Java: The Jasmine Isle / Gamelan Music

Submitted by nonesuch on
genre
Explorer Series
World Music
Release Date
DescriptionExcerpt

Jasmine and the exotic, subtle sounds of the gamelan are inextricably linked in the life of Java, Indonesia's most populous isle: at religious ceremonies, at the theater, in popular entertainment. The rich, intricate texture of the Javanese gamelan stands in sharp contrast to the extrovert brilliance of gamelan gong kebjar from neighboring Bali.

Description

Jasmine and the exotic, subtle sounds of the orchestra called gamelan are inextricably linked in the life of Java, Indonesia's most populous isle. Sacred musical instruments, religious offerings, dancers, brides—all are decorated with jasmine. And where there is jasmine, there is the music of the gamelan: at religious ceremonies, at the theater, at popular entertainment. The rich, intricate texture of the Javanese gamelan is in sharp contrast to the extrovert brilliance of gamelan gong kebjar, found on the neighboring island of Bali. This record presents instrumental versions of pieces well known in Java.

FROM THE ORIGINAL LINER NOTES (1969)

ProductionCredits

Recorded in Java by Suryabrata & David Lewiston

Nonesuch Selection Number

79717

Number of Discs in Set
1disc
ns_album_artistid
197
ns_album_id
499
ns_album_releasedate
ns_genre_1
0
ns_genre_2
0
Album Status
Available
Artist Name
Explorer Series: Indonesia
reissues?
reissues
Cover Art
UPC/Price
Label
CD+MP3
UPC
075597971729BUN
Label
MP3
Price
8.00
UPC
081227781163

  • 79717

Track Listing

News & Reviews

  • David Lewiston, Musical Explorer, Dies at 88

    David Lewiston passed away in Hawaii on May 29, 2017, at the age of 88, after an extended illness. The inveterate traveler-musicologist was among the first to release recordings as part of the Nonesuch Explorer Series, which presented indigenous music from around the world, in the late 1960s. His first recording in the series, Music from the Morning of the World, featuring field recordings from Bali, was inducted into the National Recording Registry of "culturally significant" sound recordings in 2008. Here, the musician, producer, and writer Brian Cullman offers a remembrance.

    Read more
View All

Buy Now

  • About This Album

    Jasmine and the exotic, subtle sounds of the orchestra called gamelan are inextricably linked in the life of Java, Indonesia's most populous isle. Sacred musical instruments, religious offerings, dancers, brides—all are decorated with jasmine. And where there is jasmine, there is the music of the gamelan: at religious ceremonies, at the theater, at popular entertainment. The rich, intricate texture of the Javanese gamelan is in sharp contrast to the extrovert brilliance of gamelan gong kebjar, found on the neighboring island of Bali. This record presents instrumental versions of pieces well known in Java.

    FROM THE ORIGINAL LINER NOTES (1969)