2015 must be a blessing for The Executive Student Board (BEM) of the Law Faculty of Padjadjaran University because this year fortunately they could held their annual jazz event, the biggest in Bandung, The 7th International Kampoeng Jazz, without any postponed agenda like previous year. Located at their own campus, Universitas Padjadjaran Dipati Ukur, for about twelve hours in last Saturday, the visitors were spoiled by various artists, lots of food booth, and bazaar. Couple of hours before the show the committee held Press Conference for all media partners at Sheraton Bandung Hotel & Towers. Jizue, Syaharani, G-Pluck Beatles, and Beben Jazz were some musicians who met us there. Back to the main event, at the punctual time as scheduled, Kampoeng Jazz Project Officer, Frero, gave his speech as the event was officially begun. After that, Kama Soekarno, Chief of BEM Fakultas Hukum UNPAD, and the Chief of P2K2M also welcomed the visitors and finally the fun had begun.

With a lot of musicians to perform, Kampoeng Jazz got two stages for them to explore, Main Stage and Lounge Stage which was sponsored by Nescafe Coffee. Just like before, Kampoeng Jazz always gives the chance for amateur/newborn bands to participate via auditions. For this year, three bands were selected by the judge. One, Chakraborty delivered a tight package in the name of jazz. The band was established a little bit more than a year ago but they have played hundreds of times in front of public. They have played in prestigious festivals like JakJazz, they have bagged quite many achievements too. “Kepahitan Termanis”, “Soul Shadows”, and “Sabda Alam” were their creation specially delivered to us. Then, a trio from Jakarta named MEP Trio was really solid in exploring the funky jazz terrain. These guys played like a pro, sharp but smooth. MEP stands for Madra, Eky, and Pandu. For this event the drum position was given to Afi because Pandu couldn’t make it. That was from Lounge Stage, while for Main Stage, Salty Sugar was the first who tasted it. This band is a large ensemble consists of young guns who have been friends since junior high school. They served funky party that would fit everyone. Knowing how today hits could easily attract the crowd, the band closed their performance with upbeat “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk ft. Pharrell Williams and Coldplay’s “A Sky Full of Stars”. So there, three audition winners did very well in setting up the fire early.

Bell Bottom Blues Trio consists of Ruzan as singer and guitar player, Fahmi as bass player, Dhana as drum n percussion player. Starting the journey worked on Jimi Hendrix’s songs three fellows from different genres fuse under blues and epically entertained us with their skills and shared their souls. Hope their motto, “kami akan bermain di mana saja dan kapan saja dengan 200% effort dan soul” goes well with their musical journey. Continued with Dadung and Friends played today’s hits “Love Never Felt So Good” by Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake. Then, Russel and Electric Band (REB) came up and hit the stage with “Leaving on the Jet Plane”.

Beben Jazz and Friends made a visit to this fest. As you probably know, Beben Supendi Mulyana – better known as Beben Jazz- is an important figure in Indonesian jazz. His community, Komunitas Jazz Kemayoran has performed hundreds of regular gigs and still running well until now. It’s always interesting to see how he introduces jazz to the society. He knows how to make it acceptable to all segments in the society without having to lose the jazz traditions. Jamming mode, improvisations, call and response, all that jazz, plus communicative as Beben likes to share knowledge during his show. A joyful treat full of lessons, that’s what it was. Not only beautifully entertained us with Ella Fitzgerald’s “Summertime”, Duke Ellington’s “Take the A Train”, “Just the Two of Us”, Beben also got a Hall of Fame achievement by Kampoeng Jazz Project Officer.

One of many things we like about Mocca and Friends is how their melodious tunes never get us bored, both live and recorded. Charmed and swept everyone with Arina’s soft voice and the beat from all band players really couldn’t stop us from singing along with them. Greeted their listeners with “Secret Admirer”, continued with Frank Sinatra’s “My Way”, “Bandung”, and then Yura joined the gig in “Balada Sirkus” and “Butterfly in My Tummy”.

Dried Cassava started their musical journey since high school at South Jakarta. Baskoro Adhi Juwono as vocalist and one of the guitarists, Nandie Daniel Febryan as lead guitarist, Bana Drestanta as bassist and Kago Mahardono as drummer, these talented fellow gave us another experience in jazz event with their alternative funk rock and blues. “Paradox” was one of many songs they brought up on stage and you can get this song from their debut album ‘Mind Thieves’.

As rain was pouring, Adhitia Sofyan just came on very proper time, marking his second participation in this event after last year. His voice blended with his guitar produced perfect ambience. “Adelaide Sky”, “The Stalker”, “Tik Tik Tik Bunyi Hujan”, “Blue Sky Collapse”, “After the Rain”, and “Tokyo Lights Fade Away”, a song from ‘How to Stop Time’ album were the list at that noon.

