Dewa Budjana
Surya Namaskar
MoonJune Records
2014
It was only a few months ago that I came across Dewa Budjana. It was the first time that I had ever heard of him but I can easily say now that he is among my favorite prog-rock, jazz/fusion musicians. “Joged Kahyangan” (read the review here) was a fantastic album in general. Dewa told me back then that he was preparing another album which was going to be released shortly after. As with every new album, you are wondering if the musicians are in a hurry to produce more music. Thankfully, that doesn’t stand for inventive musicians such as Dewa.
So this time Dewa has a bunch of great musicians by his side as well. The basic two are: Jimmy Johnson (Allan Holdsworth, James Taylor, Flim & the BB’s) on bass & and Vinnie Colaiuta (Frank Zappa, Herbie Hancock, Jeff Beck, Sting) on drums. The music background of both musicians leaves no room for further comments. They are both exceptional musicians. The guest musicians here are: Gary Husband (John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth) on synthesizers on “Fifty”, Michael Landau (James Taylor, Renegade Creation, Joni Mitchell) on electric guitar solos on the homonymous track, Mang Ayi on vocals, Kang Pupung on Tarawangsa (Sundanese violin) & Kangiya on Kacapi (Sundanese harp), all on “Kalingga”. The track “Capistrano Road” is dedicated to the innovative & unique guitar master Allan Holdsworth. It’s near his genius but none can do it like the master! The album was recorded, mixed & mastered by the renowned engineer Robert Feist (Stevie Nicks, Anita Baker, 8 albums of Allan Holdsworth etc.) during two sessions in January and October of 2013. The production is sweet, smooth & full.
“Surya Namaskar” means “Salute to the Sun”, in Dewa’s native Balinese language. Hence, a twist of mood & songwriting should be expected. This time Dewa is pushing his prog rock, jazz/fusion, avant-garde & ethic boundaries even further. With mostly abstract, intellectual & unusual music changes, Dewa salutes the Sun in his own very peculiar, distinctive & imaginative way. Literally, every track can go anywhere from the moment it starts. You can never guess what’s next! Then again, I strongly believe that this kind of music is not for everyone… it mostly addresses an “elitist” group of people who is fond of diverse, strange & uncommon things in life on the whole. Dewa Budjana has once again proven that he is a gifted & creative musician who knows no music boundaries… (Some albums just do not need any kind of rating for obvious reasons…)
PS: Dewa recorded material for a new album in January 2014, along with Antonio Sanchez on drums, Ben Williams on upright bass (both recording and touring with Pat Metheny) and Joe Locke on vibraphone. What can I say? Bring it on Dewa!
So this time Dewa has a bunch of great musicians by his side as well. The basic two are: Jimmy Johnson (Allan Holdsworth, James Taylor, Flim & the BB’s) on bass & and Vinnie Colaiuta (Frank Zappa, Herbie Hancock, Jeff Beck, Sting) on drums. The music background of both musicians leaves no room for further comments. They are both exceptional musicians. The guest musicians here are: Gary Husband (John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth) on synthesizers on “Fifty”, Michael Landau (James Taylor, Renegade Creation, Joni Mitchell) on electric guitar solos on the homonymous track, Mang Ayi on vocals, Kang Pupung on Tarawangsa (Sundanese violin) & Kangiya on Kacapi (Sundanese harp), all on “Kalingga”. The track “Capistrano Road” is dedicated to the innovative & unique guitar master Allan Holdsworth. It’s near his genius but none can do it like the master! The album was recorded, mixed & mastered by the renowned engineer Robert Feist (Stevie Nicks, Anita Baker, 8 albums of Allan Holdsworth etc.) during two sessions in January and October of 2013. The production is sweet, smooth & full.
“Surya Namaskar” means “Salute to the Sun”, in Dewa’s native Balinese language. Hence, a twist of mood & songwriting should be expected. This time Dewa is pushing his prog rock, jazz/fusion, avant-garde & ethic boundaries even further. With mostly abstract, intellectual & unusual music changes, Dewa salutes the Sun in his own very peculiar, distinctive & imaginative way. Literally, every track can go anywhere from the moment it starts. You can never guess what’s next! Then again, I strongly believe that this kind of music is not for everyone… it mostly addresses an “elitist” group of people who is fond of diverse, strange & uncommon things in life on the whole. Dewa Budjana has once again proven that he is a gifted & creative musician who knows no music boundaries… (Some albums just do not need any kind of rating for obvious reasons…)
PS: Dewa recorded material for a new album in January 2014, along with Antonio Sanchez on drums, Ben Williams on upright bass (both recording and touring with Pat Metheny) and Joe Locke on vibraphone. What can I say? Bring it on Dewa!