Call and response

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This article is about call and response in communication. For other meanings see: Call and response (disambiguation).

Call and response is a form of "spontaneous verbal and non-verbal interaction between speaker and listener in which all of the statements ('calls') are punctuated by expressions ('responses') from the listener", as stated by Smitherman [link].

In West African cultures, call and response is a pervasive pattern of democratic participation -- in public gatherings, in the discussion of civic affairs, in religious rituals, as well as in vocal and instrumental musical expression (see call and response (music)). It is this tradition that African bondsmen and women brought with them to the New World and which has been transmitted over the centuries in various forms of cultural expression -- in religious observance; public gatherings; even in children's rhymes; and, most notably, in African-American music in its multiple forms: gospel, blues, rhythm and blues, jazz and jazz extensions.

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