Russell, Melinda - Musics of Multicultural America. a Study of Twelve Musical Communities

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Musics of Multicultural America: A Study of Twelve Musical Communities

Russell, Melinda.

Notes, Volume 57, Number 2, December 2000, pp. 410-412 (Review)

Published by Music Library Association

DOI: 10.1353/not.2000.0101

For additional information about this article

Access Provided by UCLA Library at 10/25/11 4:13PM GMT

http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/not/summary/v057/57.2russell.html





410 Notes, December 2000

Musics of Multicultural America: A Study of Twelve Musical Communi-ties. Edited by Kip Lornell and AnneK. Rasmussen. New York: SchirmerBooks, 1997. [xii, 348 p. + 1 compact disc. ISBN 0-02-864585-5 (text); 0-02-864932-X (compact disc). $35 (text);$20 (compact disc).]

The twelve essays in this rich and innova-tive collection explore diverse traditionsthat range from Czech American polka mu-sic in Wisconsin to Arab music in Detroit and West Indian steelbands in Brooklyn.The contributing authors come froman impressive variety of backgrounds, withtraining in ethnomusicology, folklore,anthropology, American studies, history,

ethnic studies, and other disciplines.Kip Lornell and Anne K. Rasmussen pro-

vide an engaging and highly useful intro-



Book Reviews 411

ductory chapter that identifies the collec-tion’s unifying themes and issues but goes

well beyond this task in many notable ways.Lornell and Rasmussen discuss the contrib-

utors themselves, commenting on theirbackgrounds and perspectives and outlin-ing their scholarship and professional activ-ities. Unifying themes include the intersec-tion of music, community, and identity; therole of core cultural institutions; the ac-tions of individual musicians; music preser-

vation and its impact; and access to and useof mass media. The editors also situatetheir volume within scholarship on Ameri-can music and provide short but worth-

while discussions of American musical ge-

ography, the study of world music, andmusic, ethnicity, and identity. Studentscould profitably return to the issues raisedhere after having read part or all of the vol-ume. Together, the elements of the intro-ductory chapter add unity, subtlety, andspecificity to the collection.

Two of the essays explore traditions fromsouthern states. Ron Pen’s account of “fa-sola folk” provides an accessible history of psalm singing in the United States andthen considers two markedly different “trib-

utaries” of the musical tradition. Along the way, Pen raises questions about how oneenters a folk tradition, how musical trans-mission occurs, and how changing contextsaffect musical performance—themes that resound throughout the collection. Lornellinvokes these and other questions in hisstudy of African American sacred quartetsin Memphis. His account of quartet train-ing practices and his exploration of “fam-ily” within the tradition are of particularinterest.

The midwestern United States is repre-sented by two essays. Jim Leary’s contribu-tion on Czech American polka musicfocuses on a few eastern Wisconsin commu-nities. Here, too, the role of the family incommunity musicmaking is explored, asare the musical values of the community asa whole. Leary also addresses the theme of changing contexts for musicmaking, withdescriptive passages enlivened by evocativequotations from informants. Rasmussen’sessay explores a number of contexts—including three wedding celebrations—in

Lebanese, Yemeni, and Iraqi sections of Detroit. Her thoughtful reflections on herown fieldwork and roles are substantive and

helpful, and likely to interest studentsgreatly. Rasmussen outlines the history of

Arab American music and provides an in-troduction to maqam and iqa’, drawing on

knowledge a lay reader is likely to have while adding context, nuance, and correc-tion.

New York is the primary locale for threeof the communities explored in the collec-tion. Henry Sapoznik’s masterful history of klezmer music is beautifully augmented by a detailed consideration of the life and ca-reer of klezmer clarinetist Dave Tarras. Intothis narrative, Sapoznik weaves an account of his awakening to his own musical roots,his founding of the band Kapelye, and the

renaissance of klezmer. Sapoznik’s brief discussion of issues of “cultural ownership,”in which he admits conflict about theproper role for outsiders in klezmer, is typi-cal of reflective offerings to be foundthroughout the volume; it is provocativeand useful. Gage Averill’s account of panand steelbands in New York City exploresthe role of this music in West Indian iden-tity. In addition to providing histories of Caribbean immigration and steelband,

Averill brings to life the nuances of musical

arrangement and Carnival preparation andproblematizes such simple dichotomies as“amateur/professional” and “local/for-eign.” In an engrossing essay that providesa welcome window into the undergroundrock scene, Theo Cateforis and ElenaHumphreys explore Riot Grrrl New YorkCity, a chapter of the larger musical activist movement called riot grrrl begun in 1992.

Three articles center on southern borderareas. Daniel Sheehy’s on Mexican maria-chi music considers the use of mariachi as acultural symbol. In outlining the history of mariachi, Sheehy raises many issues of mu-sical change, the role of mass media, andpolitical uses of music. Brenda Romero’sexploration of the matachines, a complexritual of music, dance, and drama, providesample fodder for discussion of cultural in-teraction and its repercussions in the musi-cal sphere. Her article also raises questionsof authenticity evoked by other authors inthe volume. James S. Griffith’s contributionon waila music of the Tohono O’odham(also called Pima Indians) in the Southwest

examines the roles of various cultural insti-tutions—the family, the boarding school,the Catholic Church—in musical life. Like



412 Notes, December 2000

many of the essays, Griffith’s considers boththe local and the “world music” contexts in

which so many of the book’s traditionsexist.

Two articles investigate issues related to Asian American identity and musicmaking.Susan M. Asai provides biographies of three

Japanese American musicians in California,giving insight into their cultural negotia-tions and motivations. Their varied con-structions of cultural identity are unitedby Asai’s closing comments, which addressunifying characteristics of sansei (third-generation Japanese American) musicalidentity. Deborah Wong’s essay exploresidentity and affiliation in recounting the

story of the Mountain Brothers, an Asian American hip-hop group formed at PennState University. Her article begins with abrief history of rap and then focuses on adetailed description of the internal and ex-ternal struggle of the group as they negoti-ate a relationship with the commercialmusic world.

This volume, designed for a one-semestercourse, is exceptionally well suited to suchuse. The introductory chapter expertly frames the issues brought out in subse-

quent essays, outlining areas of inquiry that might form the basis for class lectures ordiscussions. The text is generously illus-trated with photographs of musicians,events, instruments, and posters. Un-familiar terms are italicized—a few authorssupply a separate glossary—and the text appropriately addresses a college-levelaudience without insulting the reader.Each chapter has at least one accompany-ing music example, and most of the exam-ples are examined in some detail in thetext. The compact disc has liner notes that supply detailed track information in most cases. The examples are well chosen, andmany chapters would be relatively easy tosupplement.

Though eminently useful as a textbook,Musics of Multicultural America also standsalone as a most welcome contribution tothe ethnomusicology of the United States.

Melinda Russell

Carleton College

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Russell, Melinda - Musics of Multicultural America. a Study of Twelve Musical Communities