Gamelan Semar Pegulingan Saih Pitu ~ The Heavenly Orchestra Of Bali [CMP, 1991]

01. Gending Lasem, Saih Selisir 23:13
02. Gending Tembung, Saih Tembung 18:55
03. Gending Tabuh Gari, Saih Selisir 10:25
04. Gending Unduk, Saih Baro 10:06

Producer - Kurt Renker , Walter Quintus
Recorded By - Walter Quintus

Recorded at Pura Batur, Kamasan, Bali, September 1991

'Semar Pegulingan gamelans were originally royal ensembles and used a seven-tone scale. Later, various different ensembles with the same name developed, all of them pitched higher and with a brighter, more delicate sound than gong gede. This group is one of the few remaining seven-tone Semar Pegulingan gamelans. Its music seems almost weightless, slower and less insistently virtuosic than modern styles.' ~ John Storm Roberts

more mellow than the previous creative music productions publication & likely headier as a result. this must be the 'weightless' factor jsr spake about in the blurb above. it's raining like crazy here & the kool breezes make these tunes owl the more evocative. heavenly

Kusuma Sari - Gamelan Batel Wayang Ramayana [CMP, 1990]

1. Tabuh Petegak 11:17
2. Pemungkah 11:40
3. Gending Petangkilan 3:28
4. Gending Bendu Semara 21:20
5. Batel Adeng 7:27
6. Gending Meganada 4:59
7. Gending Batel 5:39
8. Tabuh Penyuwud 2:53

Ensemble - Kusuma Sari
Conductor, Performer - Pan Menga
Directed By [Artistic Director] - I. Nyoman Wenten
Performer - I. Ketut Artama , I. Ketut Narga , I. Ketut Senter ,
I. Nengah Widia , I. Nyoman Astina , Mangku Pembungan , Pak Teri ,
Pan Jigeh , Pan Selamet , Pan Sipon , Pan Tarmi
Photography - Ute-Elke Schneider
Producer - Kurt Renker , Mark Nauseef
Recorded By, Producer - Walter Quintus

Recorded at Pura Dalem Pembungan temple, Sading, Bali, August 1989

'From cremation ceremonies to a tooth filling at the local dentist, Balinese gamelan ensembles provide invaluable musical accompaniment to an endless variety of secular and religious activities; the island's many dance and theatrical performances based on the Hindu Ramayana epic are some of the most important. The gamelan batel specializes in accompanying the shadow [wayang] theater shows based on various parts of the Ramayana text [a tradition dating back over 1,000 years]. This stellar CMP recording from 1989 features the batel group Kusuma Sari in a live Ramayana performance, taped at an open temple pavilion in Sading, a town just north of the Balinese capital of Denpasar. The program includes musical backdrops for everything from sorrowful scenes to the monkey dance of Meganada -- there's even some music to accompany patrons while they exit the theater. Even if you already have a few gamelan titles, this wayang Ramayana recording will certainly make a nice addition to your world music collection.' ~ stephen cook, amg

i believe stevie's review sums up the proceedings here eloquently enuff, so i'm not gonna get too deep er nuffin. merely one of several under-represented indonesian joints i intend to drop soonish, this particular document hailing from the fine cmp imprint outta deutschland. i endeavour to hear every recording of this variety i can lay my ears on & while these sounds aint nuttin new per se [centuries olde in fact], eat's a belly noice sloice indeed. encoded at a resonant 192, specifically to piss off bit-racists, puritanical audio-pedophiles & other undesirables. more jive from this label lives just hither. please enjoy