Name: New Nectar: New Music for Javanese Gamelan
Brand: Allegro Corporation ***
SKU: 1023647
Availability: OutOfStock

New Nectar

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Album: New Nectar: New Music for Javanese Gamelan
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Dreams He is a Ball of Fire... Or a Hummingbird, for Javanese gamelan: I
2)	Dreams He is a Ball of Fire... Or a Hummingbird, for Javanese gamelan: II
3)	Dreams He is a Ball of Fire... Or a Hummingbird, for Javanese gamelan: III
4)	Thinly, roundly, for 2 dan bau (Vietnamese instruments), 2 gender & gong (Javanese instruments)
5)	Lessons of the Garden, for Javanese gamelan: Gate
6)	Lessons of the Garden, for Javanese gamelan: Path
7)	Lessons of the Garden, for Javanese gamelan: Waterway
8)	Intimate Distance, for Javanese gamelan
9)	Whining horses eat more HEY doncha no, for Javanese gamelan
10)	Born Again Needle Dancers, for Javanese gamelan

Album: New Nectar: New Music for Javanese Gamelan
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Dreams He is a Ball of Fire... Or a Hummingbird, for Javanese gamelan: I
2)	Dreams He is a Ball of Fire... Or a Hummingbird, for Javanese gamelan: II
3)	Dreams He is a Ball of Fire... Or a Hummingbird, for Javanese gamelan: III
4)	Thinly, roundly, for 2 dan bau (Vietnamese instruments), 2 gender & gong (Javanese instruments)
5)	Lessons of the Garden, for Javanese gamelan: Gate
6)	Lessons of the Garden, for Javanese gamelan: Path
7)	Lessons of the Garden, for Javanese gamelan: Waterway
8)	Intimate Distance, for Javanese gamelan
9)	Whining horses eat more HEY doncha no, for Javanese gamelan
10)	Born Again Needle Dancers, for Javanese gamelan

Performer Notes

Includes compositions by Kenneth Newby, Chris Miller, Michael O'Neill, Mark Parlett and Paul Plimley.
Personnel: Mark Parlett (vocals, rebab, sitar, suling, kendang, gong); Chris Miller (vocals, rebab, gambang, kendang, gong); Anis Wijiastudi, D.B. Boyko (vocals); Sutrisno Hartana (rebab); Michael O'Neill (sitar, suling, aulos, gambang, wood block, bonang, sound effects); Ben Rogalsky (sitar, suling, kendang, bonang, gong, sound effects); Ann Hepper (sitar); Kenneth Newby (suling); Matthew Welch (aulos); Jonathan Bernard (gambang); Max Krause (wood block); Intan Murtadza (percussion); Tony Reif (bonang).
Additional personnel: Khac Chi Ensemble, Ngoc Bich.
Audio Mixers: Brent Calkin; Victoria Gibson; Kenneth Newby; Paul Plimley.
Liner Note Author: Chris Miller.
Recording information: Howe Studio, Bowen Island (07/1998-08/1998); MGS Studios, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (07/1998-08/1998); Western Front, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (07/1998-08/1998).
Editors: Victoria Gibson; Kenneth Newby; Paul Plimley.
A Vancouver, B.C.-based Javanese gamelan orchestra might sound like a beast out of water, but it's not about the location, it's about the music the ensemble produces. And while all five of the performers here are very familiar with the way the gamelan tradition works, they're not limited to it, drawing on their experiences in everything from Western classical to Vietnamese music to make a unique picture. That said, it's not exactly casual listening. It demands a great deal, and certainly can't be taken in over the course of a single hearing, and the basic music is foreign enough to be startling and disorienting. Meditative, often surprising, it's never less than interesting, and often deeply absorbing for the intrepid souls willing to keep their ears open to new experiences and listen. ~ Chris Nickson