On the 10th of January at the Oval Tavern, Croydon, I was delighted to attend the ‘Indonesian Earthquake & Tsunami Charity Concert’ and experience a multicultural world of traditional music. The event, organised by schoolteacher and one half of the ‘Asada Duo’ Jade Jenong, aimed to contribute relief towards the victims of both the September flooding of Sulawesi and December flooding of Sumatra and Java. These floods have destroyed tens of thousands of homes, families and livelihoods. Thousands have died or gone missing, a quarter of which are children. When talking about why she had chosen the cause Jenong said that she, and six other participants of the event, had visited Indonesia on a music scholarship and had fallen in love with the country and it’s musical heritage, making the cause all the more meaningful and worthwhile in their eyes.

The event began with Moa and Rudy, two kora players whose Indonesian music was enchanting, creating an ethereal atmosphere within the cosy pub. This was followed by a performance by The Sages, an East Asian fusion band featuring both Czech and Irish musicians. What I found most enjoyable about this performance was the vocal ranges reached by the lead singer, at one point even involving yodelling! Next was Aga Ujma, a solo sasando and vocal artist who completely recaptured the ethereal atmosphere of the pervious kora duo, after the more lively Sages, but also brought a delightful airy harp-like tone using an impressive instrument made with more strings than a small orchestra and clearly requiring significant skill to master.

After a brief break the organiser herself took to the stage, as half of the aforementioned Asada duo. The two performed a unique veritable catalogue of traditional Sunda-Indonesian trance music, even bringing out some beautiful Indonesian scarves for audience participation.

Finally, after a thank you speech from a representative of the Indonesian embassy, the final act of the night performed a clarinet and violin duet delivering a series of European pieces with great fervour.

        In conclusion I found this event, with its worthy cause and wealth of musical and general diversity, a very entertaining evening and well worth the five pound entry fee. I would recommend anyone interested in expanding their musical taste to look up the artists involved, and if you have a few pounds to spare, consider donating to an Indonesian Earthquake relief fund. In such a tragedy, even the smallest donation counts.