Vancouver gamelan collective's second CD of new music is a richly diverse mix of instrumental/vocal pieces.

This Vancouver collective's second CD of new music for Javanese gamelan (following New Nectar; Songlines) is a richly diverse mix of instrumental/vocal pieces merging gamelan styles with contemporary classical and folk/world approaches. The music covers a wide range of sounds and moods: tender, mysterious, humorous, rousing, jazzy. Sophisticated and often adventurous in its rhythmic and melodic aspects, it's still quite accessible (three songs have English lyrics). Composer-performers include Ben Rogalsky (The Breakmen), Kenneth Newby (Trance Mission, Lights in a Fat City), Michael O'Neill (Ontophony; Songlines), Mark Parlett, Andrew Czink and Sutrisno Hartana; vocalists include Jessika Kenney (Gamelan Pacifica, Eyvind Kang, Sunn O) and Joanna Chapman-Smith.

All the pieces combine elements of the Javanese tradition with wide-ranging influences and inspirations, from morphing minimalism (Andrew Czink's 'Stream') to the English tradition of bell pealing (Kenneth Newby's 'Symmetries') to the fusing of polyrhythmic frameworks, Javanese lyricism and structured improvisation (Mark Parlett's 'Inquietude'). Ben Rogalsky's wry, touching shadow-play song 'From Heaven to Earth' was inspired by the old-fashioned Indonesian folk style kroncong, which developed from 16th century Portuguese music; it combines gamelan with mandolin, cello and string bass. Michael O'Neill's 'Bonessongs' and Parlett's 'Inquietude' likewise mix different gamelan scales to approximate western tuning.

Sutrisno Hartana's two pieces are the most Javanese in mood. A master musician who has divided his time between Indonesia and Canada, he subtly extends traditional styles with western innovations. British composer Alec Roth's Shakespeare song 'Full Fathom Five' (1983) is heard in a haunted arrangement for a dual-voiced (female-male) Ariel. The whole record is a creative exploration of musical multiculturalism that honors its roots, inviting listeners into a sonorous landscape of truly original beauty.

Track Listing

• Ganjil
• Stream
• Bonessongs
• Leaky Heaven
• From Heaven to Earth
• Symmetries
• Nang Ning Nong
• Full Fathom Five
• Inquietude

Additional Details

Label: Songlines

Genre: World

Run Time: 77 mins

Release Date: 06/08/10

UPC: 774355240625