EASTERN REBELLION - WITH GAMELAN AS INSPIRATION FOR NEW MUSICAL EXPRESSIONS
2.1. BASEMENT SESSIONS -
THE BALI TAPES
Introduction
The project "Basement Sessions - vol.4 - The Bali Tapes” is the first project within my artistic research; "Eastern Rebellion - with gamelan as inspiration for new musical expressions". My idea behind was to look at how eastern music influenced the modal jazz of the sixties, and in combination with my new inspiration from gamelan, create new music. Gamelan is characterised by its use of ostinato layers, which in many ways are reminiscent of the way modal jazz uses patterns and melodies. Gamelan instruments were previously used to some extent in jazz, e.g. Don Cherry, but with less prominent approach regarding the gamelan tradition and traditional ways of performing. I wanted a slightly more rigid structure and traditional approach than earlier music made for such jazz settings.
My goal is to develop/compose/record repertoire for jazz ensemble which includes Indonesian gamelan instruments, principles of composition, and other elements inspired by this culture, and point to similarities between my work and the eastern-influenced modal jazz.
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Project Background
The project is a search for a fusion between Indonesian gamelan, its concepts and instruments, with the modal jazz that arose in the sixties. My goal is to create a musical framework where both styles of music become equally present. My process to solve this is to point to common elements, such as scales and rhythmical systems, and further compose music for the western instrument and the gamelan instrument included in this project. I will though my work with “Basement sessions” try to answer this project's primary research question: Can I create fusion music between gamelan and sixties modal jazz?
I have a broad background as a musician, where my field of work is both as a jazz-musician with a basis in the Afro-American jazz tradition from the sixties, but also as a classical percussionist dealing with mostly contemporary repertoire. This project idea has grown out of my six months stay in Bali during the spring of 2012, where I learned the Balinese gamelan tradition and playing technique. The most emotional element with the learning and the absorption of this culture was the extreme power and energy of this music. (Balinese gamelan is considered as one of the loudest acoustic music tradition in the world). But on the other hand is the Javanese gamelan tradition, which offers a more subtle and calm soundscape. The common element is a pentatonic pattern/modal and drone-based music, which I felt could be a well-suited partner to the Afro-American jazz tradition I belong to aesthetically. So my research quest was the search for a common platform to create music where my background as a jazz musician could unite with my new knowledge about gamelan tradition and instruments. For this purpose, I have chosen to create several compositions where each composition has its idea and a framework for improvisation, to achieve a coherent release on CD. The pieces are still independent of each other. In this way, each compositional content varies according to gamelan references, both in content and through composing. Some had explicit connections to standard compositional techniques from the gamelan music, but others focused more on sound and mood. In the section “Description of the work process and the musical content”, I will go into detail about each composition and define these according to gamelan references and other influences.
An interesting question is what function the gamelan has for the expression of this project. Are the gamelan instruments laid on top of the western music as an “eastern spice”? Or are these instruments forming the foundation for the music? What is the musical hierarchy between the traditions? There is no clear answer to this, and it varies from composition to composition, something I will highlight further in the section describing the working process and musical content. But my imminent goal for the howl concept was a unified instrumental sound where the instruments from both styles are present and together make a new soundscape.
Basement Sessions - outdoor recording Bali 2015
Ex.2.1.1.
Defining the genre
Fusion music which merges several types of music genres with different traditions/folk-music mixed with Western music has several designations; “World music”, “worldbeat”, “world-fusion”, “exotica” to name a few. “World music” is the most commonly used term and defines in many ways the style. The genre is broad, but a common understanding of “our” and “their” music and instruments, where “their music” is used in conjunction with “our music” is prominent to define the genre. This emphasises the music’s ethnic inclusion. Whichever term you use, the genre must be seen as an umbrella for many types of music where ethnic affiliation is prominent. The terminology used is too complex and bewildering and is more or less defined by the artist himself. Therefore, it is unclear to denote this music as a genre, as the genre consists of several sub-genres and styles.