A university as big as UNPAD surely has many talented people within. Surprisingly, not only the students made this event as medium for their musical needs, but their lecturers also have that craving. The Bandos is the proof. It is a band consists of Fakultas Hukum UNPAD’s lecturers and they didn’t want to throw away the opportunity to get along with their students and have fun on stage. Blotymama contains high dose of funk. As they said earlier, “our mission is actually simple. We only want to give you some fun”. Absolutely they already checked that mission. Teddy Adithya  on vocal, Ade Avery on guitar, Rendi Raditya on bass, and Rio Agung on drum are people behind this band with rock and R n’B touch. ‘Bloty Time’ is an album full of creation from the heart. These four fellows, who already spread their marks in many other musicians’ work, a hundred percent stole the night as many people looked for their album right after watching their show.

Babendjo Saung Mang Udjo is what really represents Bandung as a city full of artsy people. This group with a male vocalist wonderfully sang Chrisye’s hits “Untukku” and “Cintaku”, covered “Hey Jude”, and played Sundanese song “Manuk Dadali”.

Then we found the band we always consider as friend, Syaharani and the QueenFireworks a.k.a ESQI:EF. The year 2015 seems to be a good year for the band as the name has been listed in numerous festivals across the nation. We haven’t cross path with each other for quite some times especially since they launched the latest album ‘Disini Ada Cinta’, so for us this was the chance to check what they currently have in store. The core members were all here. The jazz songstress Syaharani, guitar master Donny Suhendra and the creative head and multi-instrumentalist Didit Saad, along with the team mates including. They played Answering some requests from twitter, the songs including “Arisan Hujan” and “Merah Kuning Jingga”, both taken from the third and latest album, “Selalu Ada Cinta”. Not only jazz, she brought blues too as the roots of all modern musics. As a band that stands above genre with personnel that share the same point of view ‘music to share’, once again ESQI:EF brought pleasure and joy to the audience, interactively. No boundaries, no gap, all connected. Other than the ability to make many different arrangements on the songs, the happy way of performing always makes their show loveable.

If we have Tulus in male side, Yura definitely rules the female corner. Her unique gesture while singing is really something. This talented young woman made a sundanese song called “Kataji” and you could taste a spoon of jazz right there. “Berawal dari Tatap”, “Cinta dan Rahasia”, and a covered song from Ellie Goulding’s“Love Me like You Do” were a complete eargasm for us.

It felt like going back to the 60’s, smelling the music scene in England. Yes, the Genuine Pluck loves to play The Beatles; simply called G-Pluck Beatles brought that kind of atmosphere to the youngsters. Awan Garnida (vocals/bass) role as James Paul McCartney, Adnan Sigit (vocals/rhythm) role as John Lennon, Wawan HID on (lead guitar/vocal) role as George Harrison and Beni Pratama (vocals/drums & percussion) role as Ringo Starr not only played the way the original did, but they also dressed themselves alike (hair style, clothing, shoes etc). Mimic, dialects and the gestures really resemblence the Beatles too. For almost an hour they made the audience went crazy rockin’ and rollin’ along the performance with Beatles’ and John Lennon evergreens including “Imagine”, “Hey Jude”, “Ticket to Ride”, “Here Comes the Sun”, and “I Saw Her Standing There”. The Beatles’ music is ageless and amazingly still relevant today. Thanks to G-Pluck Beatles, the youngsters who haven’t born during The Beatles’ golden era could taste how it was.

Kahitna, a lot of woman, couples, and romantic songs, is a whole package every time they go for a gig. So did Kampoeng Jazz. A song list contained of “Biar Cinta”, “Andai Ia Tahu”, “Tentang Diriku”, Chrisye’s “Untukku” and Raisa’s “Mantan Terindah” which also are composed by Yovie Widianto really blew the night.

On the other stage, Endah N Rhesa came up with their hits for instance, “Wish You Were Here”, “Someday”, “No Tears from My Eyes”, and “When You Love Someone”. This couple never lost their love power and that what makes them special. Crowd straightly could feel the love they spread via their lyrics and tunes.

Assembled from artists with various kinds of music background including Dewa Budjana from jazz area, pop-rock band Gigi has been ruling the music scene for more than 10 years. The founding members Armand Maulana and Dewa Budjana then Gusti Hendy and Thomas Ramdhan are the pillars who make this band stand tall today. It’s quite a surprise to see Gigi in a jazz event, especially when they go serious by establishing special project called Gigi Jazz Project. Although this wasn’t the first time they went jazzy (they did it at the Java Jazz Festival 2011), it’s still different, knowing that this time they didn’t go with Ron King Big Band like at the Java Jazz back then. Other than the jazz icon Dewa Budjana who’s currently doing very well in the international scene with MoonJune Records, Gusti Hendy is also the drummer of the dare-devil avant band LIGRO. So the band actually has jazz blood too inside the vein. The songs that we really love so much, such as, “Terbang”, “Nirwana”, “Pintu Sorga” were served with more jazzy arrangement. No one denies the greatness of Gigi in the pop/rock scene. But now all should know that with the kind of talents found inside the band, they can deliver madness in just about any genre. As for jazz, having Gigi’s signature certainly offers more varieties and possibilities.

