What happens when a classically trained violinist reclaims the roots of Black folk, Blues, and community power? In this robust conversation, I sit down with Benjamin Hunter, Artistic Director of Northwest Folklife and co-founder of Black & Tan Hall, to explore the intersections of music, memory, and modern-day folklore.🖤 Ben Hunter isn’t just playing music—he’s cultivating spaces where memory, folk wisdom, and creative resistance live.He’s an award-winning musician, composer, educator, and social entrepreneur whose work bridges ancestral traditions with contemporary movement-building.🔊 In this episode, we dig into:– His journey from classical to Blues and American roots– What it means to be a modern-day griot– The future of folk music and community preservation– Cultural equity, creative space-making, and musical storytelling– Winning the International Blues Challenge & composing for Black Bois– Why community is the archive—and the artist is the folklorist🎶 "The music he plays not only spans an array of genres but a huge swath of history." – City Arts Magazine📍 Whether you're an artist, cultural worker, or lover of the Blues, this episode will inspire, inform, and move you.🔔 Subscribe for more interviews exploring Black traditional music, folklore, and cultural memory.👇 Drop a comment below: How does Benjamin Hunter's journey connect with your own story?