My brother and I, my brother plays bass in the group, we were born in Panama and Juan-Carlos Chaurand his family's from Mexico.

And so our journey began.

We got to play all over the Americas.

We've learned so much but we kept hitting this interesting wall.

This stumbling block.

Folks would tell us, "What you all do is not American music, "or at least it doesn't fit "our American music radio station, "or festival, et cetera."

So we began to ask ourselves, well then what is American music?

So we went on this journey to try to answer that question or at least ask it to folks who might know a little more about it than us.

Over the course of the next hour you're going to watch the first episode of a living documentary.

This is a work that's going to continue to grow and expand.

You're going to hear amazing music and great conversations with legendary musicians like Steve Berlin of Los Lobos and blues guitar player, Cedric Burnside.

I think it'll leave you asking the question yourself.

Well what is American music to you?

And I'm so pumped for you to come along this journey with us for the first episode of Ameri'kana TV.

(electricity crackles) (upbeat music) - [Announcer] Are you ready?

Beaming to you from the station between the stations.

You are watching Ameri'kana Television.

♪ Ameri'kana - What is American music?

And what does it mean to me?

Well, American music, let's start with the definition.

What is American music?

American music is music that comes from all over the place.

It's the immigrant experience.

It's all of these things that other cultures brought to this country to create American music.

Whether it comes from the rhythms from Africa to the banjo which actually has roots in African too.

And all the different cultures, just like my culture the Americano culture, all that comes from somewhere else.

And that's what makes American music.

When I think of our band being a Chicano band, a Mexican-American band, I think, you know that's a pretty good definition of what American music is.

(energetic guitar music) (man woots) ♪ I told my baby ♪ I'm gonna love her 'til I die ♪ ♪ I told my baby ♪ I'm gonna love her 'til I die ♪ ♪ When I first saw her ♪ First saw her she really caught my eye ♪ ♪ She really caught my eye ♪ And I said I would love her, love her ♪ ♪ Love her, love her ♪ Love her, love her, love her, love her 'til I die ♪ ♪ I wanna love her 'til I die ♪ When she got up this mornin' ♪ I had breakfast on the table ♪ When she got up this morning ♪ I had breakfast on the table ♪ I said I wanna take care of her ♪ ♪ Take care of her ♪ Take care of her 'til I ain't here ♪ ♪ Take care of her 'til I ain't here ♪ ♪ Now I said I wanna love her, love her, love her ♪ ♪ Love her, love her, love her, love her 'til I die ♪ ♪ I wanna love her 'til I die ♪ Now I said I wanna love her, love her, love her, love her ♪ ♪ Love her, love her, love her 'til I die ♪ ♪ I wanna love her 'til I die ♪ I wanna love her 'til I die ♪ I wanna love her 'til I die ♪ 'Til I die ♪ I wanna love her 'til I die ♪ I wanna love her 'til I die ♪ I wanna love her 'til I die ♪ I wanna love her 'til I die - Hey, get funky.

(man laughs) ♪ I wanna love her 'til I die ♪ I wanna love her 'til I die ♪ I wanna love her 'til I die ♪ I wanna love her 'til I die ♪ I said I wanna love her, love her, love her, love her ♪ ♪ Love her, love her, love her 'til I die ♪ (all chuckle) Man, it felt so good I got a little carried away at the end, man.

That's funky.

That's funky, I dig that.

- That was good.

I liked it too.

I was feelin' it.

- Oh, yeah.

- I was feelin' it.

That's what's so amazing about music is that we don't- We just met but you can jump into something really intimate.

- Oh yeah.

Yeah.

- What do you think that is?

Why is that?

- Well it's something from the universe, you know what I'm saying?

It's an energy that, you know, just it comes up every once in a while.

Just what we just did right here.

You guys never played with me before, but we was jamming, and we was dancing, and we was hooping, and hollerin' because that energy right there It just came, you know?

- Yeah.

- I can't really tell you what it is.

I just know it's something beautiful, man.

