Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Dewa Budjana: Naurora

Dewa Budjana: Naurora

By Dan McClenaghan
August 1, 2021
View read count

Balinese guitarist Dewa Budjana's seventh album on Moonjune Records, Naurora, reveals—for those who have not heard him—a musician of seemingly unlimited talent and an artist in possession of an expansive vision. He has been called a "progressive fusion maestro" and, if he has to be labeled, that description feels right. Leading off with this disc's eleven-minute title tune, Budjana—who composed, arranged and produced the music here—lays down huge, rich soundscapes in the company of a bunch of forward-looking allstars, including pianist

Joey Alexander

piano
b.2003

" data-original-title="" title="">Joey Alexander and guitarist, pianist & keyboardist

Joey Alexander

piano
b.2003

" data-original-title="" title="">Joey Alexander.

From start to finish, the music has a fusion-eque polish, featuring great bass work along the way from

Ben Williams

bass, electric

" data-original-title="" title="">Ben Williams,

Carlitos del Puerto

bass, electric

" data-original-title="" title="">Carlitos del Puerto and Jimmy Johnson, setting up grooves that drive Budjana's polished and accessible sound forward. On a first time meeting with a disc led by any guitarist, the expectation might be one of electric shredding in front of supportive but understated sidemen; but that is not to be with Naurora. The entire band shines in the collective soundscaping, with the leader standing out just a bit. Seamless sonic collages pervade, wide-ranging, luminescent walls of sound, interspersed with shifts into delicate intricacies—

Joey Alexander

piano
b.2003

" data-original-title="" title="">Joey Alexander's piano solo on "Sabana Sahanti," for example. All of this is backed by the crisp, tight drum work of

Dave Weckl

drums
b.1960

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Weckl and

Simon Phillips

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Simon Phillips.

Budjana's soaring guitar work brings Jimi Hendrix to mind—had Hendrix survived the perils of his twenties and evolved as an artist. Budjana's orchestral soundscaping and positive energy might also make one think of guitarist

Pat Metheny

guitar
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Pat Metheny, with shadings of exotic (to Western ears) Balinese backdrops, on this brilliantly conceived and joyfully executed forty minutes of forward-looking music. .

Learn more about our star rating system

Personnel

Dewa Budjana

guitar, electric

Ben Williams

bass, electric

Carlitos del Puerto

bass, electric

Dave Weckl

drums

Jimmy Johnson

bass

Joey Alexander

piano

Mateus Asato

guitar

Simon Phillips

drums

Additional Instrumentation

Gary Husband: piano, synthesizer (5); Imee Ooi: vocal (1); Paul McCandless: soprano saxophone (4).

Album information

Title: Naurora | Year Released: 2021 | Record Label: MoonJune Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Accompanying 101, For Your Considera...
< Previous

The Last Call
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.