It’s been six years since pianist and composer Dwiki Dharmawan had put out another album after 2020’s Hari Ketiga. It has been a while since we heard from him. Now, in the year 2026 he has come back strongly by unleashing his follow-up Anagnorisis to prove he’s coming in strong, fierce, and with the multi-cultural surroundings that follows through the craftsmanship in his new album.
Released on the MoonJune label back in 2025, the album was partly supported by the Indonesian Embassy in Athens, Greece and he carries this rhythmic landscape by adding in the depth, beauty, and surroundings that fills the heart of southeastern Europe. The title “Anagnorisis” means “recognition” in Greek. It has the spiritual representative of the heart in Athens to capture the MoonJune sound.
And to be allowed to have a simpatico of Greek musicians such as upright bassist Kimon Karoutzos, guitarist Vironas Ntolas, drummer Nikos Sidirokastritis, ney flautist Harris Lambrakis, and Israeli-born clarinet/sax player Gilad Atzmon to the fold, they know it is an honor to lend Dwiki a helping hand to bring this album to life. Within their different backgrounds, they have a deep respect with each other and carry on through to bring its massive flower, bloom in time for Spring.
Both the opening track ‘Gambang Ney’ and ‘Pacu Javi’ elaborate on the Southeast Asian landscape with its droning turned blaring clarinet improvisations Atzmon carries into the stratosphere as Dwiki and Nikos follow his textures to see where will go next before Ntolas’ guitar flows like a butterfly, soaring across the different cities and culture it lends itself to before walking into the rooms of Vince Guaraldi meets John McLaughlin and Terje Rypdal in all of its glory.
The improvisations keep on adding more flames to spread massively throughout the structures when it comes to ‘Ya Kita Bisa’. Ntolas is one person that really knows how to improvise by blending both heavy and blues arrangements in its core before it sends into a spacey passage as Atzmon adds more tension to his clarinet and Karoutzos makes his upright bass sound like a hot and spicy tamale, ready to serve and dig in.
But its Dwiki himself who visions not just Thelonious Monk, but Bowie alumni Mike Garson that comes to mind who he honors and tips his hat to the way his jazz playing goes into this frenzy that keeps on giving.
While this is going on, the musical vibration shifts gears as it sends us into this pastoral yet sombering mourning throughout ‘Perjuangan’ and ‘Kereta Keren’. It makes some good nods to the ECM label with hints of a spiritual meditated guidance to bring peace in the valley before jumping back into the fast-paced free-jazz attitude on ‘Jazz For Freeport’.
That is how amazing the sextet blend each other well with their music, they take turns to create this powering statue, waiting to be unveiled at the right time, at the right place when it comes to creativity. Lambrakis comes center stage by howling at the moon intro on his Near Eastern ney flute, standing on top of the mountains with its echoing cry towards the gods for ‘Timun Mas’.
You can feel the heart and soul that Harris gives throughout the composition to send in this quiet, yet Coltrane-sque vibration to speak volume and lending in for Kimon, Gilad and Vironas to lend in more howling by turning themselves into wolverines who are high as angel dust, eating those coyotes (except for Wile E. Coyote, because we need him to chase that dastardly Road Runner) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They are so brilliant and so damn good when it comes to this track.
Speaking of Coltrane, when you listen ‘Toledo Trane’ that’s where the good gets even really good as Atmzon visions the maestro and spirituality behind Giant Steps, A Love Supreme, and Blue Train with its nod to the Blue Note and Impulse label, followed by the ambient/new age texture which was unexpected, but it works very well. Carrying along Dwiki’s piano, Nikos’ drums, and Kimon’s bass as if they tip their hats to McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, and two drummers; one for Coltrane, and one for Magma: Elvin Jones and Christian Vander.
Anagnorisis pulsates the passion and love Dwiki has honoured the city of Greece in all of its nature that comes with a coup de maître he has given to his listeners. It remains a much-needed breath of fresh air to land upon us, seeing what he’s been doing behind closed doors.