Within jazz, the use of ethnic elements has been a tradition from the sixties, if one ignores the fact that jazz itself is a mixture of different kinds of music. Duke Ellington's “jungle style” predates the extra-musical associations of exotic, primitive Africa and Africans that were tied to it once Ellington began working at Harlem's Cotton Club in the late 1920s.
I chose to denote "pure jazz," i.e. music that originated in the United States around 1920 and evolved from there as the core of jazz. “The core of jazz” contains a common rhythmic reference and -phrasing (triplets, swing), a functional harmonic progression, instruments, instrumental phrasing, and a tradition-oriented way of improvising. Jazz has developed into several styles, but a reference to the history and culture, and the “jazz sound” at its core is essential to call it jazz. Today, on an equal footing with almost all musical genres, the genre term “jazz” is blasted in all directions and is defined more by each artist than it is by tradition.
I choose to define my work with jazz and gamelan as historically rooted research work in jazz. This is because the musical result has many elements that refer back to the jazz’ core. Although I do not define my work related to the current use of the “world music” concept, it is still in line with the way the jazz tradition makes use of traditional music as an inspiration.
The Jazz genres use of traditional and folk-music as inspiration.
Fusion music which includes traditional, must be seen in context with directions of the modal and free jazz from the sixties/seventies where the musicians desired to break with the functional harmonic progression, was looking for new inspiration. This inspiration was often derived from traditional music and folk music, and inspiration from Asian music is prominent, where Indian and Arabic music is the leading type of music. The most notable jazz musicians in this context are Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry, John Coltrane, and Yusef Lateef. Coltrane was so devoted to learning Indian music and philosophy, and through studying with Ravi Shankar, he incorporated this into his style in the mid-sixties. Important compositions are “India” and “Om.”
Don Cherry was working with musical traditions from all around the world, and his recording "Eternal Rhythm" (MPS Records, 1969) has a prominent use of Indonesian gamelan instruments.
Eternal rhythm – Part 1: Crystal Clear (exposition)
From 3:47 in part 1 the theme “Crystal Clear (exposition)" is presented and is a four tones theme which uses the gamelan scale “pelog”. Further, the composition develops with a freer use of gangsa, Balinese metallophones in different sizes)
Ex.2.1.2.
Eternal rhythm – Part 2: Crystal Clear (development)
From 5:57 in Part 2 “Crystal Clear (Development)”, repeats the same theme in other musical environments, increasingly using the Balinese gamelan.
Ex.2.1.3.
In Scandinavia, there were artists like Arild Andersen and Jan Johansen, who used Nordic folk music to create a new expression. Anderson’s release “legend” in which he processes Norwegian folk music, and Johansson’s “jazz in Swedish & Ruska” are examples of releases which use such sources as inspiration. Others, like Jan Garbarek and the Swedish jazz group “Rena Rama”, used eastern music source for creating new improvisational music, strongly inspired by Don Cherry’s previous work in this direction.
An example of Rena Rama is this footage from SVT 1971
Rena Rama – full 1971 TV concert
Rena Rama:
Bengt Berger - drums/gamelan
Palle Danielsson - Bass/Gamelan
Bobo Stensson - Piano/Gamelan
Lennart Åberg - Sax/Gamelan
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Ex.2.1.4.
Elements included in the research project: Basement sessions
To merge modal jazz with inspiration from Indonesian gamelan, I have brought together different musical elements. These elements will form the framework for new music. These elements are:
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Gamelan instruments
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Gongs
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Gender
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Drums
2. Fellow musicians
3. Musical elements and moods imported from gamelan
4. African-American / Western musical influences
5. Other inspirations from gamelan (surrounding/recording locations)
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Gamelan instruments included in Basement sessions
To look at why I use a specific gamelan instrument, I need to answer these questions:
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What is the function of the specific instrument?
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How do these instruments blend with Western instruments?
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How are the instruments tuned?
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Which instruments can be played by a musician who is not well trained within the gamelan technical performance?