- [Enrique] You're a part of a really amazing story.

- Yeah.

- How did from your best knowledge how did that develop?

How did these forms develop?

- Well, I'll have to say, you know everybody would probably say the same things, you know?

Back in slavery times, you know when the slaves came over round about about 1619 and so blues kind of started then, you know, I would say, and you know being in the fields that's something I don't know nothing about, you know, but just being in the fields, during hard times, you know what I'm saying?

And they just, you know, grooves just came to 'em because that's all they could do.

You know, they couldn't leave the fields.

So they sang songs that was groovy.

You know, they stomp their feet, they pat their hand, you know?

That was groovy, you know?

So it kind of started there, but I can tell you a story.

My big daddy.

Me growing up as a kid he always played music even before I was born.

And, you know, I was one of many grandkids just sitting there in amazement watching you know him and my dad and my uncles play.

And they didn't make any money.

You know, they money was, you know a bottle of moonshine, you know and maybe $2 and a hamburger, you know what I'm saying?

That's what they money, you know?

And my big daddy was a sharecropper growing up.

That's something I can remember, you know very well, you know, five, six years old he would get up, you know, six, seven o'clock in the morning and jump on the tractor.

And he will go and work the fields until you know, late, you know, eight, nine o'clock.

But he did that just for food and shelter.

I started playing in the juke joints when I was about 10 years old believe it or not.

(chuckles) Me and my uncle, Gary Burnside he was about 12 and I was about 10.

And we started playing in the juke joints because, you know the band members wouldn't show up, you know?

And we was kinda trained at the house parties that my big daddy used to throw to, you know, play the music.

And so we started playing at the juke joints.

- What is it that you think about this music that resonated with people?

What is it that makes them latch onto it?

- I will have to say it's the, you know the unorthodox rhythm, you know?

But it was a while before people started to get the hang of hill country blues, you know?

It was like the late '90s, early 2000s when people started to grasp the hill country blues.

And when they started to grasp it, you know, it was just, it was hypnotic to them.

You know, people would say, "Man, this music is so hypnotic.

"It puts you in a trance," you know and I have to say for a long time I didn't even know what the hell they was talking about, you know?

(laughs) - [Enrique] Because it was natural to you.

- You know it was just something that I did and what I loved and I didn't, you know I didn't really see how it made people feel until I got of age.

I was in my early 20s.

Maybe 21, 22 years old when this woman come up to me and she was crying, you know?

She came up to me and she hugged me and she was crying and she was like, "Wow your music changed my life," you know, and I was blown away.

You know I didn't have any words but it was then when I kind of realized how special you know the music was.

- Los Lobos you've always interacted with artists that are from so many different kinds of genres.

Even being signed to a label that was a punk rock label.

What is it about music that allows you to not be so stuck into any one of those lanes?

- Well that was sort of like from the beginning when I first met the guys, people say, "Well, what kind of band are ya?"

We're an American rock band, you know but we have all these obvious influences.

Like we never think about categories.

Like never, never, ever think about categorizing ourselves like what to call us.

Like what do you call you guys?

Like, what is it?

Like it's music.

- Louisiana, New Orleans, and the port played a huge part in this story and what we are going to continue to talk about throughout the show.

We got to sit down and talk with Grammy-award-winning artists and the keeper of Zydeco music, Terrance Simien and his daughter, Marcella.

Be ready for this 'cause we were about to get some sopa and some gumbo all mixed together.

And if you don't know what that means, you're about to find out right now.

- It's an honor for me to be here, Enrique.

Thank you for including me in this conversation.

Because like I said, it's a conversation that's been going on for me for almost 40 years.

Everything's influenced by so many things.

You know what I'm saying?

I always tell people my DNA is jambalaya DNA.

You know?

My family has been in Louisiana since the 1700s since 1756.

- [Enrique] Wow that's amazing.

- And you know, my ancestors are from all over the world.

I'm part French, African, Spanish, Native American, and German.

