Bali's Jegog ensemble on concert tour to Japan

Bali's Jegog ensemble on concert tour to Japan

Kadek Suartaya, Contributor, Denpasar, Bali

The intoxicating rhythms of traditional Balinese bamboo music,
Jegog, will sound throughout Japan when 23 Balinese musicians
perform concerts in Tokyo, Hyogo, Shiga and Fukuoka during a 22-
day cultural mission.

The Suar Agung troupe, arguably the best Jegog company in
Bali, will showcase several Jegog compositions and accompanying
traditional dances.

Group leader, I Ketut Suwentra, 55, is a versatile artist who
almost single-handedly brought Jegog to its present level of
popularity. It was Suwentra who choreographed the popular
Makepung (bull-race) dance, which has became the official dance
for every Jegog troupe on the island.

"We will leave Bali for Japan on July 20," Suwentra said.

This ensemble has gained popularity among the Japanese
musicians, as shown with the establishment of several Jegog
troupes in Japan like the famous Yamashirogumi troupe and Sekar
Sakura of the Nagoya College of Music.

Suwentra, who tutored Sekar Sakura, praised his students'
determination and perseverance in learning Jegog.

"They are not easily discouraged. There were times when they
sobbed in despair over their inability to master certain
compositions, but you could rest assured they would not quit.
They would keep trying until they got them right."

The result was promising. Sekar Sakura achieved so much it had
the courage to perform together with Jembrana-based Suar Agung
and Ubud-based Tirta Sari in a concert in Japan. During 1998's
Bali Arts Festival, Sekar Sakura even gave a powerful performance
during a Jegog duel against a Bali-based Jegog troupe.

Jegog was a distinct musical feature of Jembrana, a region in
the western part of Bali. Due to it's geographical proximity to
East Java, demographical diversity and it's long history of
political as well as, to some extent, cultural alienation from
the feudalism and power struggle between kingdoms in the south
and east of Bali, Jembrana produced cultural treasures, which
differed distinctively from the rest of Bali. And Jegog was one
of the distinctive cultural products.

The locals attributed the invention of Jegog to Ki Yang
Gelinduh of Sebual hamlet. In his book on Jegog, Suwentra stated
that the people of Western Bali had known Jegog since 1912.

An important Jegog instrument consists of eight huge bamboo
tubes arrayed on a tilted four-legged wooden frame. The frame is
elaborately engraved and painted with striking colors. The
biggest tube is 15.8 centimeters in diameter and 308 centimeters
long.

It takes two musicians, each carrying two wooden mallets
called panggul, to play it.

The present-day Jegog ensemble also incorporate several
instruments from gong ensembles,such as traditional kendang drums
and percussion instruments, including cengceng and tawa-tawa.

Currently, the music is popular among Western Bali's youth,
due to it's joyful tones that fit nicely with the popular dance
of joged, in which several young female dancers tempt males to
join the dance with seductive, sometimes erotic, gestures and
movements.

Initially used as a medium to invite people to attend a
community gathering, Jegog gradually evolved into three different
versions. Those three versions, named after their own respective
distinguished composers, were I Gejor, I Suprig, both used to
accompany dance and traditional martial art Pencak Silat
performances, and I Nyoman Jayus, which was used as a musical
score for dance drama performances.

While most of the traditional Balinese gong ensembles are
played by musicians sitting cross-legged, Jegog musicians use a
quite different style. They play their instruments standing,
exuding a musical power and passion. They move and swing their
bodies energetically in accordance with the music's signature
fast-paced and dynamic compositions.