Jizue is the winner. This solid, neat unit of four has unique sound which is high energy, trance-techno jazz with distortive post rock twist found inside. It is composed of Noriyuki Inoue on guitar, Go Yamada on bass, Shin Kokawa on drums, and Kie Katagi on piano. Mogwai, Envy, Strike Anywhere, Brian Blade, Squarepusher, Aphex Twin, The Mars Volta, Incubus, Robert Glasper, Radiohead, and Shingo02 are some examples of other musicians who influence their work. No doubt their plays are so rich, their performances are so full of energy and really proven they always have great times on stage. The personnel themselves are lively and spirited, they are expressive and explosive. Even when they played standards like “When You Wish upon a Star”, they fit it within their style. Not to mention how they really grabbed our attention when playing “Halo-halo Bandung”. Incredibly neat, one high octane action packed show that made us fresh again during the late hours. Arigatou Jizue, love you! What a dynamic group.

Bondax is an electronic music duo consisting of young talented English musicians, Adam Kaye and George Townsend. Since 2011 until now, the pair continually expands their work in music and many stages already tasted. Now, Indonesia, especially Bandung, was the luckiest one to feel their trance house music alive. Just Us Recordings, their own record label is another thing they do release all the creativity in their minds and shape it to tunes. “You’re So”, “Baby I Got That”, “Gold”, “Giving It All”, “Wet Summer”, “Fires”, and “All I See” were the list made people going crazy moved their hips and shook their head as this duo tremendously closed the event.

So pleased to have this kind of big jazz event once again in Bandung and to see many musicians always want to come back having gigs in Bandung. With this range of success, absolutely the expectation will grow bigger for the next Kampoeng Jazz and hopefully the committee can maintain their hard work to serve this annual event. As a media, we hope to see better treatment for photographers who are doing their work. The committee must realize that medias should be considered as partners who give benefit in sending out the news about this event to public, so making them difficult definitely doesn’t give benefit to both sides. Since the regulation is getting worse , we do hope to see a better system next year.

As for the visitors, all jazz lover out there, keep up your supports toward local gigs, especially jazz, so together we can gradually improve the quality of Indonesian music and its festival. Indeed, it was a lovely night in Paris Van Java city and we’ll see you around upcoming jazz events. Cheers!

See more pictures:

Reporter: Melissa Anastasya, Riandy Kurniawan
Photographer: Titus Firmanto, Septian ‘Lardlles’

If Indonesia were a plane, the nation is currently having turbulence by passing the stormy economic weather. Indonesia’s economy has been slowing down and getting even worse this year. Prices go up, the purchasing power has only gotten worse. Empty restaurants, malls, public places are just normal these days. Well, if you feel the same and need some good entertainment which is totally free of charge, we are happily invite you to come to Braga Jazz Walk, a regular community event presented by Jazzuality.com, Braga CityWalk and KPH Music. The next stop is Braga Jazz Walk #13, set to go on May 14, 2015, as usual starting on 7:00 pm up until 10:00 pm. And yes, just like before, there will be live performances and totally open jam sessions.

What will you get this time? There are three groups and one solo ready to pleasure you. First, let’s talk about the solo performer. His name is Galant Yurdian, but he likes to be known just as Galant. This man is no stranger in Bandung, especially in the indie communities, from jazz, folk and blues. He’s originally a bassist, but he plays guitar amazingly well. Speaking of bands, this man has quite colorful sound. He goes deep into blues with 70s Orgasm Club, he embraces folks with Deugalih & Folks (just released an album “Anak Sungai”: https://itunes.apple.com/id/album/anak-sungai/id965589936), and in duo Gallia he shows his jazzy side. More on albums, he has released his debut “About A” in 2010 and the most recent one, “Live at Eksperimentasi Akustika 3″. This man can play any genre, from jazz, blues, RnB, alternative, rock and so on just as good. If you want to know more about him and his works, simply go here http://inmyroom.us/galant2/ and http://inmyroom.us/galant/. If in last edition we had him playing as Gallia, this is the time to have him performing all by himself. He’s one of a kind, see yourself.

