A Critical review of Kippen, J 1988, The Tabla of Lucknow: A Cultural Analysis of a Musical Tradition,

Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Kippen conducts a holistic cultural analysis of music and musical life in Lucknow through his study of

the tabla. This research aims to make relevant connections between the history of musical tradition

in Lucknow and current music practice to provide a greater understanding of social relations

between musicians and the role of the tabla. The study reveals the complex history of the tabla as an

instrument played traditionally by musicians of a low social caste, their stigmatisation and resulting

ostracism of the players. Kippen ties this ostracism to the formation of gharns, for which he

creates a genealogy which maps prominent ustds and disciples, which allows him to conclude the

fundamentally important role gharns have in perpetuating excellence in tabla tradition.

Comparing the gharn and college systems of training, he further concludes the superiority of the

gharn system, which provides its students with better technique and discipline. Kippen is

extremely successful in creating a balanced and highly engaging cultural analysis through the

different literary modes he uses. While this heightens readability, it also allows his research

questions to be clear, which in turn makes his research comprehensible and easy to follow.

Unfortunately, the clarity of the latter part of the book which deals with tabla techniques and

repertoire is hampered by his inclusion of music, which for the average reader will confuse rather

than clarify.

Kippen prefaces his ethnographic work by laying out the notational system of tabla music, which he

presents in diagrams. He includes an explanation of these diagrams and a comparison to Western

notation. While looking at these notations is initially helpful through his juxtaposition with a familiar

Western notational system, his further use of them becomes confusing in chapter 8 The Repertoire.

This is because he no longer provides a comparison with a notational system readers may be familiar

with, but instead, includes a description of the technique that is saturated with traditional Indian

terminology. His inclusion of these diagrams successfully incorporates music into his ethnography
and adds a level of authenticity to his work. However, for a reader that is not well acquainted with

Indian music and the tabla itself, it provides confusion and alienation from the content that is being

discussed. Mostly, Kippen does not speak directly to his readership in the first-person but rather

presents his ethnographic findings as fact in a formal writing manner. Kippen shifts to the use of

first-person when he has an example of his own experience that will aid in further explaining what

he has presented to his audience. He can do this when talking about the way the tabla is both taught

and performed thanks to his personal immersion in the gharn system of training and his time

spent in Lucknow. An example of this substantiation through personal anecdote is when Kippen is

speaking about Tawifs in chapter 2. He begins by writing historically, then moves to storytelling,

before concluding the chapter with an ethnographic vignette (Kippen 1988: 42-45). This style of

explanation that shifts between different writing modes make Kippens ethnography not only

comprehensive, but enhances readability, and makes it extremely engaging for an audience. Even

though he is making literary shifts, he successfully maintains the ability to present his research as

fact, which aids the credibility of his research. Kippens writing style is not only engaging and

informative, but it is also sufficiently clear and concise that it elucidates Kippens research questions.

It is evident that he was questioning what the musical history of Lucknow was and how that related

to the modern era, as well as how gharns formed, their relevance to musical culture and whether

the gharn system is superior to the college system. These questions lay the foundation for him to

focus further research on sociomusical issues, such as the clear hierarchy that is established

between tabla and srag players who are considered accompanists, and are ranked below sitar

players who are soloists (Kippen 1988: 87). Kippen connects this to social perception, as he states

tabla players have a socio-musical identity as second-class citizens. His analysis goes even deeper

when he considers the relationship between the reputation of tabla players, and their low socio-

economic status, where they are recruited from low castes and have a tradition of illiteracy (Kippen

1988: 87).
The inclusion of traditional musical notation clouding the average readers comprehension of the

intricacies of tabla playing does not compromise the integrity the Kippens cultural analysis. It is

executed extremely well, as it is both enjoyable to read and thorough. Even though he presents an

explanation of the notational system used for the tabla at the outset of the text, perhaps further

clarification could be provided within the chapter that the notation is more present.
A Critical Review of Feld, S 2012, Jazz Cosmopolitanism in Accra: Five Musical Years in Ghana, Duke

University Press, North Carolina.

