MetaFilter posts tagged with bali

Jegog - The Balinese bamboo gamelan

y2karl — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 23:29:25 -0800

Jegog (Suar Agung) the first
Jegog (Suar Agung) the second
Jegog (Suar Agung) the third
Sekaa Jegog Yuskumara - Balinese gamelan music
Sekaa Jegog Yuskumara in the Tropenmuseum Sekaa Jegog Yuskumara Masterclass 1 Sekaa Jegog Yuskumara Masterclass 2 See also

Jegog is a kind of traditional bamboo music or gamelan from Jembrana Region, West Bali. All of us agree that Jembrana is "The Home of Jegog" which was created by Kiyang Geliduh is Sebual village in 1912. The instruments are 90 percents made from bamboo in various measures and scales. The biggest is 300cm length, 18cm diameter, and 2cm thickness.

Jegog by Suar Agung See also

On Bali there are 35 different types of gamelans. Some are exceedingly rare creatures: the gamelan gong beri -- composed of bronze gongs, cymbals, a drum and a conch shell, teamed with dancers in Dutch-style uniforms -- is found only in two villages. Others, like the gamelan gong kebyar, are integral parts of every neighborhood, the ''speed metal'' bands of the island, numbering about 4,000 and counting. (Michael Tenzer in his book ''Balinese Music'' estimates that one group, in an almost unbelievable display of percussive virtuosity, played 800 notes per minute, or almost 7 notes per second for each of the 25 players.) The arts of Bali have from the start been intertwined with the intense religious life of its people. Virtually every ceremony -- and there are countless numbers of them in the Bali-Hindu calendar -- requires some physical display: evanescent offerings to attract the gods and to delight their people. There are special orchestras, music and dance for the celebration of a birth, others for various stages of funerals. In the village of Tenganan, one gamelan with keys made of iron rather than the traditional bronze, bamboo or wood -- a selonding or seven-tone pelog ensemble said to be a gift from the gods -- is so sacred that only copies of it may be played. ''Music and dance are spiritual musts,'' explained Dr. Anak Agung Made Djelantik, a physician-prince from the eastern regency of Karangasem, who lectures on esthetics at the arts college. ''The arts are an invitation for the gods to come down and join the people. There is a very physical contact with the unseen, with the ancestors -- as a medical doctor, I can feel it -- which makes the people in the village very happy. That is why the arts will never go away.''

A Far Island of Cultural Survival See also I Ketut Suwentra - The Grandfather of Jegog

Some Indonesian music.

flapjax at midnite — Sun, 13 May 2007 07:56:05 -0800

Spend a bit of your Sunday getting a little more acquainted with Indonesian musical culture. Balinese gamelan. And a little more. See how they make some of those fabulous-sounding gongs. And here's the fabulous Kecak. And more Kecak. And just for good measure, howsabout a little Angklung kara oke? Meanwhile in Sumatra the gals are playing the dishes! [all links YouTube]

painting in paradise

nickyskye — Sat, 29 Jul 2006 23:07:51 -0800

Bali is an island in Indonesia that attracted Walter Spies, a Russian born, German artist who settled in the colonial Dutch East Indies from 1923 on. Adored by the Balinese, Spies was the co-founder of the Pita Maha artists' cooperative, he shaped the development of contemporary Balinese art and established the West's image of Bali that still exists today. [more images and background inside]

More bombs in bali

tellurian — Sat, 01 Oct 2005 10:25:43 -0800

More bombs and newsagencies. It looks like this is not going to be a destination for some time. Fuck. [via]

Prosecutors say they are confident of Corby guilt.

sjvilla79 — Fri, 06 May 2005 03:58:14 -0800

Prosecutors say they are confident of Corby guilt. But they've got to be joking right? Prosecutors are claiming that because Corby was caught 'red handed' this warrants jailing her for life. Isn't this just a little barbaric though? I mean this poor woman has already been through a totally life changing ordeal that will probably leave her mentally scarred for life (I've refrained from saying f__ked up but that's what I mean). The latest news reports state that she has even found God over the past week or so and recently was baptised to proclaim her faith. I find this behaviour very interesting. Is it a clear indication she is reaching out because she feels totally helpless? Most likely. But good for her anyway. Hey, perhaps a belief in a higher power might have helped the guy who testified at her trial a few weeks ago about Corby being a victim of an Australian drug smuggling ring. Of course being a rat (especially while still in jail) can be hazardous to your health, though. So in conclusion, stupid Mr Rat and poor Miss Corby. She still shouldn't go to prison, though. Related: The 'Bali nine'.

The 'Bali nine'.

sjvilla79 — Sun, 24 Apr 2005 03:43:24 -0800

The Australian media is calling them the 'Bali nine'. Nine young Australians are being held in Bali under suspicion for attempting to smuggle 8.3 kg (or 11.25 kg depending on what you read) of heroin through Bali's airport. They were caught with the drugs allegedly strapped to their bodies while accomplices were apprehended at a nearby hotel. Most of the nine Australians are now cooperating with police enquiries even though they fear doing so will further endanger the lives of their families (e.g. drug lords punishing them for talking). Don't get this latest case mistaken, however, with the other high-profile Australian drugs case in the Australian media right now. Beauty therapist Schapelle Corby, 27, is also being held in Bali for the 4.1 kg of top-notch marijuana found in her bodyboard bag some months ago. Prosecutors in that case have asked for a life sentence to be handed down to Corby. She has supposedly escaped death by firing squad. Her legal team and family, though, say she was a victim of dodgy baggage handlers and an Australian interstate drug smuggling operation that uses unknowing interstate Australian travellers as drug mules. Most Australians are worried about this, too. Of course, the strain of the case on Corby is beginning to show. But getting back to the 'Bali nine'. What will their fate be? Another Australian was just given an execution order in Vietnam for also smuggling Heroin. It's all nasty stuff, hey. News reports indicate that Australian officials will seek clemency for those involved in the latest Bali bust. Yeah, but how much good will that do? Indonesia is well known for enforcing strong anti-drug laws. And who can blame them?

Bali Monkeys

Shane — Fri, 16 Jul 2004 11:03:37 -0800

Is it a gargoyle? No, it is the heartwarming, sly, naughty long-tailed Macaque monkey of Bali, creature of myth and of the Sacred Forest. It may think it's a gargoyle, or perhaps it's only dreaming of Notre Dame

Thank your God for small mercies

dg — Wed, 01 Oct 2003 16:00:47 -0800

While the tragedy of the bombing in Bali was bad enough, evidence has surfaced that the bomb was incorrectly assembled, resulting in less than 1/3 of the device exploding (bare-bones link). Experts using computer modelling have worked out the net explosive quantity of the vehicle bomb outside the Sari Club was between 150kg and 300kg – as opposed to a potential 1150kg and that the toll could have been in the thousands had the bomb exploded as planned.

Bang a gong!

moonbird — Tue, 16 Sep 2003 16:28:38 -0800

Gamelan, the traditional percussive orchestras of Java and Bali, has many contemporary ensembles in America. Why don't you take a seat and play along?

P.S. No thread on Gamelan would be complete without reference to the Ramayana Monkey Chant and the story behind it!

Bomb rocks Jakarta

dg — Tue, 05 Aug 2003 06:03:49 -0800

With the trial of the bali bombers underway, a bomb has been exploded in the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta's CBD. Deaths have been reported here on Australian TV at 13, with over 120 injured, although these figures are expected to rise. The BBC is reporting on the experiences of those at the scene.