Then a new rising star who we predict will be all over the scene in no time, Pangeran Muda (also known as Panda). This handsome, smiley young man amazingly has achieved no less than 200 achievements throughout his career. He’s been in prestigious international-scale events in Indonesia, he has performed in Hong Kong and Macau, even crowned as the Ambassador of Jakarta Musical Production Ministry. Speaking of competition, he won the Sherina Star Kids Competition in 2000, McDonalds Kids Awards in 2002, Heartline Gospel Singing Contest (2006), the winner of talent search show produced by Trans TV “Suara Indonesia” and runner up of Bintang Radio Festival in Jakarta, 2005. Last year he reached the Top 20 in Indonesian Idol. He starred the musical series “Peri Cinta dan Anak Jalanan” as the leading role as a part of the 9th Anniversary of SCTV. His voice was heard in some jingles for tvs and radios such as Honda, Spacy, Madurasa and Aneka Tambang. Speaking of album, Panda has released a couple of albums and soon, his debut solo album is right around the corner.

Approximately two months ago he just launched his single carrier titled “Terpaku” at Tokove Cafe, Kemang, Jakarta. Not only that, he also launch the Crowdfunding GO PANDA! campaign. If you don’t know what it is, it is a creative move made by him that openly involves the fans and wider society to support local musicians (http://jazzuality.com/jazz-news/pangeran-muda-panda-single-launching-and-crowdfunding-go-panda-campaign/). Here’s how it goes. Panda and the team will visit many places to run a campaign in a hope to move many people to support the album. It’s certainly interesting to see him using people’s power, and if this idea works, many artists could follow his step, and that will give benefit to our music industry. We are proud to have him again for the second time, after the 5th edition in November 2014 (read the report here: http://jazzuality.com/jazz-event-report/braga-jazz-walk-05-the-report/).

Next, Frank & Co. The name could remind you of a famous jewellery company, but this band has no connection with it. Instead, it comes from the name of the leader, Frank Navayo on guitar. If you see him play, he will remind you of George Benson and the likes. He is calm while in action, seriously and confidently into his play. Accompanying him in the band are Josua Stephen (keyboard), Yeremia Liong (drums), Christopher Andika (flute & saxophone) and Ken (bass).

They play contemporary jazz which is friendly even to the most common ears, and interestingly the band involves flute that certainly adds more flavor into the music. Last time we had him in our event in August last year, they gave a tight and neat performance. We are curious to see them now. How far has the band grow? Let’s check it out together.

Last but not least, we are happy to announce that this edition will have high school students too. The name is Puella ft Marvel. Puella is a vocal group consists of four girls: Ervita Fauziah, Luis Anastasia S, Astiani Dewi A, and Cynthia Prilly P. They are still pursuing their formal education in high school, but as a team they are solid and have bagged some shiny achievements in local and national level. Serving as the musician for them is Marvel Timothy. A vocal group that has been running since more than 4 years ago that has won some competitions would be interesting to see. At least we know the singing quality of Luis who performed at the Christmas Edition as a part of MYKids (http://jazzuality.com/jazz-event-report/terraz-jazz-10-special-independence-day-edition-the-report/). Plus, on behalf of regeneration, this group does suit our mission.

Jam session will be available after the performances. No matter what you play and your musical background is, you can always jump into the pool and join the other sharks. You can meet new friends and who knows, you might form your own band with new friends. It already happened, just so you know.

There we have let you know the menu for Braga Jazz Walk #13. Once again, this is a FREE event. That means, you can bring your friends as many as possible, and you can join the jam session any time you want to. If you have a band and wish to be featured, don’t hesitate to tell us. This event is created as a platform for any jazz-related musicians to express their soul, unleash the creativity and also, a place where you can gain media promo. If you are not a musician but a jazz lovers, you can be entertained for 3 hours straight. Alright then, hope to see you on Thursday.

Braga Jazz Walk #13

Date: May 14, 2015
Time: 07:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Location: Braga CityWalk
Jl. Braga no 99 – 101, Bandung

FREE EVENT!

Featuring:

:: PANGERAN MUDA ::
Pangeran Muda Siagian (vocals)
Klency Lyman Lembono (keyboard)
Reinhard Woran (bass)
Bernardus Ajutor Moa (guitar)
Martin Julio Sutanto (drums)
Mario Ruben (saxophone)
Gina Dewi (backing vocals)

:: GALANT ::
Galant Yurdian (guitar/vocal)

:: PUELLE ft MARVEL ::
Ervita Fauziah (vocal)
Luis Anastasia S (vocal)
Astiani Dewi A (vocal)
Cynthia Prilly P (vocal)
Marvel Timothy

:: FRANK & CO ::
FRANK NAVAYO (guitar)
Josua Stephen (keyboard)
Yeremia Liong (drums)
Christopher Andika (flute & saxophone)
Ken (bass)

Close your eyes and think of Bali. What’s pictured in your mind? Beach, forest, green paddy fields? The island of 10.000 temples? Majestic view of sunset and sunrise? The mystical fragrant of frangipani? Traditional dress and the Balinese gamelan music? Well, those are a few of the magical thing that you could get by visiting Bali. No wonder, Bali has been standing as one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world for ages. Now, what about picturing Bali as one of the top jazz destinations, not only in Indonesia but in the world? Why not. Since two years ago, the relationship between Bali and jazz has been getting closer than ever. There is an annual jazz event that serves cross-cultural entertainment that can be used as a knowledge and experience exchange. We’re talking about a big move made by the founder of Underground Jazz Movement Yuri Mahatma and the owner of ANTIDA Music Productions, Anom Darsana. Their brainchild added the specific jazz color into the Ubud’s heavenly landscape. It’s Ubud Village Jazz Festival (UVJF).