Steven Feld conducts a study on how jazz has been expanded and exported globally. He makes a

case for the cosmopolitanism of jazz, through his research on the cross-cultural musical influences

within the context of Ghana, specifically Accra. What Feld discovers is that experiences of jazz, whilst

present among all members of his data set, are profoundly different for each member. His research

concludes that jazz cosmopolitanism encompasses social issues such as race, spirituality, identity

politics, social hierarchy and honour, as well as helping shape artistic expression. Felds research is

almost exclusively storytelling, and he presents his recollection as fact. Whilst being engaging, this

presentation of story as fact is problematised by the nature of storytelling as a mode of

interpretation and analysis. Furthermore, while Feld performs thorough interviews and provides in-

depth recollection as his research methodology, his focus on a small data set doesnt allow him to

draw broad conclusions about jazzs impact on Ghanaian musical culture.

Felds research revolves around his interactions with jazz influenced musicians in Ghana, notably

Guy Warren, Nii Noi Nortey, Nii Otoo Annan and Nii Yemo Nunu. The book is divided into stories,

and written in the first-person, as he recalls his shared experiences with each musician, and

demonstrates how the musician has influenced or been influenced by jazz. In doing this, Feld builds

his argument that jazz is cosmopolitan, and can transcend borders and cultures. The effect that this

first-person narrative has is enhanced readability: the book ends up reading more like a novel than it

does an academic document. This style of writing also means that Felds ethnographic research is

presented, and reads largely as fact, as it would seem he is simply recalling stories that happen to

prove the cosmopolitan nature of jazz. The conversations with his informants document them often

speaking of the important influence jazz has had on them. Unfortunately, it is not viable to read

Felds ethnography as pure fact. Despite being rationalised by Feld in his introduction (see Feld

2012:8) the inclusion of any storytelling means that a level of subjective interpretation has been
conducted. Feld has included extracts of his experiences that confirm his position and may have

omitted sections that do not. This selection process does not discredit the ethnographic research

done by Feld, as it is highly engaging and detailed. However, it means that an audience should read

the work with the understanding that it is subjective rather than objective. Felds writing is so

engaging partly due to the personal stories that he tells about himself and his relationships with

people in the field, specifically his informants. The interviews are particularly engaging because of

Felds extremely good rapport with the interviewees. This rapport can be seen clearly in the chapter

First Chorus, With Transposition where Feld interviews Guy Warren. While the interview with

Warren blurs the definitions of interviewer and interviewee, Feld still manages to propel the

conversation in a productive direction. His close relationship with Warren means that he can deal

with him when he is in a feisty mood (Feld 2012: 53), which results in the possibility of interviewing

Warren in a range of scenarios, prompting a range of responses. This range of response means that

Feld can achieve honest and insightful answers that may not have been achieved in a more formal

interview, where participants are not as well acquainted. However, despite the anecdotes that Feld

includes thanks to his interviewing and close personal interaction with his informants, this as a

research methodology is problematic. Feld attempts to demonstrate the cosmopolitan nature of jazz

by focusing his research on four main Ghanaian musicians. Through his storytelling mode of analysis,

Feld documents highly qualitative data, which gives good insight into the cross-cultural musical

experiences of the small number of people he speaks about. What this means, is it is difficult to

properly understand the role of jazz on a macro level, for instance in Ghanaian culture more

generally. Feld acknowledges that he tell[s] stories about encounters with jazz cosmopolitanism in

Accra (Feld 2012:2) as opposed to performing a holistic cultural analysis. Feld could have also

dedicated some extra time to including more objective information about the cultural history of jazz

in Accra, as opposed to focusing largely on telling the stories of individual musicians and his

relationships with them. If he had, then he may have been able to draw some broader and more

comprehensive conclusions about jazz cosmopolitanism.

While Felds research is engaging to read thanks to its focus on storytelling, it must be read carefully

as a work of interpretation. His qualitative research methodology, while making good reading, limits

the scope of his research to reflect only a few experiences. If Feld could speak more generally about

the role of jazz in Ghanaian culture, perhaps through collecting a higher volume of quantitative data,

then this research would be more insightful.