Embong Rahardjo passes away

Noted jazz saxophonist Embong Rahardjo passed away on Friday at around 10 a.m. Embong suffered a stroke after being hospitalized at the Tria Dipa Hospital in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, and did not recover.

He is survived by his wife and three daughters.

His body was taken to the St. Carolus Hospital in Central Jakarta where it was laid out for people to pay their last respects later on Friday, and will be buried on Saturday at Pondok Rangon cemetery.

Two days before being admitted to Tria Dipa Hospital, Embong had been diagnosed with dehydration and was taken to Mitra Keluarga Hospital in Central Jakarta. He was moved to Tria Dipa Hospital on Friday Nov. 23. On Monday morning, Embong suffered a mild stroke and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.

Detik.com reported that Embong's condition was stable on Wednesday and doctors allowed him to leave ICU. But on Thursday evening, his condition deteriorated before he finally passed away.

Jazz pianist Idang Rasyidi, who often performed with Embong in national and international shows, shared his sadness.

"I'm very sad about his death. He was a down-to-earth person. We have lost one of our best jazz musicians," Idang was quoted by Lippostar.com as saying.

Born in Surakarta, Central Java, on Jan. 23, 1951, Embong began his career in 1972, when he joined the band Maryono and His Boys. He later moved to Surabaya and performed at the LCC Night Club. After returning to Jakarta to further explore his skills, Embong met jazz musicians Jack Lesmana and Ireng Maulana.

In 1973, he traveled to Europe, the United States and Asia with the Pertamina Band for three years.

Embong always performed at the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague, the Netherlands. His appeal earned him a recording offer in 1988 from Warner Bros where he collaborated with Bob James and other musicians. James is well known for managing world-class jazz musician Al Jarreau.

In 1994, Embong, who was close to saxophonists Kenny G and Dave Koz, produced his own album titled The Embong Rahardjo Project. The album was produced by Michael Collins, who is also a producer for big names in jazz including Sergio Mendez, George Benson and Michael Frank.

Many people, however, didn't realize that Embong's favorite instrument was the flute and not the saxophone. For Embong, instruments were just a medium for conveying his feelings to the audience. People preferred to watch him play saxophone because he was identified with jazz. Besides, the saxophone was considered more "cool" compared to flute.

Besides music, Embong enjoyed keeping birds, hunting and wildlife adventures. The sounds of birds and animals inspired his music. To Embong, the essence of jazz was pure and true inspiration. He often improvised after listening to bird noises. He could transform those noises into mainstream, dixie or modern styles.

His rejection of monotonous arrangements brought him fame. Embong always managed to astonish audiences with his repertoire, even if they were not jazz lovers. Perhaps that's what he meant when he said "jazz was merely spontaneity and improvisation." --JP