KELUARGA KESENIAN DAERAH DJAWA TIMUR STUDIO SURABAJA
Here's a very interesting one, klenengan gending music from Surabaya in East-Java and it has a cover from the song Gendjer Gendjer on it. Some of you probably know the story already but I'll tell it again. In the early 60's two records came out with versions of this song. Lilis Suryani's "Lilis.... Ia Tetap Diatas!!" and Jack Lesmana's album "Mari Bersuka Ria" with Orkes Lenso that had Bing Slamet's version of the song on it. Both these albums were banned under the Suharto dictatorship, just having these albums could land you in jail for a long time, heavy torture very probable.... This was because Gerwani, the female wing of the Indonesian Communist Party, the PKI, used to play that song, Gendjer Gendjer, at their meetings....
The song itself has no political message at all, it's about a poor woman eating water spinach (gendjer) and bringing some to the market to sell...
The song's composer, Mohamed Arif, was among the hundreds of thousands murdered when the Suharto regime took over in 1965....
I imagine this record must've been banned too....
GET IT HERE
Enjoy!
The only uninterrupted version of this recording of Gendjer Gendjer I could find on the internet after quite a bit of searching. All others only have the first 2 verses. Lots of attention being paid to this recording of Gendjer Gendjer by Indonesians in the last couple of years. Best I can figure is Mohammad Arief proliferated this arrangement of his composition in the Banyuwangi area, in anklung art groups in villages. He was imprisoned and likely killed by the Suharto government of the September 30th movement for his populist activities. The current reverence for this recording in Indonesia is likely a reverence for popular resistance. Although presumed destroyed during Suharto's regime in fear of the authorities, the masters and first pressing were recently discovered in Lokananta record studio.
Interesting, I didn't know about those lost reels :) I did know about Mohammad Arief. First time I bought a copy from Lilis Suryani's album that has that song on it and was still banned at the time was very funny. The seller was really paranoid, told me not to tell anybody he sold me that album, was whispering all the time, this is many years ago....
The only uninterrupted version of this recording of Gendjer Gendjer I could find on the internet after quite a bit of searching. All others only have the first 2 verses. Lots of attention being paid to this recording of Gendjer Gendjer by Indonesians in the last couple of years. Best I can figure is Mohammad Arief proliferated this arrangement of his composition in the Banyuwangi area, in anklung art groups in villages. He was imprisoned and likely killed by the Suharto government of the September 30th movement for his populist activities. The current reverence for this recording in Indonesia is likely a reverence for popular resistance. Although presumed destroyed during Suharto's regime in fear of the authorities, the masters and first pressing were recently discovered in Lokananta record studio.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, I didn't know about those lost reels :) I did know about Mohammad Arief. First time I bought a copy from Lilis Suryani's album that has that song on it and was still banned at the time was very funny. The seller was really paranoid, told me not to tell anybody he sold me that album, was whispering all the time, this is many years ago....
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