Music from the Morning of the World

Various Artists

album cover

Surprisingly Melodic Percussion

This recording of tuned percussion, an early classic of world music, was the work of a curious amateur. In 1966, David Lewiston quit his job as a financial journalist in New York and went to Bali to see what he could hear. He carried a portable tape recorder, one of the very first stereo models. Relying entirely on locals he met, he found his way to accomplished traditional musicians. He'd record these inventive gamelan (gong) orchestras, then take notes on the pieces—though not an ethnomusicologist, Lewiston jotted down the meanings and significances of each piece, documenting the rituals behind the music. His notes are an education in themselves.

In a New York Times profile, Lewiston explained that he was driven entirely by what he called "the pleasure principle." He sought traditional music that intrigued him, and made sure that the musicians involved were comfortable. "If it's enjoyable, it'll be reflected in the music making. These aren't session musicians. These guys are farmers, and when they get together for music, it's basically to have a good time."

Music from the Morning of the World captures that—in surprisingly accurate (for 1966) audio. The clang and ring of the gamelan is powerful as an individual sound, but when a group of percussionists gather, the massed result can be overwhelming—rhythms that chatter and overlap in hypnotic ways, with little two-and threenote pitched phrases dancing on top. Lewiston definitely caught musicians in a comfort zone: In the excerpt of the "Barong Dance," the group slows and stops and switches meter as though guided by a paranormal force, each attack perfectly coor-dinated. Similar unity informs the music on the disc that's most familiar to tourists, the "Ketjak (Monkey) Dance": This is percussion as theater, and choreography, and a path to illumination. All at once.

Genre: World, Indonesia
Released: 1967, Nonesuch Explorer
Key Tracks: "Gamelan Gong: Barong Dance," "Ketjak Dance."
Collector's Note: The entire Explorer series was reissued in 2003; among its other treasures are Bali: Gamelan of the Love God.
Next Stop: Konono No. 1: Congotronics
After That: Henry Kaiser and David Lindley: A World Out of Time
Book Pages: 815–816