So when I say jambalaya DNA, I mean jambalaya DNA but all these cultures coming together organically as families is what created the culture that people knew New Orleans for and south Louisiana.

You know?

I mean, whether it's the jazz music, whether it is the Mardi Gras-Indian music, whether it's the second-line Zydeco music, you know?

And that's all created by ideas from all over the world.

- I'm from Panama.

But my grandfather went to college at Tulane.

My Chinese great grandfather immigrated to Panama.

And somewhere in that process he met at a woman from Alabama.

- Yeah.

- So you know, when I look at my DNA, I have British but I also have African from Panama, Native American, and I have Spanish from Panama, the Spaniard influence and then Juan Carlos my band mate is from Mexico.

- Same thing, but on my dad's side, we're French.

And so I have a French last name Chaurand and, but yeah, I grew up in Mexico.

But his dad was full French, blue eyes, light skin.

And I look more European than I do Mexican.

(chuckle) So yeah.

- Jambalaya DNA too I guess.

It was a different kind of jambalaya.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Or (speaking foreign language).

(all chuckle) - There ya go, there ya go.

That's the thing about our music too, you know?

That people don't understand.

That it has to evolve to stay alive.

- Were you aware that this was fading and if you didn't do it maybe something would change?

- You know, I wasn't believe it or not.

I fell in love with the music, just for what it was.

Then I fell in love with being proud of the heritage and the history.

- The vibe that you said that you fell in love with where do you think that comes from?

- A lot of places, man.

I guess it's my DNA was bubbling.

You know, hearing stuff that connected with, you know a part of my brain that I didn't know was in that, you know, because the music and those melodies go back, man, they go back centuries.

You know what I'm saying?

I mean, it's more African.

This style of music Zydeco is more African than it is anything.

That's some European influences but this is an African style of music.

The earliest form was called the Zare.

And the Zare was just using your voice, clapping your hands, and stomping your feet.

Before we had instruments we used to have gatherings like that.

- Yeah.

Looking at DNA to you go, actually that does make some sense.

It is in there.

- What I saw dad do was he took where he came from, respected his roots.

And then it evolved with what you were into growing up.

- It's supposed to be like a river like that has to replenish itself or it gets- It can make you sick.

If a river gets stagnant, you drink the water.

You're going to get sick.

And I think that people don't like the medicinal quality of music, if it gets stagnant (claps) I think it goes the other direction.

- Man, that's awesome.

You put that man.

- Well on that, let's go play some music.

Maybe we'll take a conversation out of words and into music.

- Right on.

I think that's a good idea.

three, two, one.

(energetic Zydeco music) (man singing in foreign language) Yeah, man.

(all chuckle) (people clap and cheer) That's the vibe.

- We're all Americans.

We're all immigrants.

We all come from somewhere else.

And I believe Latino, Latin Americans, black Americans, or Asian Americans we all contribute to what becomes American music or culture.

- I'm so excited for you all to hear this next performance.

Every time I watch it, it gives me chills.

There's something so magical when a family makes music together.

Next up we have Deborah Barnes accompanied by her three sons.

Deborah had the privilege of singing alongside Ray Charles as a Raylette early in her career.

But she lived through the social justice movement.

She sang at the marches that Martin Luther King spoke at.

She saw this all firsthand.

And I think that that's a profound thing.

So as you're trying to learn where American music comes from, where rock and roll comes from, you got to introduce gospel music.

And I think there's few folks better to do it than the Barnes family.

(inspirational music) ♪ Be not dismayed ♪ Whatever betide ♪ God will take care of you ♪ Beneath his wings of love abide ♪ ♪ God will take care of you ♪ God, God will take care of you ♪ ♪ Every day ♪ Every day, over all the way ♪ All the way ♪ I know He will ♪ He will take care of you ♪ God will take care of you ♪ Through every, every, every day ♪ ♪ Oh Lord ♪ O'er all the way ♪ I know He will take care of you ♪ ♪ I know that God ♪ God will ♪ I know He will ♪ God will ♪ I don't have no doubt in my mind ♪ ♪ God will ♪ Yeah, yeah, every day ♪ God, God will ♪ Take care ♪ Of you - Yeah.

