Embong Rahardjo passes away

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