LILIS SURJANI
"Kunang Kunang"
Band: Zaenal Combo
Conductor: Zaenal Arifin.
Year: 1970?
Genre: Regional - Jakarta.
Lilis Surjani describes the Kampong - life of Jakarta.
A few to higlight:
"HARI RAYA" is about the Idul Fitri, or Lebaran (end of the Islamic fast period), when people meet each other giving good wishes and forgivingness of their faults.
"RONDA MALAM" The song starts with the sound of the "Tong Tong" . Than a Intro music plays, in the mind seeing before us an imaginary theatre curtain opens and then Lilis Surjani starts to sing of those dark nights.
she brings back the days of old Jakarta. Its about the guardsmen who make their round in a dark moonless night. The kampungs ( dwelling areas of the common people ) of Jakarta often have a group of young able men to do their nightly vigilance rounds. This is a necessity in the more remote areas with lots of greenery. Tropical nights are dark, especially in the old days with no electricity and the policemen could not be everywhere. Just think of the "Tempo Doeloe" ( The old days ) when telephones were scarce, or before that nonexistent. So in order to to make a warning sound for the community the "Tong Tong" was used. A hollow block of wood was beaten. Everyone could be alarmed, so when in case of theft the men who were on duty for the "Ronda Malam"(nightly round) could search a thief and eventually catch the criminal.
"SENANDUNG NELAYAN" Little dwellings, fishing boats near a muddy river by the seashore. These sights are scarce now, maybe just here and there looking down below from one of the many elevated highways near the the coast.
"MBOK KERAN" in this song the a summary of phrases, words and exclamations of the Jakarta dialect.
"CINTA SETIA" nice song almost chinese sounding.
The band of Zaenal Arifin adapted the music to the Jakarta or "Betawi" gambang kromong music.
This record has some funny songs with all kind of stories from the kampung-life: Nenek Grondong, Ciputri, Mbok Keran, Minta Kawin, Se-enaknye deh!, Babe Genit and Dikibulin. In many of this songs she sounds like a kampong-lady.
The remaining songs are more poetical and solemn.
The design of the cover is not referring to the record, maybe because it was produced in Singapore they had no other pictures available. More apropriate would be a picture of a group of kampong houses and Lilis Surjani standing before it dressed as local girl or otherwise it would have been nice if she had been photographed wearing a Betawi wedding dress just for the picture.
Kunang Kunang - ( Atjep S. ) Lilis Surjani
Nenek Grondong - ( Atjep S. ) Lilis Surjani
Ci Putri - ( Atjep S. ) Lilis Surjani
Hari Raya - ( Atjep S. ) Lilis Surjani
Ronda Malam - ( Atjep S. ) Lilis Surjani
Senandung Nelayan - ( Atjep S. ) Lilis Surjani
Mbok Keran - ( Atjep S. ) Lilis Surjani
Minta Kawin - ( Ilin Sumantri ) Lilis Surjani
Cinta Setia - ( Zaenal Arifin ) Lilis Surjani
Se Enaknye Deh! - ( Ilin Sumantri ) Lilis Surjani
Babe Genit - ( Ilin Sumantri ) Lilis Surjani
