A unique jazz group has emerged from the small town of Banyuwangi in East Java.

The name of the group is Banyuwangi Jazz Ethnic and in a recent performance at Kampong Pusan Beach in Banyuwangi regency, the group showcased its unique sound that blends traditional Javanese songs with jazz.

The group is part of the artistic exploration undertaken by the Kampus Wetan (Kuwung Wetan Art Village) Studio in Rejoagung village, Srono district, Banyuwangi, to respond to the usual trend of using jazz as the dominant element that is then blended with traditional tones.

“What we’re doing is just the reverse, offering traditional Banyuwangi music as a dominant element while enriching it with a jazzy touch,” said Bachtiar Djanan, the band’s harmonica player.

This collaboration, according to Bachtiar, positions ethnic pentatonic music as the host rather than as a mere extra.

Bachtiar describes traditional music in its pure form as being played on the basis of its fixed standards, making it unlikely to be combined with other instruments.

“With our concept, there’s ample room for collaboration with various instruments like the harmonica, guitar, bass, violin, flute and others,” he said.

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Banyuwangi’s forceful and lively ethnic music, similar to the style in Bali, was adapted to the rhythm of Latin jazz during the show.

“We’re also trying to blend this ethnic music with several hues of jazz from Latin to funk and disco as well as jazz from the 1970s, like Earth, Wind and Fire to Al Jarreau and Kool and The Gang,” acoustic guitarist Richard Kurniawan said.

Manager of Kampus Wetan Studio Dwi Agus Cahyono admitted the difficulties faced by such a collaboration.

“At first we studied how the beat of ethnic music could be adjusted to jazz. We’re also learning jazz tunes for their later combination with traditional drums and gamelan,” Dwi, a 26-year-old native artist of Banyuwangi, said.

He also noticed gamelan’s standard norms against the exploratory tendencies of jazz.

“But fortunately we can still strive to create openings so that the ethnic standards will be in harmony with this exploration instead of being rigid,” Dwi — who plays the gamelan, violin, flute and tambourine — said.

The songs presented are old popular Banyuwangi hits from the 1960s to 1980s and typical of the indigenous Osing community, mixed with the rhythms and beat of Latin jazz and groove.

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The classic songs, bearing the themes of love and daily life with elders’ advice, are delivered in a different fashion to suit the tastes of youth.

Dwi realized that as a new group, Banyuwangi Jazz Ethnic should be prepared to face challenges, such as unifying the vision of its 17 members from diverse backgrounds.

Apart from Dwi and some other artists, Bachtiar is an ecotourist activist, vocalist Heri Sunggoro is a painter and Hindu figure, while the rest are still attending vocational and senior high school.

Dwi has also voiced the band’s aspirations to a regional councilor in the hope that the band will be given opportunities to appear in many local programs.

As an initial step, the group will launch promotional video clips on social media to make the public more familiar with their work.

“We’re now exploring jazz music performances along with a set of gamelan instruments,” Dwi said.

As a musician, Dwi hopes that his band will collaborate with other jazz groups.

“We hope to play with Krakatau as one of the groups that consistently offers ethnic jazz music,” he said.

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