Nine musicians from six countries, including Indonesians Djaduk Ferianto and Purwanta, performed at Jakarta Arts Building (GKJ) last Saturday in a jazz project called Rhythms Meeting. Eastern gamelan, harp and percussion mixed with Western piano, contrabass and saxophone produced an interesting but complete harmony.

Differences may cause problems in some parts of the world, but a group of nine musicians from six different countries show that differences can make things better.

The artists showed that different types of music can coexist and complement each other to create more beautiful sounds that suit everyone. In this way they blended at the Jakarta Arts House on Saturday evening, creating a tasteful blend of East and West and everything in between – each distinct and separable but forming a harmonious mix.

The unusual jazz concert Rhythms Meeting began with six men performing “Purple Clouds”, written by Swiss pianist Francois Lindemann. The piano, saxophone by Guadeloupe-born citizen of France Jacques Schwarz-Bart, and contrabass by Armenian-born citizen of France Claude Tchamitchian breathed the sounds of western music.

But the violin, played by Moroccan Abdelaziz El Achhab, injected a Mediterranean feeling into the tune. The mix was made even stronger with the different beats by the African-born American drummer Sangoma Everett and Moroccan percussionist Azzedine Boulaaroug.

The rapturous applause grew even louder after the second song, a traditional Moroccan Gnawa Love Song, in which the drum galloped alongside the Moroccan percussion, the two chasing each other, one with its Western beat, the other with its Eastern pounce, but still leaving room for others to chip in and for the sax to take control.

Next was an unusual arrangement: Chinese lute musician Ling Ling Yu entered and, curiously, sat at the piano bench listening to a contrabass and Moroccan percussion duet. The contrabass made all sorts of noises, reminiscent of the rough Chinese sea, with the percussion guiding the way.

Halfway through, to the surprise of most, Yu approached the contrabass and shared its strings, before she picked up the tune of traditional Chinese song “I offer a rose”. The interplay of sounds had the audience almost smelling the storm on the horizon in the vast highlands of China or even Morocco, with the fierce turbulence followed by feelings of joy and hope.

The two Indonesian musicians, who had practiced with the rest for five days before the show, entered in the fifth song, soon injecting the flavor of traditional Indonesian sounds through the gamelan and Javanese percussion.

Purwanta, through his gamelan – no longer considered a popular instrument among Indonesian youth – demonstrated the instrument’s complexity of sound and its adaptability over time. The sound of the gamelan in the Balinese song “Baris” synced with others to create a traditional yet contemporary feel.

Djaduk enriched the introduction to Indonesian sound with his voice in the Javanese song “Ilir-ilir”. The song – once very popular – invited a gasp among some audience members, nostalgic for the old favorite. Each musician demonstrated strong individual musical skills, but it was the interplay that was at the heart of the musical cinema, the unforgettable taste of the music.

The show was the result of a six-week project conceptualized by Lindemann about 18 months ago. He wanted to put musicians from different countries and background together.

“The idea was to preserve the sound of each country while asking other people who never played the sound before to follow it. It is a true democratic music group. Everyone gets a say,” Lindemann said.

The plan was for five original members from Europe to travel to four countries – Morocco, Indonesia, Thailand and India – and spent a week in each country to work together with two local musicians.

The groups have visited Morocco, Indonesia and are currently in Thailand. They will continue to India and proceed to the finish line in Switzerland.

Rhythms meeting song list

1.  Purple Clouds by Francois Lindemann

2.   Gnawa Love Song – Traditional Moroccan song

3.   Rhythms Meeting by Jacques Schwarz-Bart

4.   I Offer a Rose – Traditional Chinese song

5.   L’Adalouse by Francois Lindemann

6.   Ses Paroles – Traditional Moroccan song

7.   Baris – Traditional Balinese song

8.   Ilir-Ilir – Traditional Javanese song

9.   Loaw Kratophai – Traditional Thai song, arranged byLindemann

Musicians involved:

Francois Lindemann (Piano) : Swiss

Jacques Schwarz-Bart (Saxophone) : France

Claude Tchamitchian (Contrabass) : France

Sangoma Everett (Drum) : United States

Ling Ling Yu (Chinese lute) : China

Abdelaziz El Achhab (Violin) : Morocco

Azzedine Boulaarough (Percussion) : Morocco

Purwanta (Gamelan) : Indonesia

Gregorius Djaduk Ferianto (Percussion) : Indonesia

Popular

Kadin urges stability after Constitutional Court ruling

Jokowi says transition to new government to begi

BCA loan disbursement surges 17.1 percent yoy in first quarter