Some updates on my current trip in Sumatra - The Sumatralia Project

we have had many great sessions & meetings with a various musicians and musical groups for video, sound recording, interview etc. its kind of generally a semi planned evolving process of meeting, greeting, playing, sharing, staring, developing connections and arranging to get together more formally...........going well so far...

in relation to the 'Sumatralia' documentary i pretty much video anything I can when I'm free from the musical side of things and there's some fantastic footage accumulating...........

some recent highlights include dualing islamic singers (9pm till 4am) STAMINA PLUS, traditional story telling sung through insightful proverb & verse going deep into the village night with Salaugn (horn flute) accompanying to many and unmoving audiences........

15 piece frame drum ensembles and enormous pants slapping groups...........old soulful rebab players, an all girl talempong group with an average age of 65+yrs, saluang dangdut groups with strong Indian influence - so so funky........

the day duck races in Payakumbu, many girls white veils, sarongs, Sunday pig hunting craziness........

powerful water buffalo fights, the gorgeous sounds of the mosques sounding together from all directions 5 times each day and echoing throughout thousands villages and valleys in Sumatra.......

beautiful warm smiling people, rice fields upon rice fields, bright red chilly plantations, golden aguang - gongs, large n small drums of endless description..........

talempong making, wind instrument makers and their humble workshops...............

thick thick bamboo everywhere, dirt floors, tigers, monkeys, mountains & deep forest sounds, ghosts, mythology & politics...............

 

rubbish, rubbish and more rubbish........................50% unemployment and millions of street stalls with glass and covered by orange plastic open all night long....................motor bikes.......

spiced barbecued fish, curried leaves, rice and rice and them some rice................and would you like some more.......4ths......best to accept hospitality.........

Andy is taking absolutely wonderful images - and we singing, singing, and more singing...........in the car and while walking the dogs thru and jungle track out the back especially.......

a few nights ago my host Admiral simply drove away from an apprehending policeman after being pulled over -cause he remembered in that moment that he didn't have a license ?..... Andy and I have been getting used to traveling 3 on a motorcycle- perhaps with a dog each which makes 5 of us - no one blinks and on and on and on it goes.............funny stuff,

over the next month we will go lake Toba and the Mentawai islands......where they eat trees and travel by canoe...........

take it easy - much love tya all - Ren.

Back >