(people clap) Growin' up I was about 12 when Martin Luther King was assassinated and we would all go to rallies and hear the speeches and everything before that happened.

And it was just a really fun time.

'Cause we sang a lot.

- How did that form the way you looked at the world realizing that like singing is a part of protesting?

It's like it was in stride with it.

- Well it helped me want to learn more about what was going on during that time.

And so, you know, I wanted to learn about who I was and why I was and everything.

- At what point did you realize that this was going to be a career move for you that you were going to be able to sing?

Did you have that in your head at 12 or was it kind of just unfolding before you?

- I think I was working on it and then I started, you know, high school after that and I was called on to sing with Ray Charles as a Raylette when I was 20.

- How do you feel we must carry this tradition?

What should we be doing?

- I think we should really expose children and teenagers to the older music, you know, from the spirituals and come on up so that they have a wide variety and so that they can mix.

And like they do anyway, you know?

Mix and match to what is inside of them because all of it has a place.

♪ Come here, babe my little American dream ♪ ♪ And sing somethin' sweet to me ♪ ♪ Yeah sing somethin' sweet ♪ La da da da away ♪ You only lived on movie screens ♪ ♪ You were my own little queen ♪ But they killed you in the final scene ♪ ♪ I've been lied to time and time again ♪ ♪ Yeah I'm tired, I'm tired of givin' in ♪ ♪ So tired, so tired ♪ And would you let me begin ♪ So tired, just so tired ♪ I sold my soul to a well-oiled machine ♪ ♪ I guess I like making a few things ♪ ♪ I guess I like making a few things ♪ ♪ From what I've seen is that no one clean ♪ ♪ We all ate from the forbidden tree ♪ ♪ We're sweet wouldn't you agree ♪ ♪ Now I'm used up like an old syringe ♪ ♪ Pull it out I'm tired of givin' in ♪ ♪ So tired, so tired ♪ Look at this state I'm in ♪ So tired, just so tired ♪ Let me out ♪ I'm just so tired ♪ Yeah ♪ I am so tired ♪ I'm so tired ♪ Good times no more ♪ I am so tired ♪ Hey, hey I'm tired ♪ I sold my soul down in New Orleans ♪ ♪ I guess I just ran outta steam ♪ ♪ The lights are out and the lines are dead ♪ ♪ We're waitin' as the flood recedes ♪ ♪ I don't even know what I need ♪ ♪ Would we know if it's the end ♪ ♪ I've been lied to time and time again ♪ ♪ I'm tired ♪ Yes, I'm so tired of givin' in ♪ ♪ So tired, so tired ♪ How do I get to the end ♪ So tired, just so tired ♪ Why am I here again ♪ So tired, so tired ♪ So tired of givin' in ♪ So tried, just so tired ♪ Let me out ♪ Let me out ♪ Let me out - How did you all step into that space or discovered that you could live in those two worlds?

- We're always blending stuff early on.

I mean, it's just of built into our DNA that we would combine different ideas but it was always somewhat parochial.

Like the approach was sort of, oh, you know we're going to do a country.

Like we would say like, oh, that's like "Let's say Goodnight," was sort of like our version of a Zydeco song.

So like, you know, it was spoken, we would interpret it but it was the primary influence was clear and obvious.

And it was that song was the first time where I think everybody in the band sort of went, "Oh we can mix this stuff.

"And we could really combine that."

And that was like kind of the door that was like officially the first line of "Kiko."

'Cause "Kiko" was all about, you know mixing and blending, you know?

We kind of went like hard into the idea of mixing, you know really trying to employ Latin rhythms in non-Latin songs.

And vice-versa, you know, like trying to figure out if there was like some weird Alchemical brew.

- This next conversation is between Enrique and Boo Mitchell.