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The choice of gamelan instruments depends on the musical function they hold. I will, in the description below, point out how they are used in "Basement session".
Several of the instruments from the gamelan orchestra can be played by musicians who are not trained in gamelan music but requires an understanding of musical periods and basic knowledge of how to get the sound from a percussion instrument. These instruments can by an improviser “be played with” (as in testing out and "fooling" around) and will in many cases provide a musically successful result. Also, I can adjust the difficulty level of the musical part to the musician's performance level.
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Gong family
The bass gongs in Bali consist of the Gong Wadon and the Gong Lanang. Wadon is the largest, with a diameter between 80-110 cm, with around 15 cm bowl in the centre, and Lanang is slightly smaller. This centre bowl affects the instrument in such a way that the sonic result is a clear tone. (Unlike traditional flat gongs, which are full of overtones and without a clearly defined tone.) The function of gong Wadon and Lanang, with its long sustained low tone, forms in many ways a drone.
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Gong Kempur is a medium-size gong, around 60 cm in diameter. The pitch is around a fifth higher compared to Lanang. (This interval might vary from one gamelan instrument set to another).
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The smallest gong is called Klintong and is high in pitch. In contrast to the other gong, which requires a soft mallet, the Klintong needs a wooden stick/mallet to produces its more distinct sound.
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Recording of the actual gongs:
Ex.2.1.5.
The gongs form the foundation for the rhythmical big structures or circles in gamelan. The Gong Gedé is central to highlight the beginning of the musical period. In my composition "Slow Ostinato" this structure is a compositional key element.
The music example below is an excerpt from the gamelan part of my composition "Slow ostinato."
Slow Ostinato: Gamelan Part
Ex.2.1.6.
The musical effect of the gongs can be compared to the way the bass instruments in modal jazz highlights the musical periods. This was used a lot by McCoy Tyner among others, in the John Coltrane Quartet, creating a drone in the musical process. McCoy Tyner, Coltrane´s pianist, used a fifth/octave in the piano bass to achieve a periodic fundamental start.
JOHN COLTRANE QUARTET – Ascension – Live at Antibes, France, 1965
John Coltrane Quartet
John Coltrane - Saxophone
McCoy Tyner - Piano
Jimmy Garrison - Doublebass
Elvin Jones - Drums
Ex.2.1.7.
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Trompong / Reyong
Trompong / Reyong are two instruments in the same family consisting of multiple smaller laying kettle gongs in different sizes, where the difference between Trompong and Reyong, is the register. Trompong, the lowest of these two instruments, is a melody instrument, prominent within gong Gedé style, performed by one musician. Gamelan gong Gedé means "gamelan with the large gongs" and is the largest gamelan ensemble with up to 70 musicians. This style is an older music style within Balinese the gamelan and is first and foremost ceremony music. Its slower pace characterises the style.
Example of gong Gedé
Gong Gede STSI Denpasar
Pen Jawab: Dr. I Made Bendem
(Bali records, 1993)
Ex.2.1.8.
While the trompong has two lower tones, the Reyong has a much higher register. Reyong is an accompaniment instrument with extensive use of kotekan. Reyong is performed by two or four musicians sharing the same instrument.
The tone quality of the trompong and reyong is a clear bell and is performed with a thicker wooden stick with ropes around.
In java, this instrument is called Bonang. It is also used both as a melody and accompaniment instrument, always played by one musician.
Ex.2.1.9.
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Gender
In the recording venue, we had available a set of instruments called "Gamelan gender wayang", which was tune in the slendro scale. "Gamelan gender wayang" is described as the Balinese chamber music ensemble, usually performed by four musicians.
The gender wayang ensemble consists of four basis instruments:
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Two genders, a slendro tunes gangsa(metallophone)
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Gong Pulu (deep two stave metallophone which function is the same as a gong)
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Kempli Bamboo (bamboo stave w / resonator acting as a “timekeeper”)
I used these instruments as the basis for the introduction to the composition "Gender Rock!". In the example below, all these instruments are featured.
Gender Rock!: Gender part
Ex.2.1.10.