So here’s the big news. The annual 3rd Ubud Village Jazz Festival will be held, once again, on 7th and 8th of August 2015 at the same location, ARMA Ubud and will feature a world-class line-up that is guaranteed to be even more impressive than the previous festivals (read our report from last year’s edition:  UVJF Day 1 and Day 2).

Acclaimed jazz musicians from Indonesia such as Indra Lesmana, Nial Djuliarso, Dewa Budjana, Dodot & Co, Gustu Brahmanta Project, Kirana Big Band, Dion Janapria, Nita Aartsen Trio, Dwiki Dharmawan, Balawan etc, and international musicians, Oran Etkin (USA), a great bass clarinetist who has won a Grammy Award for his compilation CD “All About Bullies”. Etkin’s latest album on Motema Music, Gathering Light, features his trio with Nasheet Waits and Ben Allison plus guests Lionel Loueke and Curtis Fowlkes. This won’t be the first time for Etkin to visit Indonesia, since he has been here, also in Bandung to perform at the Saung Angklung Udjo in 2012. But now he’s going to paint the Bali sky with jazz. This amazing Trio just can’t wait to come to the island of God and experience the unique sensation of playing jazz in Ubud.

New Yorker Laura Brunner will bring you her deep voice, combined with Nial Djuliarso Quartet. Both, they have done some projects in USA and Asia. Nevertheless, Julian Banks Trio and Alex Lahey (Australia), the interesting Miles! Projects (Holland) which features Michael Varenkamp and Ben van den Dungen. The brain, guitarist Yuri Mahatma, his dear wife, pianist Astrid Sulaiman and many, many more artists, will play under the stars in the grounds of the magnificent Arma Museum, Ubud.

Last year’s Ubud Village Jazz Festival (doc. Jazzuality.com, photo by Praditya Nova)

Encouraged by different kinds of local communities, Ubud Village Jazz Festival stands for one of the most respected Jazz Festival in the region. Most of the organizers who volunteered in the event, are coming from different backgrounds, such as art, media, video, design, music, even food! Yet, it keeps the spirit of UVJF, that is mall festival but big message.

Anom Darsana, one of the co founders of UVJF said, “Our talented young Indonesian artists are the key to the development and future existence of Jazz in Indonesia.” The Festival aims to provide important cross-cultural and networking opportunities between International and local jazz musicians and will showcase established and emerging musicians over two days, using three stages. It will collaborate with local industries, such as handmade drums from Jakarta and double bass from Solo and bamboo installation for the stage décor.

And for the second time, Ubud Village Jazz Festival 2015 is proud to partner with The Jazz Summer School in Korea-Netherlands as an exciting initiative to promote Jazz education in Indonesia. The Bali Jazz Summer School will be held over 5 days before the festival and will be divided into 6 classes featuring guitar, drums, piano, double bass, brass and reed instruments and vocal.  Said Yuri Mahatma, Festival Co-Founder , ”This is a great opportunity for young Indonesians to gain valuable knowledge and improve their skills through classes in theory and daily jam sessions”.

Ubud Village Jazz Festival says this in their official website. “We wants to keep it elegant, small, but we will maintain the quality.” They will work with whatever they can to make a clear statement that this is not only about concert and party but we concern about the regeneration and the high quality music education for the youth. A festival with character, that’s what they intend to be in each and every year. This event will come in a few months, arrange your trip to Bali and be a part of this fest. It’s time to feel the magical, mystical vibes of Bali not only by everything this land possesses, but also from its jazz spirit.

For more info, please visit: www.balijazzsummerschool.com

Early bird Ubud Village Jazz Festival tickets are now available online and will be available until July. Don’t miss out on this extraordinary deal!

– Early Bird ticket price (Including taxes) February- July 2015 period
Please log on into our website to get the most updated tickets’ price.

– Normal ticket price (Including taxes) Aug 2015 period
One day ticket: IDR 385.000
Two days ticket: IDR 550.000
For further information or inquiries, please check our website: www.ubudvillagejazzfestival.com

The world of music has lost a legend with the passing away of blues singer, songwriter and guitarist B.B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015). He was nicknamed ‘The King of the Blues’ and one of the ‘Three Kings of the Blues Guitar’ (along with Albert King and Freddie King).