And if you haven't heard of Boo Mitchell or of Royal Studios well you've definitely heard the sounds that have come out of that magical place - [Enrique] Alright, Boo what a pleasure to re-meet you and be here at this magical place.

- [Boo] Thank you, sir.

- Yeah, man.

I'm excited.

I mean, I know a lot of work has been done to document the history of this place and the reason why we're stealing a little bit of your time and want to talk about this is because I feel like in this moment there's an opportunity to connect the stories of American history and American musical history and tell it in a way that that young people can reconnect with it.

And I feel that they need to know where this music comes from.

- Yes.

- 'Cause they're going to be telling the stories.

And then also we can't ignore what is happening in the world today.

So, you know, I want to go back to your childhood just for a little bit, right?

Your father is working here and he's working with legendary artists but you're a kid.

- Right.

- You don't know that not exactly.

- (chuckles) But even as a kid, before I knew anything about music, I always felt like this magic, you know, like this was a magical place.

- Did you pick up instruments during this process?

- Yeah, I started playing piano.

I was like, "Man, "I want to play some Ray Charles."

(chuckles) - [Enrique] Right.

- So yeah, once I started playing it just everything you know was amplified.

By the time I was nine, you know, I was you know just trying to get to the studio every day.

Summers I spent here, weekends, you know?

I was trying to be here as much as possible.

- You grew up here.

You grew up living and breathing this man.

That's amazing.

And you were telling me a story that your dad he wasn't allowed to touch the board because he was a black man.

- [Boo] Right.

- And that one of the studio owners or something wouldn't allow him to do this, is that right?

- Yeah, so it was the engineer here at the time was a guy named Ray Harris.

And like the studio was basically started when Elvis and Johnny Cash left Sam Phillips.

There was some other, you know engineer and producer guys over there.

And they, you know, saw it as an opportunity to do their own thing.

So Royal was basically the second commercial recording studio in Memphis and the engineer, Ray Harris.

He was just you know, a verified Klansman and my dad would complain.

He was like, "Man, you can't tell the difference "between a Willie Mitchell record, "a Bill Black record, a Stax record."

Like it was like, man, I want my to sound different.

So I think in '64, my dad has a meeting with the president and the owner of Royal Studios and High Records who was an Italian gentlemen.

And he was like, "Joe, "if I don't engineer my own stuff, I'm not re-signing."

And Joe was like, "Okay, Willie, do it."

And like the first record, my dad engineered like shot up the charts.

There's a Willie Mitchell instrumental called 20-75.

- How did he, I mean, what education did he get to do this how did he put it together?

- He you know, God there was definitely nowhere to get formal training.

I'll tell you this.

This is what I think his education was by '68 my dad was like selling more records than all of the other artists on the label.

And he bought out the engineer the guy that told him he couldn't do it.

- The Klansman.

- The Klansman.

- Wow.

- And when the guy was getting his stuff to leave my dad goes, "I learned a lot from you, Ray."

And Ray goes, "What's that Hoss?"

My dad does, "Never cut a record "like you cut it."

(both laugh) - [Enrique] It was Like the school of what not to do.

- Yeah.

- Yeah, interesting.

Man, that's heavy.

You know it hearkens back to like, in my mind and I think there's a naivety to this, I spoke with this with the Barnes family.

Like because of your father's legacy, Al Green's legacy, Ray Charles, all these folks like I imagined this universe where like segregation happened.

And even though I look at the timeline and it make sense that like, it was crazy and really messed up as these artists are connecting to millions of people that I figured that somehow they were immune from it but they were not immune.

- They were not immune.

But there was, you know- God, that's why Memphis has this strange racial irony because like in the music community, like nobody gave a if you were black, white, woman, man, like nobody cared.

The musicians all interacted with each other.

But when they step outside the studio, you know the reality kicks in that, you know, the rest of the world- Because there's I mean, just like Booker T and the MGs it's like people didn't know you know you had two black dudes and two white dudes.

They didn't know if it was a black group with some white dudes in it.

Or if it was a white group was some black dudes.

They didn't know what it was.