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Drums: kendang
The kendang drums are the heart of the gamelan orchestra. The drums control the dynamics and tempo through both performance and movements. The kendang drum is a cylindrical drum with leather heads on both sides, where one side is the treble, and the other is the bass. The bass since is played with hands or mallet, while the treble side is always played with the hand. The kendang drum is considered as the most difficult gamelan instrument to master. It is played using several kinds of techniques, where the variation of off-beat bass strokes and “slap” in the treble, in combination with “ghost strokes”, are characteristic of the technique and style of performance.
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The "Baris dance" is a solo dance with a gamelan orchestra accompaniment. In this music, the kendang is the link between the dancer and the orchestra where the drum follows the dancers' movement, and in this way gives cues to the rest of the orchestra.
Jauk/Baris Dance
Ex.2.1.11.
NOTE: It is important to note that the used video and audio examples do not always present the way I use the instruments in this constellation. They are meant as a demonstration and presentation of the tradition and instruments’ background.
2. Fellow musicians
The starting point for this project is an ensemble I’ve worked with previously called Basement Sessions. Basement sessions have existed since 2009 and have recorded three CDs (Vol. 1-3) on the Portuguese label “Clean Feed. “
Vol.1(2012)
Vol.2(2013)
Vol.3(2015)
Ex.2.1.12.
Musicians on these recording are:
Jonas Kullhammar/Jørgen Mathisen(*) – Saxophones / clarinet / flute
Torbjorn Zetterberg – Bass
Espen Aalberg – Drums / Percussion
(*) Only on Vol. 3
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The ensemble is based on the classical saxophone-jazz-trio format, which was established through the Sonny Rollins Trio in the fifties. This lineup gave the musicians greater freedom both harmonically and rhythmically for several reasons: The lineup did not have an accompaniment instrument like the piano or guitar, instruments that often defines the harmonic process to a large extent. The classic jazz combo, piano-bass-drums, is reduced to bass- drums, and the musicians, therefore, have more space in the rhythmic image.
Den store väntan(T. Zetterberg)
From: Basement Sessions: Vol. 1
Ex.2.1.13.
The lineup on "The Bali Tapes" is extended with a trumpet as the fourth instrument. I wanted to keep the instrumentation free of chord/harmonic instruments as this put too much harmonic colour in interaction with the gamelan. A fourth musician will also contribute to expanding the instrumentation possibilities, also in terms of gamelan participation.
Ornette Coleman Quartet – Lonely woman(1959)
Ex.2.1.14.
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The lineup with two melody instruments + drums and bass is a widely used lineup in jazz. Most common is the saxophone/trumpet or two saxophones, like Ornette Coleman Quartet.
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Ornette Coleman Quartet:
Ornette Coleman - Saxophone
Don Cherry - Trumpet
Charlie Haden - Bass
Billy Higgins - Drums
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Keith Jarrett: Unknown composition
Berliner Jazztage 1973
Keith Jarrett's American quartet continued the aesthetics of Coleman, where an eastern and African influence was characteristic of the quartet repertoire. (Jarrett is a multi-instrumentalist with piano as his primary instrument, but also performed saxophone and percussion on recordings with this quartet.
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Keith Jarrett - Piano/Dewey Redman - Saxophones/
Charlie Haden Bass/Paul Motian - Drums
+ guest: Guilherme Franco - Percussion
Ex.2.1.15.
Basement sessions´ expression is strongly influenced by this heritage from 50/60/70s avant-garde / modal jazz. Prominent for this style are often simple themes and harmonic progression, where the instantaneous improvisation within the style is at the centre. The improvisation goes beyond the traditional jazz way of improvising. Fellow musicians are chosen because of their ability to improvise and work in such an environment.
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The lineup on the Bali tapes are:
Susana Santos – Trumpet
Jonas Kullhammar – Saxophones / clarinet / flute
Torbjorn Zetterberg – Bass
Espen Aalberg – Drums
All the musicians also play gamelan instruments on "The Bali Tapes."