Though I was lucky to hear Albert King in concert (and other blues greats like Buddy Guy, James Cotton, Jimmy Smith, Koko Taylor, Stevie Ray Vaughan), I missed the legendary B.B. King. When I was training to be a radio jockey at WMUA FM 91.1 in Amherst, Massachusetts, the blues featured prominently in my early mixes, especially the soul-searching vocals of B.B. King and the hypnotic riffs on his guitar, Lucille.

Though he witnessed humiliations and discrimination during the racial segregation days in the US, B.B. King continued to tour and play across the US and around the world, inspiring people of all races and nationalities with his devotion and brilliance in music. Here are 60 quotes which capture some of the spirit and experience of B.B. King, whose music has influenced blues, jazz and rock musicians for over five decades and will continue to do so decades to come.

• A lot of times I say to myself ‘I wish I could be worthy of all the compliments that people give me sometime.’
• A rose is a rose. It’s pretty. But that doesn’t mean you want to snap it off and put it on your lapel.
• America might be a little eager too go to war. We don’t consider the cost of what this is going to do to us in the long run.
• Blues don’t necessarily have to be sung by a person that came from Mississippi as I did, because there are people having problems all over the world.
• Blues seemed to be right at the bottom of the totem pole, and because of this I always felt that I wanted to bring the kind of respectability to the music.
• Blues was started by the slaves and I think everybody thinks that it all should be sad … even some of the slaves had fun with it.
• Don’t matter if you’re gay or straight, Black or White, you still have the same problem.
• Everybody wants to go to Heaven, but no one wants to die to get there!
• Everything I record, I just try to sound like me and come up with songs that suit what I do, and then just go for it.
• Guys who would ask me to play a blues song would always tip and maybe give me a beer as well!
• I believe all people are good. Some just do bad things.
• I call myself a blues singer, but you ain’t never heard me call myself a blues guitar man.
• I don’t think it’s meant for man to know everything at once.
• I don’t care for the music when they’re talking bad about women because I think women are God’s greatest gift to the planet – I just like music.
• I don’t like anybody to be angry with me. I’d rather have friends.
• I don’t think anybody steals anything; all of us borrow.
• I don’t think it’s meant for man to know everything at once.
• I don’t try to just be a blues singer – I try to be an entertainer. That has kept me going.
• I like to feel in most cases like I’m a big guy with long rubber arms that I can reach around my audience and swing and sway with them — move them with me.
• I like to feel that my time and talent is always there for the people that need it.
• I love women most of all.
• I never use that word, retire.
• I started to like blues, I guess, when I was about six or seven years old. There was something about it, because nobody else played that kind of music.
• I still think I’ve got a head on my shoulders, and it pleases me.
• I think I’ve done the best I could have done. But I keep wanting to play better, go further.
• I think maybe I’ve earned the right to sit down now.
• I think of guitar players in terms of doctors: you have the doctor for your heart, the cardiologist, then one that works on your feet, your leg. But I believe George Benson is the one that plays all over. To me, he would be the M.D. of them all.
• I tried to connect my singing voice to my guitar an’ my guitar to my singing voice. Like the two was talking to one another.
• I was born and raised in a segregated society, but when I left there, I had nobody I disliked other than the people that’d mistreated me, and that only lasted for as long as they were mistreating me.
• I’d rather be B.B. King. I try to do what I do better, not get away from it.
• If T-Bone Walker had been a woman, I would have asked him to marry me. I’d never heard anything like that before: single-string blues played on an electric guitar.
• If there was no ladies, I wouldn’t wanna be on the planet. Ladies, friends, and music – without those three, I wouldn’t wanna be here.
• If you can’t get your songs to people one way, you have to find another.
• I’ll keep playing until I feel like I can’t.
• I’m no good with chords. I’m horrible with chords.
• I’m still searching even today for a sound, like the guy that’s searching for a home. I haven’t been able to find that completely.
• It can never be perfect, it can never be exactly what it should be, so you got to keep going further, getting better.
• I’ve been married twice. Most women would rather not be married to a traveling blues singer.
• I’ve put up with more humiliation than I care to remember.
• I’ve said that playing the blues is like having to be black twice.
• Jazz is the big brother of the blues.
• Nobody loves me but my mother, and she could be jivin’, too.
• Some people say that blues singers are always cryin’ in their beer. But you know what? I don’t drink.
• That to me is heaven, being out in nature.
• That’s one of the things about being an entertainer. What we do — it’s just sharing the thoughts that many people have.
• The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you.
• The blues was bleeding the same blood as me.
• The blues was like that problem child that you may have had in the family. You was a little bit ashamed to let anybody see him, but you loved him. You just didn’t know how other people would take it.
• The crowds treat me like my last name. When I go onstage people usually stand up, I never ask them to, but they do. They stand up and they don’t know how much I appreciate it.
• There are so many sounds I still want to make, so many things I haven’t yet done.
• There’s a sadness to all kinds of music if you want to hear it. There’s also happiness to it if you want to hear it.
• Touring a segregated America – forever being stopped and harassed by White cops hurt you most ‘cos you don’t realise the damage. You hold it in. You feel empty, like someone reached in and pulled out your guts. You feel hurt and dirty, less than a person.
• Water from the White fountain didn’t taste any better than from the Black fountain.
• We all have idols. Play like anyone you care about, but try to be yourself while you’re doing it.
• When I do eventually drop, I pray to God that it’ll happen in one of three ways. Firstly, on stage or leaving the stage, then secondly in my sleep. And the third way? You’ll have to figure that out for yourself!
• When I go onstage each night, I try my best to outguess my audience.
• When people treat you mean, you dislike them for that, but not because of their person, who they are.
• When you don’t have much money, you worry that they’ll just put you in the ground someplace and your loved ones won’t know where you are.
• You got to pay attention to the language, hear what it’s really saying.
• You never miss what you’ve never had. I never had any other life. I didn’t know any other life.

