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The project is over! The concert was a success and the recording session was a fun-filled five hours of pain. I just slipped out of the lawar party (but don't worry I ate my duck brain sate before I left!) to send an email to Jon and to start packing my suitcase. I may go back if the mood strikes me, or I might just spend a little quiet time soaking in my last night in Bali.

The concert was held at an outdoor ampitheatre at the Arts Conservatory - Institut Seni Indonesia di Denpasar - last night at 8pm. The first piece was a short and sweet piece for our western musicians written by Francois Houle and called, "Bonjour Bali." The second piece was Colin and Sudi's "Arak Kok" - for sax, trumpet and gamelan. Unfortunately I didn't think that we did a fabulous job of this piece since we were all so focussed on Michael's piece still to come. (This morning we held a short recording session for Arak Kok at the sanggar). Next on the programme was a work written for the CW group (Sudi's childrens/teens gamelan) by Colin. And then Michael's piece.

Everything came together nicely for Michael's piece, named "Buk Katra" (I think - I only heard the title of the piece and never saw it written down!). Afterwards I was speaking with one of the kendang players (drummers) who said he nailed his part for the first and last time! The drumming in this piece was particularly challenging - it was written for four drummers (five drums) and typically gamelan has two drummers. Anyways, I think Michael was very satisfied with the performance. And hey - we're famous. Apparently there were like 12 video cameras for various documentaries and television stations. We're going to be on Bali TV!

So that's about it. Well, of course I have tons to say about the project/performance...but I'm sick of this Internet cafe! I hope to see some of you (the locals - especially Jon, my parents, and the neighbours) in the next few days. And to the rest of you - thanks for reading and (hopefully) I'll see you soon, too!

I will post photos of the trip after I get home (perhaps sometime next week). Stay tuned...

R.

This one week...in Bali

Wow - this past week has really whizzed past! The 'home stretch' has been a blur of intense rehearsals. Tonight is our recording session and tomorrow is our concert. I can't believe that we've almost fulfilled our goal after a month of serious collaboration.

I'm very stressed about getting through the next few days. My face is pretty tired but I just need to hang in there a little longer. I have played trumpet anywhere from 3-6 hours everyday for the past month (save for about 3 days). This is so unlike me back home :)

Other stresses are the weather - we are recording outside in a field (some of the microphones are hanging from trees!). Surprisingly the acoustics are very good. Also, the performance is scheduled to take place outside. For the past few days the weather has been in fine tropical form - hot, sunny and humid. But our track record here has included a heck of a lot of rain. My fingers are crossed!

Denis our camera guy thought that having our one and only concert here rained out would make for a spectacular end to the documentary. I'm not sure that Michael would agree with him, though. I told him that an even better ending would be to watch AK's clarinet dissolve in the rain and then watch our (electric) pianist get electrocuted ("being electrocuted" - that one's for you, Em).

Last night both the gamelan and the western musicians met at Dewa Berata's pondok (Dewa is one of the brothers who founded Cudamani - the other is Alit, of course). The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the process of learning the music and how we've all felt about working together despite our differences. The discussion was very interesting with lots of participation from both sides.

We discussed how the gamelan felt about the western musicians reading music, adhering to the score, etc. And then in the end things got a little emotional when we asked Michael whether or not he felt that this collaboration has been a success. He read to us from his program notes for tomorrow night - in it he described the piece as being 'still in darkness.' Meaning, I suppose, that there is still much work to be done in order to achieve musical 'success' from this sort of cross-cultural experience.

Bapak Dewa (the father of the Cudamani brothers) and a respected elder joined us at that point in the meeting and said that he feels that it is not up to us to determine whether or not the music is a success - it is up to the audience to decide. Our role is to continue creating music as much as we possibly can.

