15December2007
Posted by admin under: Festival; Gigs; Releases.
Kalau saja Pra Budidharma tidak jatuh cinta pada musik tradisional yang diakrabinya sejak kecil di Bandung, mungkin penonton di berbagai kota dunia tidak terkesima dengan penampilan Krakatau, seperti halnya penonton di Toronto Jazz Festival di Kanada, yang bahkSejak 1992, Krakatau memang mulai menanggalkan gaya bermusiknya, fusion-jazz, yang dimainkan mereka sejak tahun 1985, dimana musisi muda terkenal di Indonesia, seperti Pra B Dharma, Dwiki Dharmawan, Indra Lesmana, Donny Suhendra, Gilang Ramadan, Budhi Haryono dan Trie Utami, pernah bergabung. Pra mengajak Dwiki untuk mulai mengeksplorasi musik etnik Sunda. Mereka mendapat dukungan dan keterlibatan penuh dari Kang Yoyon Darsono (pemain rebab Sunda, terompet tradisional Sunda dan suling bamboo, dan juga bernyanyi) dan Kang Ade Rudiana (pemain perkusi tradisional, seperti gendang Sunda). Keduanya adalah dosen musik Karawitan di STSI, Bandung. Pada tahun 1993, Krakatau menelorkan album “Mystical Mist”, dimana Trie Utami terlibat sebagai vokalis dan Budhi Haryono menabuh drum. Mulai dari saat itu, banyak penyelenggara festival musik dunia mengalirkan undangan buat Krakatau. Keunikan dari grup ini, bukan sekedar bisa menggabungkan musik diatonik dengan pentatonik amat apik, tapi bass yang dipergunakan Pra sudah di-set sedemikian rupa sehingga nada dasarnya seperti halnya nada dasar slendro pada gamelan. Demikian pula dengan keyboard yang dipakai Dwiki, teknologi microtuning membuat nada-nada yang dihasilkan tidak sebagaimana nada dasar musik Barat, tapi menjadi nada dasar musik tradisional gamelan. Menurut pengamat musik Frans Sartono, Krakatau adalah grup yang cerdik berkomunikasi lewat musik, mereka menggunakan jazz sebagai semacam musica franca, “bahasa” pergaulan bagi telinga dari berbagai latar kultural. Di sisi lain, bersamaan dengan itu mereka membawa rasa Indonesia dengan eksplorasi pada musik-musik tradisional Indonesia. Krakatau berpijak pada jazz tapi membuka diri untuk masuknya rasa tradisi, sehingga musik Krakatau memberi keunikan tersendiri bagi penikmat musik di luar Indonesia yang belum terbiasa dengan musik tradisional di Indonesia.
Setelah sempat tujuh tahun vakum dari dunia rekaman, pada tahun 2000, Krakatau kembali merilis album “Magical Match”. Pada album ini, Krakatau memperkuat barisannya dengan kehadiran Kang Zainal Arifin, Kang Oseng dan Kang Effix Zulfikar. Seusai penggarapan album ini, Krakatau kembali memenuhi undangan pertunjukkan, diantaranya event bergengsi, seperti Montreux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Toronto Downtown Jazz, Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Lincoln Center Summer Festival, Esplanade, Sziget Festival, Midem dan lain-lain.
Pada perjalanan Krakatau North American Tour (2004), Ubiet (Nyak Ina Raseuki) mulai bergabung dengan Krakatau, menggantikan Trie Utami pada vokal. Bergabungnya Ubiet yang juga merupakan peneliti sekaligus sarjana ethnomusicology, menambah kaya warna musik yang disajikan Krakatau. Karena Ubiet menguasai olah vokal dengan bunyi-bunyian tradisional, seperti yang ia teliti selama ini.
Pada tahun 2006, dua album, “2 Worlds” dan ‘Rhythm of Reformation”, sekaligus diluncurkan Krakatau. Kali ini formasi Krakatau menjadi Dwiki Dharmawan, Pra Budidharma, Ubiet, Gerry Herb, Zainal Arifin, Ade Rudiana dan Yoyon Darsono. Di bawah label independen Musikita Records, album “2 Worlds” direkam di Jakarta, Chicago dan Toronto, karena melibatkan pula musisi dari Amerika Serikat dan Kanada, antara lain Howard Levy, Carlo Actis Dato, Ron Davis, Reg Schwaggerdan lain-lain. Bagi Krakatau, kolaborasi dengan musisi dan kelompok dari negara setempat baik pada pagelaran maupun rekaman menjadi bahasa yang ampuh bagi diplomasi budaya Indonesia serta untuk meningkatkan kerjasama kebudayaan antar bangsa. Sementara itu, salah satu pendiri grup Krakatau, Dwiki Dharmawan mempunyai pengalaman luas bermain bersama baik dalam konser maupun rekaman dengan banyak musisi jazz internasional diantaranya Mike Stern, Jimmy Haslip, Russel Ferrante, Sadao Watanabe, Frank Gambale dan lain-lain.
