What is the importance of music in the novel, The Trees?

Music, specifically blues and other music associated with Black American culture, is symbolic of respite from racial violence and injustice, as well as an expression and acknowledgment of that injustice. While in Money, Mississippi, Ed and Jim seek out a place to hear Black music in order to find Black people to speak to about the crimes happening in the city. While in Memphis, they take a break from the investigation to listen to blues on Beale Street. Later, they stop at the Bluegum, a restaurant that serves as a location for Mama Z’s group. There, they hear a woman sing the song “Strange Fruit,” which is about lynching in the South.