3. Musical elements from the gamelan:
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Element 1: Scales: Pelog and slendro. Scales and tuning is more thoroughly explained in the "Mantra - Gamelan tuning and scales" section
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As a side note: The Ethiopian music, Tizita, uses a similar scale. The difference is a howl step between first and second tone in the Tezeta Minor scale, while the gamelan Pelog has a half step. This I experienced in 2010 while working with Mulatu Astatke in Ethiopia, the founder of “ethio-jazz”.
Mulatu Astatke – Yekermo Sew(Ethio jazz 1974)
Mulatu Astatke: Ethiopiques, Vol. 4: Ethio Jazz 1969-1974
(Buda musique, 2007)
Ex.2.1.16.
Using pentatonic scales as a harmonic foundation is compatible with the modal jazz expression from the 1960s. The musicians wanted away from functional harmonic progression by using only one scale/chord as a basis for composition and improvisation. This gave the music a more open expression and musical freedom to the performer.
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Element 2: Kotekan/rhythmical patterns. Kotekan is more thoroughly explained in "Compositions for.... "- Kotekan.
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Element 3: Duality is a fundamental concept in Balinese philosophy, Hinduism, and gamelan music.
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Examples of duality in Balinese gamelan
• Kotekan principle is a consequence of the interaction between the two contradictory rhythm patterns, which together form a whole.
• Extreme contrasts. Dynamics, instrument range, tempi changes
• Waves of oscillations. The Gangsa metallophones in the Balinese gamelan, consist of two similar instruments where the differences are a tuning of some hertz. The sonic result is a wave of oscillations between the Gangsas, and this concept is a vital part of the duality principle.
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These concepts I have taken into consideration create the music for Basement Sessions vol.4 “The Bali Tapes“. I will write more about this in the description of each piece.
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4.Afro/American influences
The Afro/American influences have been written about earlier in this text. see “Defining the genre.”
5. Recording location and other inspiration
The recording was made at the home of Dewa Berata in Pengosekan, Bali. Dewa Berata is the head of The Cudamani Ensemble, Bali’s leading gamelan orchestra. Pengosekan, which is part of Ubud, is known for its rich gamelan tradition.
The Cudamani Ensemble
Ex.2.1.17.
The recording location was a garden house, open to the ambient sound. I brought my recording gear from Norway. Almost all recordings of gamelan music are done outdoors, which also captures the sounds the environment produces. For me, this outdoor soundscape is something that fascinates me when I listen to gamelan music, something I wanted to recreate. Here, sound from the rain, crickets, birds, frogs, mopeds, chainsaws and other daily life sounds, is a part of the recordings. The idea of recording this music on Bali was primarily due to the exoticness of these background soundscapes. During the recording, we experienced sounds which only could be produced in these surroundings. It coloured the recordings not just audibly, but also influenced how we performed the music. All starts and ends had to be planned differently, compared to how we would do it if recording in a studio. For example, if we were recording a slow and mellow tune and a motorcycle honked, we just had to wait a few seconds and start over again. The quiet tunes were influenced by the sounds the ambient made. For instance, in the composition “Slow Ostinato”, where a cricket herd enters the sound during a transition, we had to let this sound find its space before we continued.
Recording outdoor is an inspiring factor which is impossible to replicate in a studio environment.
However, there were some challenges during the recording session. Bali is hot and humid. Thirty degrees in the shade and a humidity of about 85%. In this climate, it is difficult and exhausting to work. We had an excessive fluid loss and were generally drained of energy after working two hours. The instruments that are used to the Nordic air and temperature began to notice the climatic changes. The most challenging thing was to keep the acoustic bass in a playable condition. Already after the first day, the bass began tearing apart. The bottom plate loosened, and the gut strings began delaminating and became soft. The bass sound is somewhat affected by this ambient exposure, and a little jarring can be heard when the chair came loose.
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Description of the working process and the musical content.