Dewa Berata focussed on the positive relationships and peripheral benefits of the collaboration. After the discussion we headed back to the sanggar for our final rehearsal - I think we all felt a little more united after taking the time to discuss the project. Save for some of the younger guys who goofed around and smoked their cigs the whole time :)

I enjoyed the discussion immensely; but am wondering if it is 'normal' for the Balinese musicians to sit around and discuss music as such. I think I will ask Sudi next time I see him. I also need to ask him if my sulings have been ordered??!! I think they are being ordered on Bali time (perhaps he can bring them to me when he returns to Vancouver in the fall).

So much to say...so much to say. This morning we heard a gamelan in the village of Pinda. They're all these old farmers - but they were wicked good. Not a lot of flash and pizzazz - just a strong, solid focus and connection to the music.

Another thing I've spent a lot of time thinking about lately (besides Jon!) is how to get Gita Asmara (our gamelan in Vancouver) up and running as an organization. I've been holding back on my business-y ways because of some of the laid-back personalities in the group. Lately I've been going around and speaking to members of our group that are here on the trip and determining what level they would like to see the group working towards over the next 1-5 years.

The majority would like to be up and running, performing in Vancouver and possibly touring to Bali in a couple of years. Now that I have some consensus I intend to work on a plan for the organization when I get home. I'm tired of hanging back in all of our meetings and witnessing the 'group think' or apathy. There are several people who just want everything to magically happen around them - y'know show up and play but never actually touch a grant application. Anyways, I've assigned myself official 'sh*t disturber' status - and Nicole and Pete have said they're willing to back me up!

So...I think I've written quite enough. Time to go warm up for tonight's session. Catch you all later! (I'll be home on Thursday!)

Rach

Busy in Bali

The last few days have been really weird. My accommodation bliss fell to shambles but has now been rectified and I am once again at peace.

A "communication breakdown" occured - much as it tends to happen around here - and I was abruptly evicted from my lavish digs at Bali Putra. Apparently I was signed up for two days and not two weeks. However, I know that I have enough Indonesian and the owner of the homestay has enough English to be able to properly communicate dates. In the end he got a bonus couple of days pay before his reservation arrived and I got a whirlwind tour of all the other homestays and hotels on the block - total scam. I am now settled into my new "treehouse" across the street. Of course, I'm out another $10 CAD a night, but I think I'll manage. Did I mention that I get a clean towel everyday?? Woo hoo!

Musically speaking things are progressing well. Yesterday afternoon we worked on the ending of Michael's piece and now we're working backwards to connect the piece somewhere in the middle where we left off last week.

As with all the sections of this piece it sounds like a gong show (no pun intended! seriously!); but then it has a way of becoming clearer the next rehearsal or two later. Part of this process, though, has been to re-orchestrate as we go and thin out the texture. Nobody really needs blastissimo trumpet and trombone mixed with gong kebyar for 25+ minutes on end.

In addition to Michael's piece I am working on a piece for sax and trumpet (we premiered it in Vancouver last spring but here we will perform it with a newly composed introduction). So tonight I have four consecutive hours of rehearsal.

I often wish I were playing gamelan here and not trumpet...it is so much more conducive to never-ending rehearsals...plus it is my true musical love. Ah well...hopefully I will be able to squeeze in a few more lessons before I leave. Unfortunately the race to the finish line (performance/end of trip) is on and my time is being monopolized by rehearsals and the (damn!) film crew.

This morning the film crew followed Lesley, Nicole and I through Monkey Forest Sanctuary in Ubud. The monkies were wicked cool and hilarious (Nicole took a photo of me sitting next to one who was snacking on a banana - but when we looked at the shot later the monkey looked like he was deep in conversation with me...nevermind, it's hard to describe, I'll have to post the photo when I get home).

Anyways...of course when you're with the camera they're constantly setting up shots so nothing is natural...Denis will ask us to go back up some stairs so he can shoot us coming down, oh...but first we have to line up in the order that we were walking in the last scene he'd shot, etc. etc. You get the idea...but I'm sure it will make for a marvelous documentary (?!)