by: Madanmohan Rao
Editor & DJ, World Music and Jazz; Bangalore
Global Correspondent for Jazzuality.com

After one full month, Braga Jazz Walk was back again. Reaching the number 13, this edition featured variety of styles brought by wide range of talents, from high school to university students, from the new rising star to the name who has achieved respect inside the independent circuit. Two bands, one vocal group and one solo, that was the list in terms of format. Speaking of crowds, we are happy too that we got many visitors, from the jazz lovers, active musicians (some of them enjoyed the jam session), and we even got jamming participants from the audience.

This edition started with a vocal group consists of high school students: Ervita Fauziah, Luis Anastasia S, Astiani Dewi A, and Cynthia Prilly P. and the only boy helping them on music, Marvel Timothy. This group appears as Puelle ft Marvel served pop jazzy vibes with soothing vocal harmony. They are still high school, but this group actually has begun 4 years ago and already bagged many prestigious achievements.

Since the first song, “A Whole New World” from Aladdin OST, these young girls have shown their maturity of singing. They have good control and lovely harmony over any song they choose. And the selection of songs are interesting too, ranging from Kahitna, “Cerita Cinta” and “Cinta Sendiri”  to U2’s “With or Without You”. They did it really good, so good that we felt these were too easy for them. Marvel on piano did very well too in providing sweet melodies to the girls. Nice opening.

There are not so many vocal group today in our music scene, especially in the jazz corner, so Puelle is actually important to stand as the ambassador of jazz vocal group, especially since they are good. The audience seem to love them too, as they attracted many passers-by to watch the whole performance. It won’t be easy since they still have to pursue their formal education, but if they keep going, we believe they have the chance to fly high. You go girls!

From high school to college students. The second round was taken by Frank & Co. The name would remind you of a big jewelery company, but they are not associated in any way. Having said that, their music is as precious as a jewel. Guitarist Frank Navayo led his team consists of Josua Stephen (keyboard), Yeremia Liong (drums), Christopher Andika (flute) and Ken (bass) to drive us into the contemporary, smooth jazz horizon. For half an hour straight we enjoyed good stuff from them under high skill of playing.

The sound of flute made their music richer, and Frank in front did really well in leading the show. The rest of them gave stand out contribution too from start to finish. This was like more enhanced Frank & Co. They have risen the bar much higher by playing more complex compositions comparing to the last time they played for us at Terraz Jazz. Al Jarreau’s “Mornin'” got a modern jazz treatment. Then Frank presented his own composition inspired by the early swing years which has some Dixie inside titled “Humble Girl”. From there, even more difficult one came out, still original song titled “Try to Find Someone”. And they went funky on the last song, Jaco Pastorius’ “Chicken”.

We don’t find many pure jazz band in Bandung anymore, so we cherish the moment when we meet one from the new generation. Frank is undoubtedly a fine young guitarist that loves to explore. He told us that he’s into Kurt Rosenwinkel at the moment, and we can see how he’s upgraded himself much higher than before. Having skillful companions make this band sharp in presenting the concept. They play tight and neat too. In the midst of pop jazzy bands, a pure jazz band like Frank & Co should carry the mission to preserve jazz in its true form, along with the tradition and so on. Frank & Co speaks jazz fluently, we like it.

