David Lewiston-Global Recording Engineer

David Lewiston: Contributions to the Field of Ethnic Music Production

David Lewiston is a pioneer in the production of cultural, musical recordings created in international settings. Since 1966, Mr. Lewiston has been capturing the music formed by ethnic groups located in: Indonesia, the Himalayas, India, Pakistan, South America, the Orient and the Middle East (“Discography”). David Lewiston, through his life pursuit of ethnic music recordings, has played a critical role in producing music for the ethnic genre of today’s musical classification system.

It is important to first distinguish the difference between ethnic music and world music. Ethnic music is defined as, “the traditional and typically anonymous music that is an expression of the life of people in a community” (“Ethnic Music”). On the other hand, world music’s definition is more directly associated with popular forms (“World Music”). There is no apparent negative consequence to having these two separate genres, however, finding information about the different modes of non-Western music is, in my personal experience, difficult to obtain and discern between. Many sources still refer to the two genres as one, generalizing all non-western music as world music.

World music is defined as, “music from cultures other than those of Western Europe and English-speaking North America, especially popular music from Latin America, Africa and Asia” (“World Music”). Originally, the world music genre consisted of recordings made in the field that were then mass-produced in a manner consistent with the culture’s grassroots, original form. In modern times, however, world music refers more directly to a fusing of cultural sounds and styles (Simmons).
The fusing of traditional music and popular styles appears to result from the imposition of Western culture upon foreign nations. In Africa, foreign influences have shaped popular music styles for centuries, and in effect caused new styles to emerge (Johnston 101). Korean society, at the end of the 20th century, looked to the West for ideals and societal direction causing Western music to be taught in schools over traditional Korean music (Myung-hee 34). It is my opinion that Western influence can also be observed through listening to contemporary pop recordings produced in Latin America, Africa, and Eastern Europe by artists such as: Ricky Martin, Amadou and Miriam, and Nena, respectively. By examining the examples and definitions presented above, I conclude that world music and its current relation to more popular, mainstream media, has forced the folk and traditional music recordings to be more directly associated with a separate, but similar genre of media called ethnic music.

Tadahiro Wakabayashi, master of multiple ethnic instruments and musical disciplines, makes a statement in a 2006 interview about the origins of ethnic music. Wakabayashi claims, “The origins of ethnic music can be divided into two streams. One stream originated with the formal music of shamanism…the other stream originated with the peoples of the forests” (Kondo). To me, this suggests that each case has had unique affects on the result of ethnic music’s development. A second statement made by Kondo shows the possibility of the world and ethnic music genres being formed at this time. According to Kondo, the shaman’s music spread into the higher ranks of society to become an artistic mode of composition taking on a more classical form. In the latter example of music deriving from the people of the forests, Indian music of South America grew and developed amongst common people (Kondo). To me, this shows that the forest people’s music remained traditional and formed the basis for the ethnic music genre. Conversely, the shaman’s music became more popular in nature and formed the world music genre.

It is the traditional, ethnic genre of music that Lewiston was, and is today, the most interested in capturing. “I want pure local music” he bluntly states in an interview about his methods (Settino 36). Many see Lewiston as a preservationist for capturing pure indigenous sounds and maintaining them for future reference (Simmons). Initially, however, David Lewiston was far from the ethnic music researcher and preservationist that he is recognized as today.

Lewiston was raised in the suburbs of London, and in his youth studied piano at London’s Trinity College of Music (Settino 32). At Trinity, Lewiston studied piano with a man named George Bennett. Bennett exposed Lewiston to non-Western music for the first time as he presented the work of a man named Georgii Ivanobitch Gurdjieff, a musician and philosopher of Asian and Russian descent (Roden). Other sources point to Gurdjieff descending from an area called Cass, which is currently known as Gumrie, Armenia (Kushner). Lewiston claims that being exposed to Gurdjieff’s compositions “popped [him] into another space.” In other words, these compositions made Lewiston aware of the fact that music existed outside of the sphere of Western influences and traditions (Roden).

Lewiston later moved to New York to study with the disciple and apprentice of Gurdjieff, Thomas de Hartman, a Russian composer and pianist. In 1956 de Hartman passed away (Roden). However, Lewiston continued to study folk and traditional music from around the world while working in a variety of low paying jobs (Roden). At the end of a ten-year slump, Lewiston would eventually find himself as a financial editor for an anonymous news corporation (“David”).

In 1966, Lewiston took a three-week vacation in combination with a four-week leave of absence (Kushner). In part, Lewiston’s employer granted this extended departure because he agreed to write a story on Vietnam’s wartime banking conditions while traveling abroad. Traveling to Bali and Java, Indonesia, Lewiston would eventually find himself connected with a young prince in the higher ranks of society. Upon request, this man, referred to as Dean, introduced Lewiston to the local Balinese gamelan musicians (Settino 34). Gamelan music is defined as “an Indonesian orchestra that consists mainly of percussion instruments such as chimes, gongs, and wooden xylophones” (“Gamelan”).