And you know that was just- - Like that worked in the favor 'cause I mean you could buy a record and listen to it.

And you kind of could ignore maybe some racist ideology.

You could ignore their belief system for a split second.

- Oh, exactly.

- And just enjoy the music.

- Yeah.

- That's weird.

(both chuckle) - [Boo] It is.

How do you, like, how do you appreciate- 'Cause if you're appreciating someone's musicality and like the language, it's a language and the language that they speak and you're cherishing it, how can you then not appreciate them as a human being?

- Exactly.

- It's an incredible joy to get to work with musicians who have such a depth of knowledge and such a rich character?

Reverend Hodges, who you'll see up next, he is a man who you may have not heard his name but you have definitely heard him play the organ.

If you've ever heard an Al Green classic, you've heard Do Funny as he's nicknamed playing the organ making those special moments and that magic come to life.

Reverend we're so pumped to be here in the room with you.

What an honor.

- And it's my honor that you're all invited me to come to be a part of this.

- We can't start without mentioning that you had no idea we're from Kansas City.

- No idea whatsoever.

- But you're wearing a Chief's hat, a Chief's pants.

You have your red, and white, and black Nike's with your Mahomes' Jersey.

It's kind of beautiful and perfect.

- Well, thank you.

Thank you.

But the Chiefs are one of my favorite teams, if not my favorite.

- There's so much that we can talk about.

You had the amazing blessing of working on music that the whole world heard.

- Yeah, I did.

- Did you have a sense that that was what was about to happen?

- No, I really didn't.

- What did it feel like when you all were just cooking up those song ideas and those arrangements?

- For one the organ has been in this very spot, this very spot through all of the recordings that has been done here at High.

I recorded 26 gold and platinums on this album in a row.

And then I went over to Stax and did I don't know how many but the thing is when we would come in here, it was like magic.

For one, your had my two other brothers, my siblings, Leroy, was on bass.

Teenie was on lead guitar and I was on organ and Archie Turner was on keyboards.

Howard Grant on drums.

And we just had a love for each other.

It's really kind of hard to put into words because music it's a feel.

I didn't go to school for it.

This is a talent, a gift that God gave me.

I wouldn't know one note known from another.

You could throw a book up in front of me I said, "No, I can't do that."

I can read a chord sheet, but believe it or not over 99% of the songs that I recorded, I didn't look at a chart.

We would learn the song.

And after I learned it- - [Enrique] Just feel it.

- I would feel it.

But my main thing was I wanted to know the story and it's really ironic because Willie Mitchell I got with Willie Mitchell later on, and my style of playing wasn't his style but he liked it the way I played it.

He gave me a nickname Do Funny.

(chuckles) - Where did that come from?

- The way I played the organ, I do a little funny stuff on it.

- Do it funny.

Do it funny.

- Yeah, yeah.

So one day we had a rehearsal at Willie's house and Willie said, "Hey, guys," he said, "Charles, the way he played," say "We may need to just change the way we play."

- And what was so different about your playing that he wanted or that he heard?

- It was the way of life.

For instance, if I did do "Love and Happiness."

(man plays organ) I just never stood.

I wouldn't stay still, you know?

That was the type of stuff that he wanted to hear.

And then I just- I said, "Okay."

(energetic music) (men chuckle) - Oh man, that's a good time.

- What is American music to you?

- Something that's very, very hard to describe but easy to perceive.

You can't exactly draw a frame around it and say, "Okay, well everything inside this frame is American music "and everything outside of the frame isn't."

It's not- There is no frame.

You can't frame it.

You can't say it's this or that with any truthfulness because it's number one is because it's constantly changing.

But at the same time you can definitely perceive it to be something.

Like you can tell from the authenticity of the delivery, if it is.

And sometimes it could be performed by Americans or performed by people that are aspiring to be Americans, because there's a highly aspirational quality to it.

I mean, there's some really remarkably American music being made outside of the Americas.

But that to me is more that says that it is this thing that you can aspire to do.