Baru-baru ini, dalam rangka meningkatkan kerjasama budaya tersebut, Krakatau berhasil memukau publik Beijing pada ‘The Rhythm of Indonesia’ yang diadakan pada tanggal 7 November 2007. Pada kesempatan tersebut, Krakatau berkolaborasi dengan Central Conservatory World Music Ensemble, Beijing dan Asian Harmony Orchestra, Beijing. Ditambah lagi Krakatau turut melibatkan pesinden Jawa asal Solo, Peni Candrarini, yang selama ini kerap tampil bersama Rahayu Supanggah dan Wayan Sadra. Penari Didik Nini Thowok pun menari bersama Krakatau pada nomor ‘Impen-impenan’ dan ‘Genjring Party’.
Pada penghujung tahun 2007 ini, Ubiet, yang baru saja menyelesaikan album terbarunya “Kroncong Tenggara”, berencana kembali ke Madison, Amerika Serikat demi menyelesaikan program doktoral ethnomusicology-nya di University of Wisconsin atas bimbingan Profesor Anderson Sutton. Sedangkan Dwiki mulai sering diundang menjadi visiting lecture di Musician Institute, Hollywood yang membuatya semakin sering bolak-balik ke Amerika Serikat.
Tahun 2008 yang akan datang, Krakatau berencana untuk mengadakan pagelaran di Forbidden City, China dan berkolaborasi dengan National Symphony Orchestra serta Central Conservatory World Music Orchestra. Setelah itu, grup kebanggaan Indonesia tersebut akan pula melakukan pagelaran di Mexico City dalam rangka memperingati 55 tahun hubungan diplomatik Meksiko dan Indonesia, serta turut ambil bagian dalam sebuah pagelaran di Wina, Austria bertajuk Expo Indonesia.
Sebagai anak bangsa, setiap anggota Krakatau merasa bersyukur dan bangga memiliki kesempatan membawa kekayaan seni musik dari budaya nusantara ke hadapan publik dunia yang memiliki latar belakang kebudayaan yang berbeda-beda. Seluruh anggota Krakatau berterima kasih atas dukungan dan doa dari keluarga, rekan-rekan seniman, teman-teman dari media massa, dan saudara sebangsa indonesia. Semoga seni budaya Indonesia makin berkembang dan pelaku seni tradisional Indonesia di setiap daerah tidak henti mencintai dan berkarya. Terima kasih Indonesia.
17November2007
Posted by admin under: Festival.
CLIPPING from : KOMPAS DAILY
Sunday, November 11, 2007
“Ilir-ilir” Concert in Beijing
by : Frans Sartono
Ilir-ilir, that sung Javanese poetry, appeared with a touch of Sundanese and jazz in the country of China. It was one of Krakatau’s contribution in the concert “The Rhythms of Indonesia” at Beijing Concert Hall, Beijing, China, on Wednesday (7/11) night.
Beijing Concert Hall, which is located about a kilometer from the historical Tiananmen field, became the cultural intercourse event. There Krakatau and Chinese musicians collaborated in playing Indonesian traditional pieces. Dwiki Dharmawan, Pra Budidharma, and friends performed together with strings from Asia Harmony Orchestra, and World Music Ensemble, a Chinese traditional music instrument ensemble with fourteen members who are students at Chinese Music Conservatory.
From that collaboration, thus flowed Bengawan Solo composed by Gesang, sung by Ita Purnamasari and Yong-Yong in Bahasa Indonesia and Mandarin. Following that, Ilir-ilir from Java, Janger Bali, Ayo Mama from Maluku, even Yamko Rambe from Papua. Those songs Lagu-lagu itu disuguhkan di depan sekitar seribu penonton dari berbagai bangsa.
Krakatau was very clever in communicating through music. They used jazz as some sort of musica franca, the “language” of intercourse for ears from various cultural background. In this jazz part, there were Dwiki Dharmawan on piano, bass from Pra Budidharma, and drum from Gerry Herb. At the same time, they brought the Indonesian flavor through a set of traditional instruments. There were Sundanese drum played by Ade Rudiatna, rebab and tarompet by Yoyon Darsono, also kecapi (West Javanese plucked zither), multi-sync bonang, and taganing Bataknese percussion from Zainal Arifin.
At Beijing, Ilir-ilir started with an intro of solo piano improvisation from Dwiki who used acoustic grand piano. The sung poetry melody was then developed in piano improvisation. This was some sort of appetizer, the introduction course to be able to go into the next composition. From the flavor of jazz, Ilir-ilir continued to kecapi and recorder that created the atmosphere of Pasundan land. Only after that did singer Peni Chandra Rini showed up with a very beautiful Javanese accent singing bowo (a kind of song intro): “lir-ilir, lir-ilir tandure wis semilir, tak ijo royo-royo….” At the moment, the atmosphere has gone very Indonesian, with the combination of Javanese and Sundanese that are similarly comfortable, calm, and harmonic.