On this initial voyage, Lewiston brought a reel-to-reel tape recording device called the Uher 4000. In combination with the Uher 4000 he used two microphones that had been borrowed from a friend. This particular recording device did not have a battery pack, weighed 8-pounds and recorded in mono format (Settino 34). Mono signal audio recordings utilize one channel to produce sound. Stereo format, however, uses two separate channels to produce a more dynamic sound.

Prior to arriving in Bali to record the gamelan musicians, Lewiston discovered a portable, stereo recording device called the Concertone 727 at a store in Singapore (Settino 34). This machine is identified by World Music Central as “one of the first portable stereo tape recorders” (“David”). This device enabled battery-operation for on-location field recordings and would serve its purpose in Indonesia before being sold following Lewiston’s initial excursion (Simmons). Lewiston identifies this unit several times as, “flimsy” (Lewiston, Settino 34), and on another occasion as, “Really cheap crap“ (Simmons).

Upon returning to the United States in 1967, Lewiston would be introduced to two individuals that would boost his career as a producer of global music: Teresa Sterne, manager of the newly formed Nonesuch record label, and Peter Siegel, Nonesuch record’s staff engineer. Together Sterne, Siegel and Lewiston listened to the Balinese gamelan recordings and contracted to release a selection titled Music from the Morning of the World on the Nonesuch record label (Settino 34). This new relationship would eventually lead Nonesuch records into new musical pioneering directions and change the face of ethnic music recordings forever (Simmons).
Jac Holzman, founder of Elektra records, created the Nonesuch record label in 1964 with the intention of expanding Elektra’s musical scope into the classical realm. Nonesuch originally released 10 classical records with a price of $2.50 each. Holzman believed there to be no other comparable product in or on the market and accordingly named his new label Nonesuch records. It is important to note that Nonesuch originally asserted the promotion of baroque and chamber music as the labels main interest (H, K.). Manager, Teresa Sterne would, however, stray from this direction and lead the company to eventually release 92 albums of ethnic music, twenty eight of which would be recorded by Lewiston (Simmons).

Recording of the World’s cultural music had been alive for many years prior to Lewiston’s entrance to the field (Simmons). Where he lacks in early production, however, he makes up for in field exploration:
“Primarily, he was the first to venture beyond the relative musical comfort of America, Europe and the Caribbean and into the more challenging musical terrains of Asia and the Himalayas…His recordings were the first to be mastered and released commercially as entertainment for adventurous listeners, rather than archived for research purposes.” (Simmons)

Some people have been critical of Lewiston’s bias towards folk and traditional sounds over other popular forms. In a 2002 critique of the Explorer Series, Milo Miles states, “there is precious little other than pure folk music or classical traditions. It feels like the Explorer Series focused on villagers but left out the city kids and, well, the obvious super stars” (Miles). However, the purpose of Lewiston’s recording expeditions was to capture traditional music in its purest form. According to Simmons: Lewiston and Sterne “created the Explorer Series, offering what Nonesuch now describes as ‘…a musical window to a specific community at a specific point in time, without the strong imprint of Western society or pop music.’” (Simmons).
Lewiston was so adamant about eliminating popular, modernized versions of music in his recordings that he began to seek out and hire local assistants who were familiar with the particular culture being recorded. This ensured that only the purest forms of indigenous music were captured. Lewiston was always in search of local intellects to incorporate into his staff:
“They make really helpful intermediaries with the local musicians, who are usually farmers or laborers…I like to work with somebody knowledgeable within the culture. In remote villages I always seek out local educated people, administrators, school teachers, doctors, and other professionals, and enlist their help.”
(Settino 36)

A level of economic value was also brought to the community when Lewiston recorded in these various settings. He claims that the payment for musician’s fees is chosen based on what is appropriate in a specific culture, “The compensation needs to be meaningful.” He also points out the fact that some of these cultures are poverty stricken, and that entering them with fancy recording equipment and simple amenities, like clothes and shoes, warrants the need to pay the local musicians for their services (Settino 36). I believe that making an effort to compensate the local musicians for their services, in fact, validated the musicians, and encouraged them to continue playing their traditional music.
In the process of recording various musicians from around the world, there became a need to address an ethical dimension of the recording process. Lewiston claims, “At the urging of a respected entertainment lawyer, I decided to copyright all of my recordings. That way there will still be some publishing income to send back to the musicians.” Lewiston also initiated contractual agreements for musical service with people in the various cultures that he recorded. In reference to these contracts, Lewiston states that:
“[I] Write a one paragraph release, which covers the essentials. In some situations, the payment for the performance may not be a complete buyout, so there’s space on the release form to write in how much more will come to the musicians if the recording is used.”
(Settino 36)
Displaying his service to, and respect for the musicians, Lewiston asserts, “Basically, I feel I’m there to serve the musicians and to give them the best recording of their material.” A final ethical issue encountered by Lewiston in the recording field is the question of who owns a particular compositions copyright. It is relevant to note that Lewiston assumes the material to be public domain if the music is in a completely traditional form (Settino 36).

