Massada "Pukul Tifa" 1979***

I've been finding these cheap Massada albums at the second hand stores here in Holland for quite some time. If all their album covers looked like this I never would have given them a chance, but the album art of their debut Astaganaga was pretty enough for me to take it to Sounds Records' listening station and give it a spin. I was certainly pleasantly surprised by the results: I expected some kind of cheesy 70's disco, but here was one of the best Latin Rock LP's I had ever heard, and I had never read about it in any of my English music reference books or magazines. It appears the band never really broke out of the Netherlands: although the liner notes of this (their second) album boast of the debut's international success, this seems to have been restricted to Belgium, Suriname, and the Dutch Antilles - all Dutch-speaking territories. The band members were mostly South Moluccan in origin, and they initially played under the name of Eagles at various Dutch-Moluccan feasts. For those who aren't familiar with that nation, they are the Polynesian natives of the erstwhile "spice islands" - former Dutch colonies which now form a part of (or are occupied by, depending on who tells the story) Indonesia. Many thousands of them had left their islands and settled in The Netherlands after the withdrawal of The Dutch and their liberation/occupation by the Indonesian army. Anyway, when the (American) Eagles started getting known in The Netherlands, their Dutch namesakes changed their name to Massada, an ancient citadel in Israel. They released their debut LP in '78, and followed it up with Pukul Tifa ("Beats the Drum" in Malay) a year later. As the title suggests, there is a strong rhythmical element, with various percussive instruments (congas, timbales, bongos etc) dominating the band's sound. That said, "Impulse of Rhythm" which opens the LP is a subtle low melody getting slowly reinforced with flute and smooth guitar. As it gets louder, it segues into a Latin Jazz number called "There's No Time to Return". This exhibits all the quality of Santana in their heyday. Great work from the 9-piece band, especially the percussionists and lead guitarist Chris Latul (sitting at the middle looking like Genghis Khan). "Fathers Within One Father" also features some strong musicianship (sax and, again, guitar) but is marred by the sub-disco beat and synths. Side two opens with the atmospheric instrumental "Arubai" whose gentle percussion and laid-back guitars conjure images of an exotic beach. It's followed by a short Afro-Latin drum interlude called "Tjakalélé!" and lead single "Unknown Destination", a pleasant dance number. The disco beat, cheesy synths, and smooth vocals sound completely outdated, but there's an airiness to the musicians' playing that transcends that description. Halfway through, the song is hijacked by a loud electric bass giving it a meatier, funkier, sound. The album closes with "Air Mata Tumpa" ("Tears are Flowing"), a ballad with choral vocals which (I daresay, even though I'm not familiar with the region's music) sounds at last more Polynesian than Latin. I enjoyed the album a lot, mostly because it doesn't just stick to the Latin dance rhythms but also contains some nuanced and understated jazz playing. Well worth discovering if you come across a copy. Same goes for their previous LP Astaganaga (to be presented in a later post) which is arguably superior.

**** for There's No Time to Return, Arumbai 

*** for Impulse of Rhythm, Fathers Within One Father, Tjakalélé!, Unknown Destination,Air Mata Tumpa