The Bali Sessions: Living Art, Sounding Spirit

In 1999, five years after releasing Music for the Gods: The Fahnestock South Sea Expedition: Indonesia, Mickey Hart sought to record an album highlighting the more contemporary musical adaptations of Bali in Living Art, Sounding Spirit: The Bali Sessions. “I have geared this recording toward rarer ensembles and new compositions,” says Hart, “omitting the most popular styles such as kebyar, since they have been often and well recorded elsewhere.” The album features kecak (a vocal orchestral form characterized by interlocking voices), gamelan jegog (a little-known ensemble of large bamboo instruments popular in isolated villages of far-western Bali), and new styles kreasi baru and musik kontemporer (which incorporate both traditional and contemporary elements into pieces calling for peace and unity during in the throes of the late 1990s Asian financial crisis). Hart produced the three-disc set with the help of ethnomusicologist Frederic Lieberman, author of the liner notes. Living Art, Sounding Spirit: The Bali Sessions was issued in 1999 as part of “THE WORLD” series (now part of the Mickey Hart Collection made available by Smithsonian Folkways).

Visit mickeyhart.net for additional photos and videos from this album

Track Listing

101	Sekati	Sekaa Gamelan Selonding Sudamala	06:56
102	Rejang Dauh Tukad	Sekaa Gamelan Selonding Sudamala	05:12
103	Ijang	Sekaa Gamelan Selonding Sudamala	06:04
104	Nyanjangan	Sekaa Gamelan Selonding Sudamala	02:21
105	Palawakia	Sekaa Gong Suling Udiyana Budaya	10:31
106	Genggong solo	Sekaa Genggong Batur Sari	01:38
107	Gelaga Puhun	Sekaa Genggong Batur Sari	02:13
108	Anklung Sekar Jati	Sekaa Genggong Batur Sari	05:10
109	Semara Guna	Sekaa Jegog Yuskumara	24:58
110	Jayan Tangis	Sekaa Jegog Yuskumara	07:19
201	Sarwa Manis	Sekaa Joged Bumbung Padma Santi	11:04
202	Gegilak / Gilak Suwud	Sekaa Joged Bumbung Padma Santi	02:43
203	Kepandung Sita	Sekaa Kecak Puspita Jaya	54:09
301	Shanti Mantra	Group of male and female singers	22:33
302	Damai	Gender wayang quartet with gong pulu performer	28:17
303	Wibhuti	Gong Gede of Tabanan	21:42