This recording consists of five different compositions, where the intention was to use different approaches for each composition. Some of the pieces have a more prominent extent of gamelan references. For me, it is vital to achieve a coherent recording and a possible concert repertoire that brings out the references and background of the project, both in the context of gamelan and jazz. I will in the discussion of the musical content below, describing the content of each composition.
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Composition 1: Ilir-ilir
“Ilir-Ilir” is a song that originates from Sunan Kalijaga and is used to preach and spread Islam in Java. Sunan Kalijaga is considered one of the nine saints in the prevalence of Indonesian Islam. The composition comes in several versions, from a solo song with accompaniment Zither to more or less full gamelan. The piece belongs to a tradition of clear melody, unlike other gamelan music where the theme, in the Western, sense is unclear. This puts it in a Central Javanese tradition that often has a more distinct melody.
“Ilir-Ilir” has a drone feel and is within the pelog-scale system. In the western tempered system, this scale is Bb - D - Eb - F - A, and occasionally visit H, almost as ornamentations.
Ilir-ilir performed on zither and vocal
Ex.2.1.18.
I chose this piece because it had a clear theme with a defined shape. The accompaniment in the version I refer to is relatively rubato and open, an openness it is possible to imagine will suit an improvised expression.
Our version is not an exact transcription of the melody, but more a tune that builds on the content of “Ilir-Ilir”, i.e. a kind of re-composing. The way I‘ve done this is by listening to the reference recording. Then I let the music “mature” over a few days where I hum the melody, to at the end write down the piece the way I would like it to be. I use this approach partly because I want to avoid a direct transcription, but most importantly; I wanted the melody to have a personal form, and through this approach, it would fit my musical vision.
Ex.2.1.19.
The recording: Ilir Ilir - Basement sessions
Ex.2.1.20.
The musical form of the Ilir-Ilir recording:
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Introduction – presentation of mood and melody in the bass. Important parts of the mood are the drone, tonality and a rubato approach.
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Main Presentation of the melody. The melody is playing on trumpet and saxophone. Trompong colouring the melody and plays the drone.
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Solo improvised part: Trompong solo is based on motifs from trompong practice in traditional gamelan. Examples of two central motifs used as building blocks for improvisation are:
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Motif 1
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Motif 2
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These motifs are used relatively freely over the instrument in combination with free elements and use of parallel octaves, which is another distinctive feature in traditional Trompong practising.
The other soloists have an improvisational approach that builds on the melodic material in the composition. The structure is a collective improvisational expression where some instruments are occasionally leading. This improvisational structure is not an unusual shape in avant-garde jazz. This could be exemplified through Tomasz Stanko´s recording “Almost Green“ (1979).
Ex.2.1.21.
Ex.2.1.22.
Tomasz StaÅ„ko – Almost Green (1979)
Ex.2.1.23.
Tomasz Stańko - Almost Green (ECM, 1979)
Tomasz StaÅ„ko – trumpet
Tomasz Szukalski – soprano/tenor saxophone
Palle Danielsson – contrabass
Edward Vesala – drums
Our recording ends with fragments of the Ilir Ilir theme. This is to avoid a static form proceeding with a regular melody–improvisation–melody structure that ties up the improvisation section to finish in a certain way.
Composition 2: Gender Rock!
Gender Rock! is a composition based on the gamelan gender wayang which was available at the recording location. The purpose of using these instruments was due to its scale, Slendro, which is close to the conventional western pentatonic scale. The other gamelan we used was in pelog.
The composition consists of two parts;
Part 1: Composition with melody and improvisation. The compositional content is rooted in the syncopated rhythms of kotekan.
Part 2: Bass improvisation over gamelan accompaniment
The accompaniment on part 2 is the basis for the whole composition. Dewa Berata and I discussed the kotekan principle and how western music has influenced Balinese music. Dewa told me that particularly the odd-meter (uneven time signatures) had influenced many composers of Balinese Gamelan music. I worked out a kotekan in 7/4 beat which formed the basis for further work with this composition.
Part 1 Structure:
Bass ostinato:
The basic structure of the bass ostinato in PART 1, originates from the syncopated rhythms from the kotekan in PART 2.
