Mary Brennan, mary.brennan@asu.edu
(480) 965-3587
October 3, 2002

Traveling group brings music, special bus to Main Campus for October performance

An unusually self-contained group featuring four internationally diverse musicians will present an outdoor noontime concert in October at ASU.

Luluk Purwanto & the Helsdingen Trio, will make a stop at ASU during their ambitious “Born Free – USA Tour.” The performance will be held at noon, Oct. 7, on the north lawn adjacent to Gammage Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.
ASU is one of 40 U.S. universities at which the Indonesian-Dutch-American cross-cultural group plans to perform.

The musicians travel and perform in and on a stage bus that is as unique as their music. The bus is a special multifunctional vehicle for travel and performance that was designed by a Dutch artist. The musicians can unfold the bus into a fully equipped stage, complete with instruments and sound system, in just 30 minutes.
The group’s musical style is described as “jazz with improvised music influenced by individual cultural traditions.”

Members of the ensemble include Luluk Purwanto on violin and voice, Rene van Helsdingen on piano, Essiet Okon Essiet on bass and Marcello Pellitteri on drums.
The group’s latest CD, “Born Free,” is a mix of moods and styles influenced by each musician’s traditions and backgrounds.

Purwanto was born and raised in Indonesia. She earned musical degrees from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in Australia and from the Institute of Art in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Purwanto was first exposed to jazz playing in 1980 and started her career crisscrossing the world, playing at festivals, concert halls and jazz clubs. It was on one of her tours that she met her future husband, Helsdingen.

Helsdingen has recorded and produced for many different recording labels, including Virgin, Timeless and his own, Helsdingen Music and Munich Records in Wageningen, Holland. His piano work has been described as “articulate and engaging.”

Essiet is a leading bassist who has played and recorded with a “who’s who” of jazz and progressive music musicians, including Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Kenny Garrett and Kevin Mahogany. He also leads his own group, IBO (Intercontinental Bush Orchestra), a Nigerian Jazz Project.

Italian born drummer Marcello Pellitteri has performed and recorded with New York Voices, Jon Hendricks, Woody Shaw, Winton Marsalis and Eddie Gomez.
For information, call (480) 965-8863.

Brennan, with the Heberger College of Fine Arts, can be reached at (480) 965-3587 or (mary.brennan@asu.edu).

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