In about half an hour the camera and crew are back at my treehouse to shoot Malcolm and I in a sectional. Yet again, an authentic rehearsal not set up by the musicians but by the film crew!

Oh well...it will do us some good to get a bit of practice in before tonight. Michael has written a section of kotekan (interlocking rhythms characteristic of gamelan music) that finds all the western musicians on the beat (polos) while the gamelan is off the beat (sangsi). Of course, as with every other section of this piece the rhythms are complicated by the constant leaping of pitches. Bee boo.

Ahh...what else. Saw the kecak/Indian dance performance at the PKB on Sunday - magnifique. A few people went to an Indian dance workshop this morning...I was too busy chilling with the monkies. Tomorrow we're going to a shop that makes gamelan instruments and on Thursday we've been invited to STSI (the Balinese arts conservatory in Denpasar) for lunch and a tour.

Busy busy...but we're into the home stretch. The performance is less than a week away and I'm definitely starting to look forward to coming home (ahem...Jon). Hope all is well in Vancouver or wherever you are reading this!

R.

Soggy feet and happy times

Yet another rainy day in Bali. My sandals have been soaked for two days straight. I'm sure they don't smell very fresh...but I've long discovered that feet and hands are never entirely clean here. I've made peace with this fact and am actually enjoying the filthiness. It's like a mud bath - and those are good for you, right?

I went to the market yesterday with some friends and had a good time bartering for 'Bali price.' It's amazing how much of a difference knowing some of the language really makes. I suppose the main thing is that we can chat and make it clear that we're not really here as tourists, but as performers/students/etc. This goes a long way. Many people know Cudamani, too, because they are such a reputable gamelan. I think we will have a local fan base when we perform on the 10th, even if they're just watching us on Bali TV.

We are making friends here in the local restaurants, shops and transport. However, we also recently discovered that the Internet cafe that we all frequent has been ripping us off. It's quite funny actaully, for the first few weeks we were all being friendly and just accepting the price they'd quote us. I don't know who discovered it first but you can check the cost on your computer before you shut down and once a few people did this, they found a descrepancy between what they were being charged at the cashier and what appeared on their computer. We checked this out a few more times, and it's true! Now we check the price on our screen and go up and just give them the exact amount.

In other news...I moved to a new place closer to the sanggar and town, etc. I am much happier. My place is huge and clean. It is only $15 CAD a night...two stories tall with a huge bathroom (and working shower!) and two large decks. It's way more space than I need but the alternative was to spend way more for a small, touristy room across the street. My place is still pretty rustic and is nestled between rice paddies on either side. We have the day off today but rather than jet out of town, I'm planning to stay close by and just wander around town and chill out in my new digs.

Yesterday I caught the dress rehearsal for the kecak/Indian dance performance (which is tonight and tomorrow night - I'm hoping to catch both shows). While I was sitting on the grass by the pondok I got to thinking about how weird life is and about how far music has taken me. Sitting in Bali...watching a famous Hindu story presented as a collaboration of kecak with South Indian dancers and musicians (from Minnesota!). It really is wild.

There have been other circumstances on this trip where I've experienced yet another 'new world' in music. We were driving back from the PKB the other day and Anthony (yet another ethnomusicologist from the Univeristy of Northern Ireland) was with us on the ride. He started singing these Irish tunes as we weaved in and out of the insane traffic (motor bikes wedged in between cars between bikes between cows) - it all seemed very surreal.

Anyways...I'm looking forward to completing Michael's piece soon. We only have 10 days until our performance. I think I will need a vacation after this trip has ended! Ha ha!

Ciao for now,

R.

I'm still going full tilt tourist here and making up for lost time. Yesterday a big group of us (doesn't that always make the tourist thing worse!) drove to Kertha Gosa or the "Floating Palace." It was a total bust. Apparently the Palace hasn't floated in over 40 years! We arrived to find a large-ish hut surrounded by a moat of dead, rotting fish (some sections had a small amount of dirty water). I thought it was actually quite funny.

