https://blacktruffle.bandcamp.com/album/chasing-the-phantom
Genre: Gamelan
released on bandcamp July 22, 2022
In the Bandcamp notes references are made tothe spiritual hidden within the digital (recommended reading) but as a listener I hear a music very tied into the directly physical, specifically the land that spawned the genre. Or the land crying out for the spiritual. Prayer.
I’m going to make an odd comparison but gamelan has a lot in common with Dixieland jazz. There’s a strong compositional direction but the musicians have a lot of freedom in terms of how they want to contribute their part. It’s definitely not free improvisation but there is a sort of improvisational freedom within a tight structural framework. As a result, the musicians have to be extraordinarily skilled to pull it off successfully. There’s the role of the lead trumpet and the role of the clarinet Dewa Alit had the instruments of his ensemble designed to his exact specifications and the musicians play them accordingly.
Warmth Highest 