You don't have to be born here to do it.

- Something I think about a lot is that I look at that DNA chart and how much of my ancestry is not European.

And yet I can only speak two European- I still can speak two European languages.

I don't speak any African languages.

I don't speak any indigenous languages.

I speak English and Spanish.

And there's been this in our education we have been told that those languages are more important.

And then when you look at music, it's the same thing.

The traditions you're like, "I don't want to play this.

"Whatever you're trying to teach me.

"I don't want to play it.

"I want to play these other languages."

And they say, "No, less important."

That's what you're saying with hip hop.

You're saying hip hop music some people would say that's a less important language.

And that comes from bad education.

Maybe there's some darkness to where some of that oppression comes from.

But I think we got to shake it free because the languages that your dad spoke, the musical languages that Al Green spoke, the ones that you speak to me they might be more important than any European language.

You know, maybe it's not my job to pick but they sure as hell are not less important.

And I'm tired of them being treated as they're less important languages.

- Exactly.

It's a really strange time.

And I think music is the key to all of it because I think it's the only thing that's going to help us out of this situation really.

- I think so, too.

And that's why I'm doing this, you know, because we need healing right now and music as has- Music helped me connect to an identity as an immigrant and feeling disconnected from- I mean, I grew up in Kansas City and there's a jazz and blues history there.

And I felt like it wasn't mine, mine to participate in.

And then I started figuring out, wait a second.

Actually those rhythms and a lot of that in that like DNA came up through the Caribbean through New Orleans.

- Absolutely.

- And when I heard "Jelly Roll," like Morton's like Alan Lomax recording and he's like, "You can't play "the blues without the Spanish tinge."

He's talking about the Cuban group.

In that moment I was like, "Holy, this is all connected "and I just been taught that it's not," or I feel like it's not.

And once I like absorbed that I felt more at peace with myself.

- We are all connected.

We are more alike than we are different.

So we just got to stop but we should embrace our differences.

And instead of, you know, fighting over them or alienating people, you know?

Yeah, you're different than me.

That's awesome.

Like if we were all one thing then it'd be a very boring place.

- Boring, yeah.

Not nearly as beautiful as it is.

The beauty that we see in this place was that.

I mean the fact that your dad worked with a Klansman but was able to work with them because of music shows the profound power- - Power of music.

- Yes.

- So this is a song I worked so hard on of my big daddy's that I worked so hard on.

The rhythm is so crazy but anyway you'll see what I'm talking about.

(chuckles) (lively blues music) ♪ There was Adam half a man to beat ♪ ♪ (faintly singing) that old tree ♪ ♪ That's just like a woman ♪ That's just like a woman ♪ That's just like a woman ♪ They'll do it every time (all chuckle) That song right there.

Of course it's called "That's Just like a Woman."

But man that groove right there is something that I used to love to hear my big daddy play, you know?

It just did something to me.

Energy came over me.

I was like, "Wow, man, "where the hell is that rhythm coming from?"

- I know.

- You know?

It's like where is that coming from?

And I was like, "Wow."

I will ask my big dad.

I was like that rhythm, like what is that?

And he was like, "That's me son."

(all chuckle) And a lot of his music, you know, has rhythm like that you know in sort of a different way but still a crazy unorthodox rhythm.

And I would see people dance to that song.

And I wouldn't know what rhythm (chuckles) they were dancin' to you know 'cause it would be some crazy rhythm they dancing to you know.

It was like, I don't think you dancin' to the song but I understand, you know?

'Cause their rhythm is so crazy, you know?

- I want to try something though.

Just for our own experiment.

Can you loop that rhythm?

- Yeah.

- Can you just keep doing that for a second?

I wanna try something.

(man chuckles) Yeah.

Just wanted to try that out.

(all chuckle) - I love this man.

I love this.

This is so cool, man.

- Yeah, it was good whatever that was.

- I feel what you're talking about.

I really feel it, man.

My body just want to groove.

- [Enrique] When I hear you play that groove the same thing happens to me.

