| Balinese guitarist Balawan visits BG March 17-21 |
Balinese guitarist I Wayan Balawan’s virtuosity is amply evident on YouTube. There viewers can find
videos showing him jamming on two guitars at once, and one of the guitars has a double-neck.
A legend in his native Indonesia and renowned across the globe Balawan has never toured the United States
until now.
He’s now embarked on his first American tour and in addition to stops on either coast, he’ll perform and
teach in Bowling Green.
David Harnish, a professor of ethnomusicology at the BGSU College of Musical Arts, has arranged for the
guitarist to visit campus as well as perform at Oberlin College, University of Michigan and Kenyon
College. The local leg of his tour will culminate March 21 with an 8 p.m. performance at the Clazel in
downtown Bowling Green. While on campus Balawan will visit classes, the Arts Village and conduct a
guitar workshop.
Harnish said he’d heard about Balawan, a fusion jazz guitarist with roots in traditional gamelan, about a
decade ago, and was fascinated. Harnish, who directs the university’s gamelan orchestra, has traveled
often to Indonesia particularly Bali. Several years ago while there he was passing a restaurant and
caught a bit of an open air concert. He came back later for the evening show arriving for the band’s
sound check, after which he had a chance to meet Balawan.
In 2009 Harnish was back in Bali for sabbatical and interviewed Balawan several times for a couple
articles that Harnish is now preparing for publication. Harnish even sat in on guitar with Balawan.
Balawan, who was born in 1973, grew up in the village Batuan, known for its arts, and was schooled in the
traditional gamelan. But at age 8 or so he became fascinated by guitar, and particularly to the music of
so-called "speed-metal" bands such as Deep Purple and Van Halen. Then about eight years later
someone passed along tapes of jazz fusion guitarists.
"He got really excited about the style because he realized it was faster and more complicated,"
Harnish said.
Balawan also adopted the tapping technique. This technique, Popularized by jazz star Stanley Jordan and
rocker Eddie Van Halen, involves using the fingers on both hands to tap notes directly on the fretboard
rather than plucking them.
He also wanted to study abroad. He got a visa to travel to Australia. He ended up with a three-year
scholarship to the Australian Institute of Music, which has the top jazz program in the country.
While there he starting playing out. In 1997 he returned home. According to Harnish, Balawan, using this
tapping technique with jazz harmony, rock rhythms and gamelan sensibilities to create a distinctive
sound.
He formed the Batuan Ethnic Fusion Ensemble that blends Western electronic instruments with traditional
gamelan orchestra instruments as his platform.
He’s toured the world and is considered a superstar in Asian, Harnish said.
On this tour, he’s bringing two members of the ensemble, Suwida and Suarsana, who play gamelan
instruments and will be joined by local players from the areas he visits. In Bowling Green, jazz bass
student Adam Meinerding and Afro-Caribbean ensemble director and percussionist Olman Piedra will perform
with him.
The U.S. tour, Harnish said ,is garnering a lot of interest in Indonesia. The country’s tourism board is
helping to sponsor it and the media conglomerate KOMPAS has a crew traveling with Balawan.
