Chap. 12 to Reader
Tink A pi: Harry Roesli, M usic, and Politics in Bandung, Indonesia Adam D. Tyson' On June 5, 2009, a memorial concert was held at the Institute of Technology in Bandung (Institut Teknologi Bandung, hereafter ITB). Celebrated was the lifework of Djauhar Zaharsjah Fahrudin Roesli, popularly known as Harry Roesli. Harry Roesli was considered to be at the forefront of the so-called tradisi baru, or "new tradition," of Indonesian artists committed to experimentation with traditional culture in order to address contemporary society.1 2 For a variety of reasons, however, Roesli did not enjoy the level of popular success that other tradisi baru artists achieved, particularly playwright Willibrordus Surendra Broto Rendra (hereafter W. S. Rendra), director Putu Wijaya, novelist Remy Sylado, and musicians Guruh Soekarno Putra, Franki Raden, Leo Kristi, Slamet Abdul Syukur, Jack Lesmana, Nano Suratno, and, later, Iwan Gunawan.3 1 "Titik Api" in my title is borrowed from the name of one of Roesli's music albums and can be translated "Point of Fire." My sincere gratitude is expressed to the Roesli family for their patience and generosity in providing me access to the Harry Roesli archive, as well as their willingness to discuss with me many of the finer points regarding his artistic career. I am also grateful to Michael Bodden, Barbara Hatley, Indra Ridwan, R. Anderson Sutton, Jeremy Wallach, and Andrew N. Weintraub for their critical comments on earlier versions of this article, which has been significantly improved as a result of their insights and notes. With that said, any remaining shortcomings are solely my responsibility.
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