Boi Akih

Boi Akih
Origin	Amsterdam, Netherlands
Genres	World, Jazz, Indian, Classical, Folk, Moluccas traditions, Sunda traditions, Bali traditions, improvisation.
Years active	1997-present
Labels	Enja Records, EMI
Associated acts	Ernst Reijseger, Sean Bergin.
Website	http://www.boiakih.com/
Members	Monica Akihary, Niels Brouwer, Sandip Bhattachraya, Wolter Wierbos, Kim Weemhoff.
Notable instruments
vocals, guitar, prepared guitar, tabla, percussion

Boi Akih is a jazz/world music trio based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, composed of Monica Akihary on vocals, Niels Brouwer on guitar and prepared guitar, and Sandip Bhattachraya on tabla and percussion.

The group fuses musical traditions from the Molucca Islands, Bali, Dutch (European) jazz, improvised music, classical Indian music and traditional African music. Initially started as a duo, the music is written by Brouwer and the lyrics are written by Brouwer and Akihary.

Sandip Bhattachraya, studied with Pandit Ishwar Lal Misra, in the style of the legendary tabla maestro Pandit Anokhelal Misra and has performed with Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Prabha Atre, Lakshmi Shankar, Shujaat Hussain Khan, Ustad Munawar Ali Khan, Tarun Bhattacharya, and many others. Niels Brouwer studied at the Hilversums Conservatorium, now the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Monica Akihary is a graduate of visual arts studies in Amsterdam and Yogyakarta (Akademi Seni Rupa). Both studied classical Indian music in Bangalore (2002) and Mumbai(2004).

One of the unique aspects of Boi Akih is found in Monica Akihary’s lyrics. She writes and sings in her father’s native language, which has been regarded as moribund by the scientific world. Since 1998 Brouwer and Akihary have been working with Dutch and Australian linguists who study Haruku language. With their help and support, Boi Akih not only keeps the tradition of the Langzame alive, but also employs the language in its most authentic form, poetic self-expression.

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