Metamorphoses

Monica Akihary
– Musica Maluku! –  is a series about music by Maluku and Moluccan people in the Netherlands. About folklore, fishing and sailing songs, Islamitic rituals, church choirs, war dances, indo rock and experimental pop.
This episode is devoted entirely to the ensemble Boi Akih, the centre of which consists of guitar player and composer Niels Brouwer and singer and lyricist Monica Akihary.
Boi Akih started in 1996, and since then has developed their own musical vocabulaire, in which the cultural ‘origin’, musical traditions from the Molucca Islands, Sunda, Bali (Indonesia), Dutch (European) jazz and improvised music, classical Indian music and African traditional music form the basis for composition, free improvisation and lyrics.
Though Boi Akih’s music refers subtly to the Moluccan roots, it is mainly her father’s mother tongue ‘Haruku’ that Akihary uses to pay tribute to her inheritance.
From the release of their debut CD in 1997, also titled Boi Akih, the group has left a great impression both nationally and internationally, on prominent (jazz) festivals and concert halls. In 2003, they took their first international steps when the renowned German world jazz label ENJA records released their CD Uwa I worldwide.

Monica Akihary and Niels Brouwer play their acoustic music, based on a tapestry of folk, contemporary sounds and an improvisation in different strengths: as a duo, as a trio (with Michael Vatcher), quartet (with Sandip Bhattacharya and Ernst Reijseger), the Boi Akih Group (with Ernst Glerum, Owen Hart Jr. and Marten Ornstein) and the six-man formation of Boi Akih Group/Lagu Lagu (Ernst Reijseger, Sean Bergin, Eric Calmes and Victor de Boo). All these groups have their own sound, with alternating raving and very rhythmic but always evocative music, all the while Monica’s special voice also remains packed with emotion, so too in the sound experiments.
Since 2004, their projects continued and were developed further: Uwa 1 since 2004, Lagu Lagu since 2005, Yalelol since 2007, Soul of Songs since 2009 and Philosophy of Love since 2010. They are all exercises in pioneering music and are performed in different strengths.
For more information: www. boiakih.com
Discography:
1997 Boi Akih (Invitation Records/ EMI 1997)
2000 Above the Clouds, Among the Roots (AL73205 A-Records 2000)
2003 Uwa i (ENJ-9472 2 Enja records 2004)
2005 Lagu Lagu (BROMO 0001 boiakih 2005)
2007 Yalelol (ENJ-9487 2 Enja Records 2007)
Playlist:

1. no.1 Nuwele
2. no.2 L – Le – Le
3. no.4 Tenaga Gaib
   1997 Boi Akih (Invitation Records/ EMI 1997)
4. no.1 My brother
5. no.2 Amiteo
6. no.3 Pana a tu
   2000 Above the Clouds, Among the Roots (AL73205 A-Records 2000)
7. no.1 Mariaaa
8. no.3 Potu loto potu
9. no.4 Imi
   2003 Uwa i (ENJ-9472 2 Enja records 2004)
10. no.2 Hitam manis
11. no.3 Ole sioh
12. no.4 Lembe lembe
13. no.5 Potong kayu
14. no.6 La apa apa
    2005 Lagu Lagu (BROMO 0001 boiakih 2005)
15. no.2 Kema Ahatia (Just Now)
16. no.3 Oi (Put Out To Sea)
17. no.5 Risa (Fighting)
    2007 Yalelol (ENJ-9487 2 Enja Records 2007)