Of course a tour guide inserted himself into our group and began regaling us with tales of Balinese kingdoms long past - at the end of his mostly incoherent speech he stood waiting to be paid. We all chipped in about 5,000 Rp. ($0.70) and he looked really ticked off. It was rather uncomfortable and I was glad when we finally left the sunken palace.

After the "Palace" we took a beautiful, long drive in the mountains and viewed some spectacular cascading rice terraces. It was my favourite tourist activity to date!

Today I (finally!) went to Denpasar to catch a performance at the Bali Arts Festival (aka PKB). We saw the two teen groups (boys and girls) of Cudamani perform. They did great and it was so much fun to be there as part of the group.

A similar thing happened to us the other night when a group of us went to hear the children's gamelan perform Colin's new piece. We were with Michael so all the Balinese composers and judges at the concert instantly recognized him and the whole group received the royal treatment - priority seating (second row!) and on each chair, a little box of "baked goods" (mostly glutinous rice delicacies) and Aqua - bottled water - for us to snack on during the performance.

Meanwhile the standing room only crowd was packed in so tightly they were practically standing on top of one another. I actually felt kind of bad about having the best seats in the house...I'm sure the villagers and parents of the performers would've preferred to be up close - but then again they've probably been going to all of the rehearsals already!

So I think my tourist times are winding down. I'm going to catch the Cudamani kecak rehearsal after I send this blog into cyberspace. Kecak is a type of vocal gamelan performed by a group of men seated in circle - usually there is some choreography as well. In this case the piece is very modern and they are working with a group of Indian dancers. Very cool...this will be my first time catching the rehearsal with the dancers who just arrived a few days ago.

No rehearsal today!!! And I'm not sick :) Last night's rehearsal went well, though, and we've started learning the second-to-last section of Michael's piece. I can't wait until it is complete and we can get into the 'polishing up' stage of things. Our performance at PKB is July 10th.

Hope you're all well...drop me a line if you've got a spare minute. Ciao, R.

P.S. I've booked myself into a swank new homestay in Pengosekan. I will be closer to everything - rehearsals, restaurants, spas (!), etc. I'm moving in on Thursday - only two more cockroachy sleeps to go!

This one time, in Bali...

I am turning into a tacky tourist. The weather has been nice three straight days in a row. The western musicians (or 'Team Canada' as Michael likes to call us) held a meeting the other night to try to organize our schedules and line up some outings together - it has been so "Bali" here with constant schedule changes and very few breaks so far.

Yesterday we drove an hour south to Sanur beach and lazed in the sun and drank boozy beverages with umbrellas in them. It was so relaxing! Unfortunately, after running about in the sun all morning we were almost too exhausted to make it through our afternoon rehearsal.

Today another group of us went to a beautiful temple called Gunung Kawi. It is centuries old with terraced rice fields and stunning carvings in the mountainside. While we were there a village ceremony was taking place (I think it was the temple's birthay - I thought I heard someone say that it is "Odalan" which is the word for 'b-day ceremony').

The only drawback to visiting Gunung Kawi were the tourist shops - they really attack you to buy their sarongs! And they all pretty much sell the same thing. I hate the bartering, but it's expected here. I'm thinking of heading into Ubud tomorrow to go to the market...so I better get my bartering chops on.

There is a bit of a storm brewing in the group. We have finished learning just over half of Michael's piece (it is still very 'bee boo'!) and we're having a difficult time aligning all the parts. The trumpets can't hear the clarinets and the gangsas (gamelan) can't hear the piano, etc. So tomorrow the rehearsal has been cut and we're going to spend the time working out the acoustic issues. Michael is very scattered and tense about it all...and of course the film crew are just eating it up!

Anyways...more later. Stay tuned!

R.