[ANPPOM-L] FW: Music and Revolution: Cultural Change in Socialist Cuba (Moore, Robin D.)

[Jos=?ISO-8859-1?B?6SA=?=Luiz Martinez]

------ Forwarded Message From: <jfrr em indiana.edu> Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2007
12:35:04 -0400 (EDT) To: <jfrr-l em indiana.edu> Subject: [JFRR] Music and
Revolution: Cultural Change in Socialist Cuba (Moore, Robin D.)

Music and Revolution: Cultural Change in Socialist Cuba. By Robin D. Moore.
2006. Berkley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. xvi + 350
pages. ISBN: 978-0-520-24710-9 (hard cover), 978-0-520-24711-6 (soft cover).


Reviewed by José A. Gómez-Davidson, Indiana University
(jgomezda em indiana.edu).

[Word count: 891 words]


Music and Revolution is a phenomenal study "that uses the performing arts as
a means of examining larger processes of revolutionary change" (xiii). This
survey of Cuban popular and folkloric music considers the major figures and
forms that have arisen within the island's socio-political matrix since
1959. It is the product of nearly a decade's worth of research by
ethnomusicologist Robin D. Moore on the Cuban state's role in cultural
planning.

Considering the often awkward nature of this topic, where opinions offered
by communist sympathizers and opponents tend to vary considerably, Moore's
is a relatively impartial perspective. Moreover, his work is extremely well
researched. He does a magnificent job revealing the subtle and abrupt
cultural changes that have shaped Cuba's rich musical traditions, all the
while contextualizing the larger social processes at work. Music and
Revolution is a sincere attempt "to broaden the dialogue about lessons to be
learned from the revolutionary experience" (xiv).

The book is filled throughout with vivid black-and-white photographs,
musical transcriptions, translations of lyrics, and a wealth of related
bibliographic data. It would however benefit from an accompanying compact
disc for those who are unfamiliar with Cuban music. The author's work is
limited in a few other respects, which he admits to from the start: "I
devote scant attention to important musical forms such as rock and rap [. .
.] readers should be aware that most of my field research has been confined
to the Havana area" (xiv-xv). Still, it is impressive that he has managed to
synthesize such a wealth of material, given the considerable challenges he
faced while conducting his research; as a result of longstanding and
contemporary issues, both U.S. and Cuban state agencies limited Moore's
access to critical data on the island.

>From the outset, Moore makes it a point to contextualize Marxist ideology
and the place of aesthetics therein. The author urges scholars to consider
additional research in these areas for the benefit of both socio-political
relationships and musical studies. He states: "A central goal of this book
is to explore the 'slippage' or disconnect, between what state socialist
societies ostensibly strive for through the arts and what they actually do,
using Cuba as a case study" (2).

Chapters One to Three present a rough-and-ready summary of the social trends
that have transpired since the onset of the revolution. Moore manages to
explain, quite adequately in such a short amount of space, the most
influential elements of B.C. (Before Castro) Cuba on A.C. programming. He
documents the decline of the Cuban music industry, its progressively
politicized nature, and government agencies' lack of inclusive evaluation.
The author makes an earnest attempt to reconstruct the last fifty tumultuous
years, where artists found themselves performing in a "revolution," and
fairly poses to the reader the advantages and disadvantages of being a
musician within a socialist state.

Chapters Four to Seven consist of cultural case studies that focus on
particular genres and the most influential groups and performers with which
they are associated. Moore takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride
following dance-repertoire politics, protest songs, folkloric ensembles, and
sacred ritual as they dip and rise in popularity along sudden curves of
rejection by the state and demand by the international market. Throughout
these generic evaluations, he skillfully interweaves the shifting aesthetics
articulated by the words and deeds of popular bands, old and young
trovadores, bearers of Afro-Cuban rumba traditions, and devout practitioners
of religious music.

In Chapter Eight, the author assesses the island's more recent reactions to
the socio-economic crises surrounding the collapse of the Soviet Union and
the pressures of the U.S. embargo. This portion stresses the importance of
musical tourism, considers the development of the music industry, and
ponders the societal confusion which contemporary compositions tend to
reflect. And Moore leaves us to contemplate more in the conclusion.

He truly demonstrates the value of such a study through a review of the
typical controversies surrounding Cuban music, which has come to serve as a
weapon in the ideological battle being waged against the impoverished nation
by the U.S. government and conservative Cuban Americans. The author equally
recognizes the harsh restrictions Cuban agencies have put not only on
artistic expression, but also on life itself. This investigation is a
celebration of the role of music as "an enjoyable experience [...in a place
where...] enjoyable experiences have been in short supply" (260).

Ultimately, Moore's book is a thoughtful and thought-provoking assessment of
revolutionary Cuba through a musical lens. Other authors' assessments of the
political and cultural situation in Cuba often tend to be limited noticeably
by their personal biases. It is also one of very few detailed
ethnomusicological accounts in English of post-revolutionary Cuba that
attempts to consider the impact of politics on various genres. English
readers must still be anxiously awaiting a comprehensive study that will
include a look at the island's evolving contemporary and fusion musics--and
one can only hope it is as thorough and telling as Moore's.

While essential for any Cuban music buff's collection, this book should not
be pigeon-holed by the geographical scope of its material. Robin Moore's
Music and Revolution will serve as a vital reference for anyone with the
desire to appreciate socialist discourse and its effect on performers'
lives. It should also be considered a seminal text for those interested in
what can be achieved with historical ethnomusicology. ---------

Read this review on-line at: http://www.indiana.edu/~jofr/review.php?id=368

(All JFR Reviews are permanently stored on-line at
http://www.indiana.edu/~jofr/reviews.php)



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