The members of Simak Dialog: (clockwise from top left) Adhitya Pratama on bass, Dave Lumenta on soundscapes, Riza Arshad on the Rhodes, Tohpati Ario Hutomo on guitar, and the three percussionists, (left to right) Endang Ramdan, Cucu Kurnia and Erlan Suwardana. (JP/Novita Veronica)

It was the usual Friday night. Cars passed on the dark streets of Sam Ratulangi, their drivers having no idea of what was going on. The Goethe Institute stood quiet with the parking lot as empty as always. Nothing but the banner declaring "Europe on Screen" colored the fortress.

Yet the atmosphere inside was different. A crowd was gathering for as after a three-years hiatus, Simak Dialog had released a new album and was holding their first concert called "West meets Southeast" on Oct. 17; people had reason to be excited.

"If a Malaysian friend hadn't told me about this concert, I wouldn't have known anything," said Terry Collins, a fan of Simak Dialog who surprisingly had co-authored the book Culture Shock-Jakarta. Both of us agreed that better advertisement might have helped the band -- but especially the fans.

"I find it annoying how you can miss all the things the city has to offer, only reading about it in The Jakarta Post a week later," he said. I couldn't help but chortle at the irony.

Tohpati Ario Hutomo, the band's guitarist who was greeting his fans three tables behind us, had gone. After 10 minutes of crowding around the closed entrance to the Goethe Haus, we would be entering at 8:30.

And lo, do I see any decorations on the stage? Nothing for a back drop, no placard hanging from the ceiling and the only sign that Simak Dialog would be there was a small sticker on a keyboard stand. I couldn't help but think how the band must be an enemy to overexposure.

We waited sometime for each member to enter. Sound man Dave Lumenta was the first to enter and sat behind an Apple laptop, with two small Chinese steel drums and two Roland keyboards at the far left.

Riza Arshad, the band leader, resided at center back between a grand piano and a Rhodes, giving Tohpati all the attention at center stage with his Ibanez guitar. The bass player, Adithya Pratama, was standing in front of his two-piece amp next to Dave's stack and his five-string bass.

Both Tohpati and Dave were sitting on nondescript red office chairs, while Adithya -- who didn't find the chair intriguing -- stood up throughout the gig.

The three percussionists at the right of the stage were Endang Ramdan, sitting cross-legged besides Cucu Kurnia -- who was replacing Emi Tata -- and Erlan Suwardana. The three of them faced several sets of Sundanese kendang, kethuk and tambourines, with Cucu responsible for the Makassar kandrang, ceng-ceng and other traditional percussions.

The 300 seats in the Goethe auditorium were almost filled when they dimmed the lights. The band decided to start the concert with a dialog, which seemed a bit awkward.

Together with Tohpati, Indro Hardjodikoro on bass, and Arie Ayunir on drums, Riza re-created the Simak Dialog of 1993. The quartet, whose band name means "listening intensively to the dialog", released Lukisan in 1995, followed by a second called Baur in 1999.

A major reform took place in Trance Mission, their third effort. Released in 2002, the nationally acclaimed album replaced the entire drumming played by Ayunir with traditional kendang by Jalu Pratidina. This album also marked the departure of Indro and the entrance of Aditya Pratama of Cannizzarro.

Their fourth release, Patahan, revealed Endang Ramdan, who had replaced Jalu. Recorded live at a Goethe Haus 2005 concert, the CD received positive reviews by international media such as Vortex Jazz UK, the All Music Guide, Jazz Reviews USA and the 21st Century Guitar USA.

Demi Masa, their latest cd, showcased a profusion of traditional percussions with two additional members in the percussion section. Its impact could be heard throughout the night.

The third title from Demi Masa, "Karuhun", seemed to be a wrong piece to start with, evidenced by the lack of unity amongst the players.

Some were not ready and Adith couldn't hide his trembling fingers. For the first two minutes after they had begun, Riza's playing could only be faintly heard, covered by the overly loud kendang and percussionists.

But then the percussion trio lowered their sounds, allowing Tohpati to burst into an electric guitar solo trance -- a perfect closing to bring back the life of the symphony and send the audience into a darker dimension.

I began to appreciate the traditional percussions in the second title. The unique colors of "Kendang", guarded by Adith's solid playing, were a magic of its own. Heads up to the band for the perfect blending of sound; the edgy points of "Disapih" were a double-edged sword, and it was used properly to describe the group's and especially Riza's virtuosity.

But it was the third tune that blew me away. Originally lasting for 17 minutes, it seemed to have a tender eastern harmony which only grew wilder with a faster tempo in the middle.

Tohpati's wailing guitar somewhat brought back Pat Metheny's sound from Half Life of Absolution, colored by the eclectic quality of both Joe Satriani and John Scofield.

The amazing improvisation was interrupted by a slow repeat of a single note from the Rhodes, followed by the gang's subtle intersperse; this part was so delicate and beautiful that it sounded almost sad.

And though often Dave's soundscapes seemed a bit off and disturbing, it was in this tune that he exhibited his value, building a blue atmosphere throughout to enhance a message.

After a short break, which thank God wasn't the end, the band played on but it was not until the second presentation that you began to pay real attention to Riza's choice of piano tunes.

The delicate playing surprisingly opened the gates of hell with the three percussionists taking "Worthseeing" on a thunderous journey and displaying their mastery in their ability to batter the traditional percussions.

Taken from Patahan, the remake of this long tune somewhat signaled the group's growing artistry -- if not saying the three percussionists were the actual stars of the show -- the parts with duets by Riza and Endang on kendang said it all.

Endang was a monster. The three, combined with Cucu Kurnia's metronome-like playing, really increased expectations.

The concert lasted for almost three hours. Some would wonder why there was no bass solo, but after "Unfaded Hopes" from Trance Mission, "Salilana" and an encore, the audience didn't seem to mind sending the group off with a standing ovation.

For me, watching Riza in live performances has always been a discovery of something new and beautiful.

The concert could well be the peak of the nation's progressive-scene this year, as the blending of the west-influenced fusion trio with the southeastern traditional percussionists went on without any of them trying to polarize the music -- the exception, of course, being Riza's beautiful compositions.

Popular

RI, Australia strengthen partnership on taxing crypto assets

Analysis: Indonesia denies normalization with Israel to enter OECD

Citroen to produce electric cars in Indonesia