David Lewiston, over the course of forty years has released records with companies including Nonesuch Records, BBC Sound Archives, Bridge Records, Ellipses Arts, and Shanachie Records for a documented total of 46 major releases (“Discography”). According to World Music Central, Lewiston has produced an archive of music recordings in the range of 320 hours. Additionally, Lewiston has also simultaneously produced photographs and documentation of the people and cultures he records, a valuable companion to the music produced there (“World”). According to Simmons, “He not only captured the music that inspired an entire new genre, he also brought it to the masses” (Simmons).

When interviewed about his involvement in the Explorer Series, and his role as a pioneer in the creation of a new genre, David Lewiston comments, “We were just doing what we did. It was our thing” (Roden). He also prefers the title of “musical tourist” to that of ethnomusicologist. On the topic of ethnomusicology, Lewiston claims, “I think of an ethnomusicologist as someone who takes wonderful music and analyzes it until all the joy has been lost (Roden).

Lewiston’s work and development as a “musical tourist” has had its affects on the American pop and rock music industries as well. World Music Central declares that Lewiston’s ethnic recordings have inspired artists like the Grateful Dead and Jeff Buckley (“World”). Additionally, an interview with David Byrne, founding member of the Talking Heads, regarding the Explorer Series yields further proof of Lewiston’s influence on Western pop music:

“It was the first time I heard music that was texturally and also structurally organized in completely different ways than what I was used to…The Balinese record, I think in particular, Music from the Morning of the World, had the Monkey Chant on it. It rocked. And I think I may have used some of the melodies later on in some of my own work.”
(Byrne).

Byrne goes on to say that the various Nonesuch Explorer series records that he sampled were very eye opening to him. The new sounds and structures presented in these recordings had shattered his previous perceptions of correct form in the musical realm (Byrne).

In analyzing the above information, I conclude that Lewiston’s relentless, passionate recording of traditional ethnic music in combination with the support of major U.S. record labels, has indirectly impacted the development of Western, American music. I find this to be extremely interesting, and wholly ironic, as it has been examined previously that Western influence has directly impacted the development of world music. Theoretically, there has been a cyclical result created by this, and consequently, the World’s music that is being made today is more globally integrated than ever before in history.

Ethnic music is not always easy to digest. The various recordings that I have found of Lewiston’s have exposed me to music from all over the world. In the process of seeking out and listening to various examples, I find that am definitely partial to some geographical areas over others.

The Indonesian recordings are harsh and dramatic with heavy, driving percussion. Instruments like the mouth harp, flute, gongs, cymbals, and bells are used with a variety of drums. The musical style is hard for me to comprehend and stimulates anxiety and disconnectedness in thought. I believe that the music is mostly improvised, with the concept of virtuosity on an instrument appearing irrelevant. This music isn’t about skill level, or even performance quality, but instead appears to be ritualistic, oriented to the present, and for the purpose of serving those in attendance. It offers a glimpse back into a chaotic period of time, and at the same moment, is astonishing to listen to because of its complete polarization with what is typically listened to in American culture.

Lewiston’s Tibetan recordings are vocally oriented with instruments such as bells and gongs. Men chant phrases in unison over and over again. This music is most likely intended to put the listener or participator into a meditative state. Every few minutes the whole chant breaks into loud crashes and noise, where from the chaos emerges new chants and vocal pulses. I find these recordings to be more relaxing than the Indonesian ones. They have a mystical quality to them, but at the same time are very eerie and dark sounding. Lewiston apparently found great satisfaction in recording the Tibetan Buddhist’s because he is noted to have spent many years devoted to conserving theirs ceremonial rites and procedures (“World”).

There are many other areas of the World represented in Lewiston’s discography, including places like Pakistan, the Himalayas, Bangladesh, China and Japan (“Discography”). However, none of these records are as appealing to me as the recordings from Peru. The Peruvian music is more aesthetically pleasing to my ear with instruments like flutes, harp, guitars, and light percussion being represented. There is more of a focus on melody and musical quality, and in general is easier for my mind to grasp. Some of the Peruvian music appears to be improvised, but most of this music has an element of organized composition.

David Lewiston has traveled the World over in search of ethnic music, and in the process has exposed many people’s ears and minds to the diverse sounds of foreign cultures. His work in the field has captured pure indigenous folk music at its source in areas previously untouched by other global recording engineers. These achievements are important to the development of the mass media because society in general can now experience benefits from Lewiston’s recordings. In other words, a greater understanding of music, outside of Western influence, is now able to exist. Lewiston utilized the mass media as a channel for spreading the music he discovered, but more importantly he contributed largely to the establishment of the ethnic music genre in today’s musical classification system. In my opinion, it is because of the commercial method by which Lewiston brought ethnic music to the mass audience, in combination with recording in locations untouched by previous researchers, that he is held to be a major innovator in the field today.

Document researched and written by Alex Bard, 2007.
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