Sudanese Jaipong And Other Popular Music From West Java

This is an album of the relatively rare, but rather popular, jaipongan style of music from the Sunda region of Indonesia. Its founder, Gugum Gumbira, only created the elements of jaipongan in the late '70s, borrowing heavily from elements of other regional styles along the way. Tonggeret features the ensemble of Gumbira, himself, master drummer Suwanda for the genre's characteristic drumming, and former wayang kulit singer Idjah Hadidjah for the necessary vocals. The music tends to split the lines between traditional and modern. The heavy use of the rebab and the gamelan instruments adds to the mystical air of the music and its traditional nature. At the same time, song structures point toward the more modern end of the spectrum in many ways. For those who have heard jaipongan, this recording is a prime example of the form, using its premier composer and premier drummer. For those who haven't experienced this type of music, one must simply imagine a fusion of light gamelan, a bit of heavier drumming, and some random South Asian vocals. These pieces come together well and they're worth a listen for those bored with the other styles of Indonesian music based in Java, Bali, or Sulawesi. ~ Adam Greenberg|