Ilir-ilir in the next composition part received a touch of China through traditional instruments, such as dizi recorder, Yangqin string instrument, Erhu rebab, and an instrument similar to guitar called Pipa. This traditional version of ensemble was combined with the string section playing a melody which was more or less the same so that it gave the impression of merely playing music together. The communal situation ended when Ilir-ilir was then pulled to the flavor of swing jazz. This method was very communicative. At least it’s shown from the audience in the balcony seen tapping their feet along with the tempo.
Krakatau’s music’s ability to communicate was strengthen by the performance by dancer Didik Nini Thowok in Genjring Party and Impen-impenan. Genjring or a kind of tambourine became the backbone of Genjring Party composition that bring out the percussion element. Didik performed his old creation, which is the Dwimuka dance that’s very popular because it’s frequently performed by Didik in various opportunities, including weddings. He wore two masks on the face and the back of the head. When he’s not facing the audience, Didik’s body and motion gave the impression as if he’s actually facing the audience.
The very percussion-y composition spoiled Didik with impulsive free motion that gave comedic effect. The audience was laughing, enjoying the combination of Kratau music and Didik’s dance that are both spontaneous and full of improvisation.
Fusion
With its jazz ”plus” format all this time, Krakatau fluently accomodated various ethnic elements in their music contribution. As was mentioned by music lecturer and observer, Franki Raden, in a jazz workshop in Jakarta at the end of October, Krakatau’s music gave a certain distinction outside Indonesia that’s not used to Indonesian traditional music. Krakatau stood by jazz, but opened itself for traditional flavors.
Krakatau was born from young musicians from early 80s who are very high spirited in playing fusion. At first, said Pra, they started with American “fusion-ish”. Pra (52), who grew in Bandung, then initiated fusioning jazz with Sundanese music element. “Sunda was what’s close to me since I was small,” said Pra who lives at Cipaganti, Bandung.
The idea was not fulfilled yet because comercially the Indonesian music industry at that moment did not have any room for experimental music. Krakatau that then formed with Pra, Dwiki, Indra, Gilang Ramadhan, and Donny Suhendra plus vocals Trie Utami turned to be popular for its four pop albums.
Krakatau stopped once. Pra experimented by making a creative Sundanese pop album with Trie Utami and Sundanese karawitan artist, Yoyon Darsono. This project became the so-called seed of Krakatau. Later, Pra and Dwiki fulfilled the prior idea, which is to play fusion, a fusion between jazz and Sundanese music. Accidentally, Dwiki Dharmawan owned a strong auditive memory of Sundanese karawitan. Dwiki’s house is only a concrete wall away from Kampus Akademi Seni Karawitan Indonesia (ASKI – Indonesian Karawitan Art Academy) Bandung that now becomes STSI and almost every day, he heard the students practice.
To fulfill the idea, they invite two Sundanese karawitan artists, Yoyon Darsono and Ade Rudiatna. Both are lecturers at STSI Bandung. This time Krakatau is strengthened by a drum player, Budi Haryono. They explore in entering the Sundanese element into jazz. “For three years, we synchronized the pattern of kendang and drum beats,” said Ade Rudiatna.
Their exploration started to be presented in front of public in 1993. The jazz lovers gave an exciting response to Krakatau’s creation. A year after that, “Mystical Mist” album was born. Krakatau kept on exploring the rhythm, sounds, and ethnic nuance potention through “Magical Match” (2000), “2 Worlds” (2005), to “Rhytms of Reformation” (2005).
Jazz still became the creative attitude of Krakatau’s artists. They don’t deny change with exploration. Jazz is also still their composition platform. Jazz became the foundation to give place to ethnic elements that are given such vast space in Krakatau to explore.
“Organizationally, I played kendang. We play with traditional approach, but that tradition has been modified. When we play swing, then kendang became a normal percussion. I gave meaning through kendang. I realize I’m not in the area of tradition. I became one in the totality of playing kendang. So, on one hand we’re invited, but not as additions,” said Ade Rudiatna.
“The identity of Sunda does not disappear. I treat rebab as a Sundanese rebab. Not like the style of a person playing violin, for example,” said Yoyon Darsono.
This identity and creative room clarity for each individual is what makes Krakatau able to explore the various sounds and rhythms. They could put the flavors of Indonesia and even China comfortably, just like what they contributed at Beijing.
The event supported by the Indonesian Cultural and Tourism Ministry and Indonesian Embassy in China became a kind of window for the Indonesian culture. Chinese musicians were invited to play Indonesian music and presented it to the audience coming from various countries.
“We hope that people will know Indonesia and want to come there. After that, for a friendship to happen between China and Indonesia through music,” said the Indonesian Vice Ambassador, Mohammad Umar.
