Gamelan Group Kiai Kanjeng / 'Imagine' (Lennon) and more!

Javanese Gamelan Group 'Kiai Kanjeng' plays 'Imagine' (Lennon) and more!
Performance at Radio Netherlands in Hilversum, 15 October 2008. Shot by me with a miniscule handheld Sony Cybershot Camera, that doesn't even offer a zooming option :)

The leader of the Group, Emha Ainun Najib, is a well known figure in Indonesia. He's a poet, musician, essayist, artist who preaches tolerance and mutual respect and understanding between people of different cultural and religious backgrounds. With his peaceful message he's touring in the Netherlands for ten days with his group Kiai Kanjeng. The group is invited to Holland by the Dutch Protestant Church Organization PKN. The music played by Kiai Kanjeng bears elements of traditional Javanese and Balinese gamelan in its playing techniques (for instance the interlocking melodic and/or rhythmic parts attributed to different players, some of the rhythms being played,the way melodies are sometimes embellished and of course the muting of subsequent notes after being struck by the hammers of the players), but in fact this music manifests a modified and modernized gamelan sound in evry way: gamelan structures seem to blend easily with Arabian-like melodies and rhythms, with krontjong, dangdut and with western pop and jazz elements. There's a peculiar and often funny switching between traditional singing and pop style singing. The Kiai Kanjeng Gamelan Group uses the western diatonic scale, so we're far removed here from the traditional pentatonic pelog- and/or slendro-tuning. Added to the gamelan are the violin and pop instruments like bass, electric guitar, drums and keyboards. Is this new? No, not really. Experimenting with gamelan sounds happens a lot in Indonesia and seems to co-exist in good balance and harmony with ensembles who stick to tradition. Experimenting with gamelan can show great results, and Kiai Kanjeng sets a very fine example of how a gamelan orchestra can be used in many different musical ways.

Happy Listening!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Indonesia
• Java
• gamelan
• Yogyakarta
• Kiai
• Kanjeng
• Emha
• Ainun
• Najib
• Radio
• Netherlands
• Pieter
• de
• Rooij
• World
• Music
• John
• Lennon
• Imagine

[TheFairuzzabadi]

what is the second song name?

[kkfahd]

@Agnes141938

it's the name of the group lead by Emha Ainun Najib. it collaborate traditional music i.e javanese gamelan, balinese gamelan, and also modern instrument i.e keyboard, electric guitar etc.

[tupahat]

Obviously, any type of musical instrument whatsoever played by the master would come to a wonderful enjoyable music.... Thumbs up from me!

[TheBambang1988]

good permform from Kiai kanjeng and Cak Nun

[kyldo]

@Agnes141938 It's the name of this band, the band play ethnical instrument. The frontman of the band is the lead singer, Cak Nun.

[vincentz666]

@Agnes141938 yes he is

[Agnes141938]

Who is Kiai Kanjeng? Is he a person? I hope gamelan never dies.

[mariaperiwinkle]

this is so cool