RI jazz mourns legendary bassist

RI jazz mourns legendary bassist

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesian jazz has lost a seasoned bass player, Perry
Pattiselano, 55, and his contemporaries mourned the passing of a
"reliable, stable and consistent" musician and good friend.

Perry was playing with Indonesian jazz vocalist Pinky and
pianist "Sukat" Harjanto at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Amman when a
bomb exploded at the hotel, killing him instantly.

Pinky and Sukat are still being treated in an Amman hospital
for their injuries.

That bomb and two others at separate hotels in the city killed
57 people.

Trombone player Benny Likumahuwa recalled on Friday that Perry
was a good friend and a reliable bassist.

"When we're playing, the bass is the guide. Playing with him,
we were never worried because whatever the tempo, we could swing
together beautifully," said Benny, who had played with Perry
since the 1970s.

"The last time we played together was on Sept. 3 in Bandung,"
he added.

Perry and the band were playing on a six-month contract at the
Hyatt, having left Indonesia in early November.

Jazz guitarist Ireng Maulana, who also often shared the stage
with Perry in the Ireng Maulana All Stars, said he felt a deep
sadness about his passing.

"I'm now helpless," said Ireng, who had just lost his close
friend, jazz pianist Hendra Wijaya, last Sunday.

"(Perry) was recently also an agent for artists who sought to
play abroad. He had played in China, South Korea, Thailand,
Singapore," added Ireng, who used to play with Perry and Idang
Rasjidi at the then Regent Hotel in South Jakarta.

Perry, the fourth of five Pattiselano sons, had played several
gigs with his brothers, guitarist Oele and drummer Jacky, in the
Pattiselano Brothers Band at the international JakJazz festivals.
He was also a regular performer at the Jakarta Le Meridien Hotel.

"He is the master of rhythm. Bassists are like the rice in the
meal. We, guitarists, are the side dishes. Playing with him, it
was like eating very tasty rice," Ireng said.

Perry is survived by a wife, Eleanor Savitri, their three
children and several grandchildren.