(hums) - Wow.

It was like all the cells in the brain were like, "Oh man, what is that man?"

Oh, wow.

- Yeah.

- I feel you.

- In this time where we're seeing a new wave of folks that seem to have forgotten the history of what has actually happened in this nation and where we all come from, and what makes us this idea of what makes us American has become weaponized.

White supremacy is on a new rise.

- Yeah.

Well I have to say, man I'm not the one to talk politics and I never wanted, you know, in my life to talk politics.

I feel like where we at right now like we should be way ahead, you know?

But I feel like instead of us being way ahead we've been set back 50, 60 years, you know?

And because the things that happened, you know, 50, 60 years ago, it's happening now, you know?

And so it's like it never stopped, you know?

And it makes you think, is it ever going to stop?

You know?

- That's a fear I have, you know?

It's a fear that honestly keeps me up at night sometimes.

That thought of like is this ever going to stop?

And I think that's what draws me to keep working hard at music because like we just felt music reminds us that the Cuban guys who speak Spanish and the people in the hill country share some common DNA.

- I would definitely say for one, you know things will get better.

I have to say that to the young people, things will get better.

But I also would say, you know to the young people that love music that, you know are so passionate about music and that want this music don't stop.

Don't stop playing this music because the world is crazy.

Because right now is when people need this music.

You know?

I would definitely say that to all the younger generations out there that's interested in music that's so passionate about music right now, you know?

Because it's easy right now to just say, "Man, forget it."

You know?

It's so easy right now to say that you know and that's what we don't need to do, you know?

- [Enrique] That's right.

- Yeah.

- I've been a fan.

I watched those videos when you were a kid.

I didn't realize you were 13.

You played your ass off when you were 13.

- Wow hank you, man.

- So this is like a delight and a dream come true.

And hopefully the beginning of many other things.

- I have to add this, man.

This has been one of the most beautiful things that I have done, you know in my lifetime.

And you know, I'm not blowing smoke up nobody ass but this right here is it's freaking cool.

The world needs to know this.

You know, the world needs to see this.

And especially the younger generation they need to see this, you know?

They need to have conversations like this at home in their front room.

You know what I'm saying?

They need to have- They need to get together outside, you know?

Wear your mask but go to the park, have conversations like this, you know?

Bring your instruments, you know just do what your heart is telling you to do.

You know, this is beautiful.

Thank y'all for having me, man.

- Oh man, thank you.

- Like for real.

- And what you're saying is do what humans have done for thousands of years.

- Thousands of years.

- To get through hard times.

- Yeah, yeah.

And don't let nothin' stop you from doing it, you know?

Especially now, especially now.

- Well that was a blast.

Hope you all enjoyed the music, the conversations.

We may not have answered the question, what is American music?

But I do know this, that by asking that question and by investigating where we come from we start to see similarities like the drum culture in the Congos of Panama starts to feel not so distant from the rural cultures that formed the blues and gospel and jazz.

And that makes me think about the reality that there's so much that unites us.

And when you really focus on that, it becomes harder and harder to understand, or to be complacent about racism.

That's what Ameri'kana TV is all about.

And we're grateful that you've been on this journey with us.

We'll see you all next time.

(energetic music) ♪ Let me out ♪ Let me out ♪ Let me out - I wrote a song about a separation at the border.

Every time I perform it I get like nervous how the crowd is gonna react about it.

So like, what are some tips to get over that fear?

- If it means that much to you, you just do it.

But if you reach just one person, you've already done your job.

So don't be afraid - I've always known that Isabella loves to sing.

As she joined the mentorship program she started singing in front of audiences.

I remember she was up in the room writing real late at night then she walked into my room and sang "Papa" for the first time.

(sobs) Sorry.

♪ Papa just hold on tight - [Announcer] If you'd like to help us on our journey of empowering young artists like Bella, please visit us at artistmentorship.org.

- I didn't really like singing out loud in front of people.

I have good confidence to show myself and just let it out.

♪ Goes far in life