Melody:
The melody is in an Afro-American style, rooted in the slendro scale.
Ex.2.1.24.
Ex.2.1.25.
Overdubs: I made two overdubs; Vibraphone and woodbox. I added Vibraphone to emphasise the bass ostinato. Regarding the woodbox sounds. The intention was to use the kendang drums, to make a hectic double-time drum feel. The sound of the kendang drums was too huge to fit/blend, and I ended up finding some wooden boxes which blended nicely with the overall recording.
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Issue: After we had made the recording and put the two parts together, it musically didn't feel right. In the aesthetic of the total musical content, we omitted PART 2 from the recording. The rhythmical elements from kotekan in PART 2, forms the basis for the bass ostinato in PART 1. Therefore it is essential even though it is not present in "Gender rock!".
Why didn't this work out musically? The part with the gender wayang was maybe the most original gamelan part we recorded and had a typical form of a kotekan accompaniment. The function of this part was an introduction to the main melody and improvisation part. The two segments were recorded separately, with a plan to merge them in the mix. After mixing, I felt that PART 2 did not suit the total expression on the recording. The introduction did not have the united sound of the two music traditions I was searching for; it felt like two styles just put together without a musical idea at the centre, and the lack of musical identity was too apparent.
Recording of the Gender Rock - PART 2(gender part.)
Ex.2.1.26.
The recording: Gender Rock! - Basement sessions
Ex.2.1.27.
Composition 3. Slow ostinato
“Slow ostinato” is inspired by the central Javanese gamelan. The style is characterised as quieter, slower and more contemplative, in contrast to the Balinese, which is, to a large extent fast and energetic.
Slow Ostinato - Sketch
Ex.2.1.28.
Central for this direction is Gendhing, which referred to the “colotomic” structures which describe the rhythm and the use of rhythmic structures in Javanese gamelan. Henry Spiller describes the gendhing concept in the following way in his book.
"The term gendhing has two senses in Central Javanese music; in its most general sense, it refers to any gamelan piece with a cyclical foundation—in other words, it means something similar to the English word "piece." Its more specific meaning refers to large-scale forms with 64, 128, or 256 beats in each phrase marked by a gong stroke. Gendhing have two distinct sections (merong and inggah), each with its own colotomic form. Sometimes the inggah section of a gendhing is a piece in ladrang form". (1)
In Javanese gamelan, instruments that support and corroborate these structures are called colotomic instruments (or structural instruments). The gong instruments are the framework for these concepts, where the big gong starts a phrase.
"Slow ostinato" is a composition based on the ostinatos in gongs and reyong which provide the framework for the piece and groove. The structure has a length of four 4/4 bars, transferred to 16 beats, and the music consists in its entirety of four 16 beats periods, a total of 64 beats. The composition has half or doubling principle, where the larger instruments play with the lowest speed. The gong ostinato functions as the bass and is similar to a traditional gamelan ostinato.
Slow Ostinato - bass/gong
Ex.2.1.29.
Over this gong ostinato, I made an accompaniment in a doubling principle derived from the gamelan.
Under is the fundamental score of the gamelan in Slow ostinato.
Slow Ostinato - gamelan part
Ex.2.1.30.
Slow Ostinato - gamelan part recording
Ex.2.1.31.
Over this gamelan accompaniment, I composed a melody in the scale of pelog. The composition has an AAB form.
Ex.2.1.32.
Another interesting concept with this piece was the idea to only use gamelan instruments, drums and saxophone. I did this to see if it was possible to create a piece of music within an eastern-inspired jazz tradition where gamelan holds the functions such as bass and other accompaniment instruments.
The audio quality of the recording was not optimal, which led to much complementary work. All of the gamelan instruments had to be doubled subsequently. I solved this by making single samples of each instrument we used during the recording in Bali. These samples were then laid on top of the gamelan tracks, doubling the individual sounds, to enhance the audio quality. In this way, I manage to keep the musical performance.
