The annual meeting of the Northeast Chapter of the Society for Ethnomusicology was held at Smith House at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, on Saturday, April 8, 2006. The meeting featured three paper sessions, the business meeting, a Brazilian samba performance and workshop, and a reception.

Opening remarks were delivered by Steve Pixley, Vice-President, who also conveyed President Jerry Cadden’s regrets that he was unable to attend the meeting. Eric Galm (Trinity College), Local Arrangements Chair, then welcomed the attendees to Trinity, expressed thanks to Trinity Dean Peterson for funding assistance, and introduced the first panel of speakers. Tom Greenland (University of California, Santa Barbara) delivered the first paper of the day, entitled “Social Synergy and Mutual Musiking: Audience-Artist Interaction, Intermediation, and Improvisation in Jazz Performances.” Irna Priore (University of North Carolina, Greensboro) followed with “The 1960s in Brazilian Popular Music: The Paths of MPB,” and the session concluded with Wayne Marshall’s (University of Wisconsin, Madison; Harvard Extension School) paper, “Musically Expressed Ideas about Music: Techniques and Technologies for Performing Ethnomusicology in the Digital Age.”

The second panel also featured three papers, and was led off by B. Balasubrahmaniyan (Wesleyan University) who presented “The Impact of the Seventy-Two Melakarta-s in South Indian Music.” Next, Christopher J. Miller (Wesleyan University) delivered “Indonesian Musik Kontemporer and the Question of ‘Western Influence’,” and the final paper, “’Keepin’ It Real’ – Changgo on the New York Madang (A Case Study),” was presented by Hae Joo Kim (Wesleyan University).

The annual Business Meeting, chaired by Steve Pixley, was held following lunch. Among other business, the membership voted in favor of a $200.00 stipend to help the student representative meet expenses for the SEM meeting. The chapter website was also discussed, and Chris Miller (Wesleyan) offered to assume the duties of webmaster following Tim Griffin’s (MIT) long and loyal tenure. The membership also discussed the chapter newsletter and email list, as well as ideas for additional chapter events throughout the year. The Treasurer’s report indicated that the Chapter is financially solvent. Elections were held, and the following new officers were unanimously elected: Eric Galm (Trinity), President; Fran Wildeboor (Curry), Vice-President; Duncan Vinson ( Suffolk, Curry ), Treasurer; and Nick Hockin (Wesleyan), Student Representative. Lisa Lawson Burke (Framingham State) was re-elected as Secretary.

The final panel of the day featured three papers: “Cajón al Muerto: Musical Transculturation in Afro-Cuban Reverence for the Dead,” presented by Nolan Warden (Tufts), “Jaliciense, Abajeno, Michoacano, Huasteco, and Jarocho: Variations and Transformation of the Mexican Son in the Mariachi Ensemble,” by Marcela Garcia (University of Texas Pan American), and “New Traditions in the Djembe Ensemble of Bamako, Mali: Local Change on the Margins of Globalization,” by Nicholas Hockin (Wesleyan).

A Brazilian samba workshop and performance presented by Eric Galm and the Trinity Samba Ensemble was the final formal event of the day. Following an exciting demonstration by the Trinity ensemble, attendees took up instruments and, after some basic instruction, filled the hall with compelling rhythms that energized everyone. The day finished with a delicious reception and social hour.

Lisa Lawson Burke
NECSEM Secretary
April, 2006

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