East meets West in Sujiwo's new album
By Sirikit Syah
SURABAYA (JP): Sujiwo Tejo's newly released album is a new musical experience. A newcomer to the music industry, Sujiwo is different from other performers.
His songs, which he composed himself, are in Javanese, but many of the titles are in Indonesian -- one is even in English. The album has something in common with Emha Ainun Nadjib's Kado Mohammad (Mohammad's Gift), in terms of their Javanese lyrics and social-concerned themes. But it is clear that Sujiwo is not just following in Emha's footsteps.
Sujiwo's music is not only enjoyable, but inspiring too. Titled Pada Suatu Ketika (Once Upon A Time), the album, produced by Herwindra Aiko Senosoenoto, president director of PT Eksotika Karmawibhangga Indonesia, contains 10 songs.
Uniquely, the musical arrangement, by Sujiwo, is a perfect blend of Javanese traditional music and western music.
Unlike Ainun Nadjib's Kado Mohammad, the music of which is merely gamelan while its lyrics are in Javanese and Indonesian, Pada Suatu Ketika offers popular and even blues rhythm with Javanese lyrics, played on traditional and modern musical instruments.
The music is dominated by the guitar, keyboard and sometimes the flute, with a touch of musical instruments like the gendang percussion, the sitar, and bonang (a gamelan instrument), here and there. Bruce Baria, co-arranger and program and sound engineer should get credit for his work.
Sujiwo, who sings all the songs on the album, does not have what you would consider a good singing voice. But the intensity he puts into the songs gives power. Female singers Gayatri and Muriah Budiarti enrich the work.
Sujiwo tried his hand at almost everything before he declared himself a "male entertainer" (he rejects the label of singer). He is a journalist, a prominent contemporary dalang (puppeteer), winner of many musical competitions, a poet and writer of short stories and played the lead role in Telegram, a film by Slamet Rahardjo Djarot. Art seems to be in his blood and he is recognized as a multitalented artist.
"This is 'verbal music'," he says about his album. Words are not the most important thing in music. The mouth is just a musical instrument and the sound is more important than the meaning. Even without understanding the meaning of the lyrics, non-Javanese people can easily enjoy this album.
The lyrics have a certain intonation and accent with the strong influence of oral music from Banyuwangi.
Sujiwo was born in 1962 in Jember, not so far from Banyuwangi on the eastern tip of Java. This area has a culture of its own, influenced by dynamic Madurese and Balinese culture.
Preaching
Perhaps to show his journey in art and life, many of his songs also have a touch of Central Javanese (Surakarta, Yogyakarta), north Javanese (Banyumas), besides eastern Javanese. There is certainly much of his dalang experience in the production. Some words are taken from wayang (shadow puppet) lexicons.
All the songs tell about daily life, the monetary and moral crisis and how people deal with it. It reflects social phenomena. This album is entertaining while at the same time it makes you aware of what's going on. There is no preaching in it.
Sujiwo and his team are planning concerts in many small cities throughout Indonesia. He prefers to play with local artists and talk about the economic and political crisis with village heads and villagers.
The album will certainly enrich the musical map here. Credit goes to the producer too, who has such a daring idea, unworried by the noncommercial prospect of this commodity. We need more producers of his caliber.