Gamelan Performance at San Francisco Asian Art Museum, June 5th, 2011

Gamelan Jegog with Gamelan Sekar Jaya

We caught the ending notes of a terrific "Gamelan" performance by one of two professional Gamelan ensembles outside Indonesia. (the other one is in Japan) The speed, rhythm and complexity of the performance impressed us - especially because most of us were hearing the Gamelan being played for the first time. This video was shot using a Samsung Infuse 4G. Pardon the sound quality - this is but a smartphone... ;)

(Information below courtesy of Asian Art Museum - www.asianart.org)

Internationally acclaimed Bay Area ensemble Gamelan Sekar Jaya presents a performance with jegogs, dramatic bamboo marimbas with tubes up to eight feet long. Noted for its rhythmic energy, unusual four-tone scale and powerful sound, the jegog originated in western Bali. Gamelan Sekar Jaya's jegog ensemble is the only one of its kind in the Western hemisphere. Director I Dewa Putu Berata is a renowned composer and the director of Bali's famed Çudamani ensemble. Gamelan Sekar Jaya is the only non-Balinese group to receive the Dharma Kusuma, Bali's highest award for artistic achievement. In its music it explores a wide range of forms, from traditional Balinese pieces to cutting-edge compositions, and hosts long-term residencies by Bali's finest musicians and dancers.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Gamelan
• Gamelan Sekar Jaya
• Bali
• Music
• Samsung Infuse 4G

[jegogdotorg]

Thanks for posting this (I'm one of the performers). A small correction to your description. We are not "one of two professional Gamelan ensembles outside Indonesia." We are one of the few (3?) JEGOG ensembles outside of Bali. GSJ is a non-profit organization based in Berkeley. For more info, go to gsj.org