The recording: Slow Ostinato - Basement sessions
Ex.2.1.33.
Composition 4: Suling
Suling - Balinese flute
Ex.2.1.34.
The composition "Suling" got it´s name from, and is also inspired by the Balinese flute, Suling. This flute is a bamboo instrument and has a melody function. In the gamelan orchestra, it is performed unison by several musicians. The sonic result is an airy oscillations sound between the instruments. I aimed to recreate some of these expressions. The melody is played by western flute and trumpet with a mute, in the same register. I also wanted the musicians to play slightly out of intonation, i.e. in phase with each other to achieve this oscillating wave, which is central for the suling ensemble performance.
Ex.2.1.35.
The main goal of this work was to create a framework for freer improvisational expressions. The composition is, therefore, without a fixed pulse, and the melodic progression is relatively free related to scales.
The recording: Suling - Basement sessions
Ex.2.1.36.
Composition 5: Irama Berat
“Irama Berat” is a composition in the Afro-American modal jazz tradition, and is based on the pelog scale. The bass ostinato is a four bars pattern in 4/4 triplets or 12/8 with an Afro-Cuban drum rhythm. The melody, played by saxophone and trumpet, is triplets based with a three against two poly-rhythmic phrase. The theme has an idea around the kotekan principle, where I have linked two equally melodies with rhythmic displacement so that they together form a rhythmic structure.
When I edited the recordings, it felt as if the bass solo on this piece was a bit too naked, significantly since the bass sound was somewhat affected by its poor condition. I got an idea to create a soundscape that one often heard at night in Bali. This soundscape was the sound of the gamelan orchestras performing music in the distance.
The new overdub is a processing of the Javanese of the gamelan piece “Ldr. Balabak”
My electronic processing consisted primarily of time stretching. That is, I took an excerpt of this piece and stretched it out so that each sound was much longer.
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Ex.2.1.37.
Electronic processed Ldr. Balabak
Ex.2.1.38.
Ldr. Balabak
Ex.2.1.39.
The recording: Irama Berat - Basement sessions
Recording: Irama Berata
Ex.2.1.40.
Conclusion
In this part of my research, I aimed to deal with the history of jazz and its use of another culture’s music as inspiration to create new music. I’ve tried to find different ways to illustrate this starting point, where various contents of gamelan music are central, together with the jazz aesthetics I referred to in the text.
From this perspective, I believe that the project has been successful. I have made different compositions, which together form a whole for the release. The work is, in my opinion, unique, where some of my pieces relate quite strictly to these gamelan principles. In my view, this is not the case with similar recordings and music I referred to earlier in the article.
The sound is also unique since our recordings were made outdoors with the Balinese sound environment. This soundscape is something that strengthens the sonic identity of this music and its musical identity, much because these soundscapes are a central part of what I associate with the recordings of gamelan music.
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An important factor was to make a product that would fit in a specific recording label catalogue. “Basement session” have released our previous recordings on the Portuguese label “Clean feed”, which has a clear direction on what type of music they will release. Their primary interest is modern and free acoustic jazz. For our previous recording, the process of the releases has been different. For the first CD, we made the recording and sent the mastered tracks to Clean Feed. They accepted this recording. For the 2nd CD, they asked us to make a sequel. For the 3rd CD Clean feed invited us to the Ljubljana jazz festival, and Clean feed wanted to make a live recording. I intended to make a musical product that could fit “Clean feeds” musical profile and “Basement sessions” musical directions, but with new elements included from gamelan. My musical identity as a jazz musician fits “clean feed´s” profile, but working within this new environment of gamelan could have the danger of affecting my musical aesthetics related to a release on “Clean Feed”. This aesthetics duality might be just because of my imagination and self-made dogmas of how I thought the modern jazz community would react to a recording, including other cultures music. After working with “Basement session - The Bali Tapes” I feel this is not the case, and having been accepted by clean feed for the release, confirmed the musical choices I made.
References
1. Spiller, Henry "Gamelan Music of Indonesia"(Focus, 2004) p.75