University of Alberta The Free Improvised Music Scene in Beirut: Negotiating Identities and Stimulating Social Transformation in an Era of Political Conflict by Rana El Kadi A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Music © Rana El Kadi Spring 2010 Edmonton, Alberta Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. Where the thesis is converted to, or otherwise made available in digital form, the University of Alberta will advise potential users of the thesis of these terms. The author reserves all other publication and other rights in association with the copyright in the thesis and, except as herein before provided, neither the thesis nor any substantial portion thereof may be printed or otherwise reproduced in any material form whatsoever without the author's prior written permission. Examining Committee Dr. Michael Frishkopf, Music Dr. Federico Spinetti, Music Dr. Regula Qureshi, Music Dr. Mojtaba Mahdavi, Political Science Abstract Although free improvised music (FIM) originated in Europe and the United States in the 1960s, it has come to possess meanings and roles unique to its individual contexts of production in today‘s transnational scene. By focusing on the Lebanese free improvised music scene which emerged in Beirut in 2000, my study aims to address the gap in scholarship on Lebanese expressive culture, particularly music, as a tool to negotiate identity. My thesis addresses the way FIM in Lebanon allows four musicians of the ―war generation‖ (Mazen Kerbaj, Sharif Sehnaoui, Bechir Saade, and Raed Yassin) to express their individual identities as well as their complex relationship with conflict. I propose that, in a society still coming to terms with the atrocities of civil war and constant political instability, the practice of FIM may have a role in reflecting conflict, facilitating inter-cultural dialogue, as well as breaking aesthetic, socio-economic, and sectarian barriers. Acknowledgement I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the remarkable scholars who have guided this project: my inspirational mentor and advisor Dr. Michael Frishkopf and my supportive committee members – Dr. Federico Spinetti, Dr. Regula Qureshi, and Dr. Mojtaba Mahdavi. This project could not have come to fruition without their invaluable advice, guidance and encouragement. I would also like to acknowledge the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for its generous funding and the Department of Music for its continual support of this project. Of course, all of this would not have been possible without the participation of four inspiring musicians and social critics whose dedication and hard work is the reason behind the survival of free improvised music in Lebanon. Many thanks to Mazen Kerbaj, Sharif Sehnaoui, Raed Yassin, and Bechir Saade. Furthermore, I would like to acknowledge Thomas Burkhalter‘s scholarship on Beirut‘s alternative music scene which has guided many of my own inquiries within the free improvised music scene. I am also grateful to my friend and emerging scholar Laryssa Whittaker for her insightful feedback and encouragement. Finally, I am forever in debt to my family; my parents Ziad and Rima El Kadi for their unwavering support, my sister Dalia for her constant encouragement, and my wonderful husband Bilal El Houri for his boundless love, patience and understanding. Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 The aim of my study ......................................................................................... 1 Defining free improvised music (FIM) ............................................................. 2 Situating my study ............................................................................................ 4 Personal interest in this project ......................................................................... 5 Research questions ............................................................................................ 6 Definition of terms ............................................................................................ 7 Methodology ..................................................................................................... 8 Scope ................................................................................................................. 9 Opportunities and constraints ........................................................................... 9 Chapter overviews .......................................................................................... 11 Chapter 1: Background ......................................................................................... 13 Early missionaries and foreign intervention ................................................... 13 Lebanon‘s political developments in the 20th century .................................... 15 Multiple histories, contested national identity, and individualism ................. 16 Chapter 2: Characteristics of the Lebanese free improvised music scene (FIMS) 19 Musicians of the ―war generation‖.................................................................. 20 The Lebanese civil war (1975-1991) ........................................................ 21 Ongoing political conflicts ........................................................................ 22 MILL‘s activities ............................................................................................ 23 The FIMS‘s economic structure ...................................................................... 27 Funding ..................................................................................................... 27 Self-production ......................................................................................... 28 Self-promotion .......................................................................................... 31 Chapter 3: Negotiating identity through personal FIM techniques....................... 35 FIM as a tool to negotiate identity .................................................................. 35 Identities and improvisational techniques of four musicians .......................... 39 Mazen Kerbaj ............................................................................................ 40 Musical biography .............................................................................. 40 Improvisational techniques ................................................................. 42 The impact of civil war ....................................................................... 44 Sharif Sehnaoui ......................................................................................... 46 Musical biography .............................................................................. 46 Improvisational techniques ................................................................. 47 Bechir Saade ............................................................................................. 49 Musical biography .............................................................................. 49 Improvisational techniques ................................................................. 50 Raed Yassin .............................................................................................. 51 Musical biography .............................................................................. 51 Improvisational techniques ................................................................. 52 Raed‘s Arab pop culture project ......................................................... 53 Raed‘s civil war radio archiving project ............................................. 54 Chapter 4: FIM as a worldview: Putting values into practice ............................... 57 Personal principles behind the practice of FIM .............................................. 57 Mazen Kerbaj ............................................................................................ 57 Sharif Sehnaoui ......................................................................................... 60 Bechir Saade ............................................................................................. 61 Raed Yassin .............................................................................................. 64 Social dynamics within collective improvisation ........................................... 64 Before the performance ............................................................................. 65 During the performance ............................................................................ 66 The musician‘s mental process ........................................................... 66 Musical interaction among musicians ................................................. 67 Egalitarianism and humility ................................................................ 68 The importance of ―listening‖ ............................................................. 71 Difficulties in large-group improvisation ........................................... 72 After the performance ............................................................................... 75 Chapter 5: FIM and the politics of representation: ―Starry Night‖ ......................