Sydney Reunion: Indra Lesmana Reconnects with Four Decades of Musical History
On June 30, 2026, Deheng House Jakarta will host one of the most significant jazz events of the year as Indra Lesmana reunites with Australian musicians Dale Barlow, Steve Hunter, and Andy Gander for a rare full-band performance of Sydney Reunion. More than a promotional tour for a recent album, the concert celebrates a friendship and musical partnership that began more than forty years ago in Sydney and continues to evolve today.
There are reunion concerts, and then there are reunions that feel like unfinished conversations finally continuing after decades.
On June 30, 2026, audiences at Deheng House Jakarta will witness exactly that when Indra Lesmana Sydney Reunion takes the stage in its complete formation. The performance brings together Indra Lesmana, Australian saxophonist Dale Barlow, bassist Steve Hunter, and drummer Andy Gander, four musicians whose artistic relationship dates back to the early 1980s, when a young Indra was studying at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
For many Indonesian listeners, Indra Lesmana hardly needs an introduction. Across a career spanning more than four decades and nearly one hundred albums, he has become one of the defining figures of Indonesian jazz. Yet the story behind Sydney Reunion reaches back to a lesser-known chapter of his journey, one that unfolded in Australia long before he became a household name in Indonesia.
During his years in Sydney, Indra immersed himself in a thriving jazz scene and became involved in several important ensembles. Among them was Children of Fantasy, a group that included Dale Barlow, and Nebula, which featured Steve Hunter. These projects allowed the young pianist to develop his musical language while forming friendships that would endure long after graduation.
The musicians who shared those early stages would go on to build distinguished careers of their own. Dale Barlow emerged as one of Australia’s most respected jazz saxophonists. Throughout his career, he performed and recorded alongside major international figures including Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard, Billy Cobham, Cedar Walton, and Gil Evans. His work with the legendary Jazz Messengers alone secured his place within modern jazz history.
Andy Gander became a familiar presence in Australian jazz circles through numerous collaborations and recordings, while Steve Hunter established himself as a versatile bassist whose work ranged across contemporary jazz and fusion projects. Although their careers eventually took them in different directions, the musical connection never disappeared.
The Sydney Reunion project, first introduced in 2024, brought the musicians back together after decades apart. Rather than revisiting old material, the quartet chose to create something new. The resulting album consists of original compositions that reflect both their shared history and their continued artistic growth.
Fusion remains the foundation, but Sydney Reunion feels less interested in nostalgia than in conversation. The compositions move comfortably between modern jazz, fusion, melodic improvisation, and the kind of musical storytelling that comes only from musicians who have spent a lifetime listening to one another.
For film lovers, the atmosphere may feel familiar.
The music often evokes the nocturnal elegance of Round Midnight (1986), the reflective movement of Wim Wenders’ Tokyo-Ga (1985), the urban melancholy of Wong Kar-wai’s Days of Being Wild (1990), and even the after-hours energy that runs through Martin Scorsese’s After Hours (1985). Like those films, Sydney Reunion occupies a space between memory and motion. The past is always present, but never fixed.
That quality has long defined Indra Lesmana’s work. Throughout his career, he has consistently moved between jazz, fusion, pop, film scoring, and experimental projects without becoming confined to any single category. His curiosity has remained remarkably intact, and Sydney Reunion feels like another chapter in that ongoing search.
For Jakarta audiences, the significance of the Deheng House performance lies in its rarity. Few contemporary jazz concerts offer the opportunity to witness four decades of shared musical history on a single stage. While the album itself can be streamed, experiencing this music performed by its original creators is something entirely different. Jazz has always been a live art form, and projects like Sydney Reunion reveal their full character only when heard in the room.
Adding to the occasion, Indra Lesmana has also announced that the vinyl edition of Sydney Reunion will be officially released at the venue. For collectors, the release represents a chance to bring home a tangible document of a project rooted in friendship, distance, and artistic continuity.
In many ways, Sydney Reunion is not simply about looking back. It is about discovering how a musical relationship evolves across four decades. The musicians who first met as young artists in Sydney have continued to perform, experiment, and grow. Time has changed their lives, their careers, and their perspectives, but the conversation remains remarkably alive.
On June 30, that conversation arrives in Jakarta for what promises to be one of the year’s most memorable jazz performances. Tickets are available via this number: 08138805502
Also read: Jakarta Fusion Jazz Festival 2026: Keeping Indonesia’s Most Adventurous Sound Alive