Living Art, Sounding Spirit: The Bali Sessions

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A longtime rock drummer playing at the fringe of his genre's rhythms, former Grateful Dead percussionist Mickey Hart submerges himself in Balinese gamelan music with this three-CD package. Hart's recordings, gathered over three days in early 1998, are distinguished by remarkable excellence, both in the execution of the performances and in the sound quality. With each ensemble holding a slightly different sound as its own, the music ranges from all-percussion to percussion with bamboo flutes and/or two-string fiddles that sound like the Chinese erhu. But there's also a 54-minute choral work that's both built on gamelan and usually performed for tourists. Here the piece, "Kepandung Sita," is a maze of chants and interlocked antiphony, all of it sung in a percussive, mesmerizing display of electric, crescendo-like rises that make the blood run thin. Not to be misconstrued as a neotraditionalist, Hart also includes three newly composed works on the third CD. Each seems entirely traditional and yet pulsing with colors that you hear nowhere else on the set, marking the new works as a sort of footpath into the gamelan's future in Balinese art music. Hart's snapshot of the Balinese gamelan stands on its own for a wide range of listeners. It does so gracefully and with great success. --Andrew Bartlett

Tracks:

Seketi
Rejang Dauh Tukad
Ijang
Nyangjangan
Palawakia
Genggong Solo
Gelagah Puhun
Angklung Sekar Jati
Semara Guna
Jayan Tangis

Tracks:

Sarwa Manis
Gegilak-Gilak Suwud
Kepandung Sita

Tracks:

Shanti Mantra
Damai
Wibhuti

Amazon.com

A longtime rock drummer playing at the fringe of his genre's rhythms, former Grateful Dead percussionist Mickey Hart submerges himself in Balinese gamelan music with this three-CD package. Hart's recordings, gathered over three days in early 1998, are distinguished by remarkable excellence, both in the execution of the performances and in the sound quality. With each ensemble holding a slightly different sound as its own, the music ranges from all-percussion to percussion with bamboo flutes and/or two-string fiddles that sound like the Chinese erhu. But there's also a 54-minute choral work that's both built on gamelan and usually performed for tourists. Here the piece, "Kepandung Sita," is a maze of chants and interlocked antiphony, all of it sung in a percussive, mesmerizing display of electric, crescendo-like rises that make the blood run thin. Not to be misconstrued as a neotraditionalist, Hart also includes three newly composed works on the third CD. Each seems entirely traditional and yet pulsing with colors that you hear nowhere else on the set, marking the new works as a sort of footpath into the gamelan's future in Balinese art music. Hart's snapshot of the Balinese gamelan stands on its own for a wide range of listeners. It does so gracefully and with great success. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

Electrifying and well worth it's value!!! Excellent music !!.......2001-04-21

This cd recorded by Mickey Hart is from my opinion to be the best so far on Balinese gamelan music. The cd contains are wide range of music styles from the very rare gamelan selonding right through to the more popular vocals of the kecak (monkey chant). The recordings are crystal clear and the cd cover, the contents are excellent. Such creativity goes with very well recorded music.

Mickey Hart has done an excellent job with this cd. The first disc contained very rare as well as sacred music from the Bali Aga (the original Balinese inhabitants who refused to accept Hindu-Javanese influence). The music itself is very distinct especially when there are no other instrumentations like most Balinese and Javanese gamelans that tended to include drums and flutes. With gamelan selonding the orchestra just comprised of metallophones. The sound is incredible, light, shimmery, hazy and nostalgic to ones ear. The sounds reverberate an ancient music style giving that mysterious side of the Bali Aga since nothing is much known about their music therefore making it more exotic. Gong suling or the flute orchestra was very fast as well as soothing with great dynamics and tempo which similar to the kebyar style found the modern repertoires from gamelan gong kebyar. The sounds of the sulings are very haunting as well as airy. Gamelan genggong, the jew's harp I found was quite enjoyable. It was so different from all of the tracks because of the twang sounds given when played. It reminds me of frogs or cicadas having a conversation or communicating with one another of their species. Gamelan jegog with it's large bars made from bamboo gave loud thunderous roars sounding like heavy fat rain falling down to earth. Very earthy in texture and sound because of the woody keys when they are struck.

Disc 2- was more a folk more with gamelan joged sounding much similar to classical Thai court music and Cambodian music from the mohori orchestra. The kecak with their haunting chants as well as narrators giving the story line in kawi or kakawin (Old Javanese language). 54 minutes of this electrifying epic was enough to make me want to see the real performance itself.

Disc 3- was something unsual and totally unexpected. Here in this last cd there are modern creation of new styles of music based on the traditional Balinese gamelan orchestra. The first two tracks are very beautifully composed with vocals as well as a different technique and style never heard before. Giving a wonderful twist to the whole track itself. The third track was performed by the now rare gamelan gong gede. Since the 1900s the gamelan gong gede disappeared with Balinese kingship only to be replaced with gamelan gong kebyar. It's wonderful to hear the ancient gamelan gong gede play a new piece of music in a new style. Very heavy in style and in composition and I found it quiet relaxing to listen to them.

This cd is great and I recommend this cd to anyone. Well worth it's value. Three wonderfully recorded disc of Balinese gamelan music, from the sacred, folk and contemporary music. The cd also provided a 30 page booklet giving credit to the musicians and the sekaa (gamelan clubs) who help contribute to the performance as well as information about the orchestras. Very ingenious with the cd case itself. However the cds tended to fall out but it's un-comparable with the music itself. This one is on my cd list if I was given a second chance to buy another copy.

Extraordinary Compilation of Balinese Music.......2001-01-10

This CD is wonderful for both new fans of Balinese music and those who have enjoyed it for decades. The breadth of music contained in these 3 CDs is rare for recordings of Balinese music and the diversity of ensembles presented makes this a wonderful sampling of what the island has to offer musically. If I were picking one Gamelan CD to own, this would be it.

contemporary Balinese music.......2000-03-06

For those who are familiar with the different traditions of Balinese gamelan music, you will find this to be a more contemporary Balinese sound. There are many new compositional features in terms of combinations and interactions between instruments. There are also unusual twists in the piece's development, especially for the works on disc III. They have something new to say.

The kecak composition on disc II is the most ambitious from that genre that I have ever heard.

It makes a great companion to Music For The Gods: The Fahnestock South Sea Expedition, Indonesia, which M. Hart also was involved in.

Beautiful music packaged ephemerally.......1999-09-25

This collection of Balinese music moves roughly from pure tradition to modern "new music", and as such should be valuable for scholars and world music enthusiasts alike. Sound quality is warm and captures well the acoustic "beating" of the gamelan orchestras (as well as that of the kecak performers.) The only caveat with this set is its packaging: The designers had a nice idea, covering the packaging with appropriate motifs and arranging it in a fold-out format, but the discs fall out of their sleeves and the cardboard material is ultimately ephemeral, which is luckily not true of the music.

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