Next is the next big thing. A smiley, cheerful and humble young man who soon will dominate the industry. A man who has bagged more than 200 achievements and graced so many prestigious stages in and out the nation before he even reached 30. He is none other than Pangeran Muda. Recently Panda, his nickname, is working hard in establishing his position stronger than ever by preparing his debut solo album. Last month just a week after the Java Jazz Festival 2015 he released his single carrier titled “Terpaku” as well as launching the Crowdfunding GO PANDA! campaign. If you don’t know what it is, it is a creative move made by him that openly involves the fans and wider society to support local musicians (http://jazzuality.com/jazz-news/pangeran-muda-panda-single-launching-and-crowdfunding-go-panda-campaign/). If this works, this can be a groundbreaking alternative for newcomers who want to make their own album. Believe it or not, Panda wishes for that. “I wish to present a more real forms of art that can be enjoyed at any time. And my dreams won’t stop there. I also wish to motivate young generation in Indonesia to be fruitful. Despite anything they lack of, they should know that they still have the chance to make something according to their calling and gain success.” he said.

We have had him performing in Braga Jazz Walk #5, and since he has made new moves, it’s about time to have him back again. If last time he brought all-star cast to back up his performance at Braga Jazz Walk, this time Panda gave more intimate session, featuring Andi Rustandi, the pianist of a famous band T-Five and his producer, Yabes. Yabes is the bassist of Bams (ex Samsons), but for tonight he played guitar in one song.

Pangeran and Andi greeted everyone with a famous song “Love Me Harder”. He directly demonstrated how high he could climb the scale without problem. He took time to give his single CDs to three lucky people right after he sang “Dibawah Sinar Bulan Purnama”. Then the single carrier “Terpaku” that has all the ingredients to be a big hit, and Yabes joined in to serve one last party with Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj’s song, “Bang Bang” in funky blues style.

Since he’s inspired by wide range of artists; from Soimah (Soimah Pancawati, a presenter, singer, sinden, comedian) to Amy Winehouse, he likes to call his music as ‘complicated pop’. But his songs are not difficult to digest at all. He writes lyrics that speak about what we experience in daily basis and use it to send positive messages. The melodies are made ear-catchy but rich. He’s appeared in television musical series, he’s won some competitions, he’s been everywhere. But now is the time to establish himself as a major force in the music world. By looking at what he has, we have no doubt that he has all the chance to succeed. He has good vibes, the medias seem to love him and of course his works, and the wind is currently perfect for him to sail. It’s certainly fascinating to see a star in the making like this. And we are happy that he has left his marks in Braga Jazz Walk. Pangeran Muda a.k.a Panda can be a good source of inspiration for those who are still working to establish their spot in music.

A manouver happened when the third session began. Galant Yurdian, better known as just Galant took over the stage and performed all by himself. Allow us to tell you more about this cool dude. First of all, this man is no stranger in Bandung, especially in the indie communities, from jazz, folk and blues. He’s originally a bassist, but he plays guitar amazingly well. Plus, he sings just as good.

Speaking of bands, this man has quite colorful sound. He goes deep into blues with 70s Orgasm Club, he embraces folks with Deugalih & Folks that just released an album “Anak Sungai”: https://itunes.apple.com/id/album/anak-sungai/id965589936), and in duo Gallia he shows his jazzy side. Other than that album, he has released his debut “About A” in 2010 and also “Live at Eksperimentasi Akustika 3″. Tell you folks, Galant can play any genre, from jazz, blues, RnB, alternative, rock and so on just as good. You can access his albums and find out more about him by log on to http://inmyroom.us/galant2/ and http://inmyroom.us/galant/.

If in last edition we had him playing as Gallia (http://jazzuality.com/jazz-event-report/braga-jazz-walk-12-the-report/), this time he appeared all by himself, singing some of his songs from his two albums. Some has jazzy vibes, the other got blues, folk even grunge/alternative fashion. A strong start with “(Don’t Let Me Say) Goodbye”, he carried on with his version of “Di Bawah Sinar Bulan Purnama” and his own composition picturing a beautiful site from his homeland, “Tanjung Sopan”. The last song is his new, unrelease song titled “Sing It”.

If you notice, we have featured so many solo performers in our own created events. We believe it will enrich the music scene, especially since not many event would love to have solo players. We are, however, happy to have at least one in every edition if possible, especially when realizing how many talents Bandung has that can carry on the concept of appearing just alone. Proud to have Galant and his artistry, and hope to see him back again in other editions.

At the jam session we got so many young singers. Andi T-Five was kind enough to provide music from piano. First his own student named Diva sang two song, “” and “”, then a young man who apparently enjoyed the show while having dinner with his friends. He sang John Legend’s “All of Me” with good soulful style. Then the attending musicians had their own party, mostly from Owcindful plus Ayu Sara and Ocha in front. They sang Raisa’s “Could This Be Love”. And with this song, the 13th edition was wrapped.

The Braga Jazz Walk #13 was fun. Each session offered different side of jazz, different format and wide age range. Tonight the audience got solo acoustic, vocal group, one instrumental jazz band and one pop jazz artist with full band. The jam session was lively too, thanks to participating musicians.

Watch the highlight of Braga Jazz Walk 13 on our YouTube channel

Next month we will be back with a fresh new batch. There will be male solo artist that will definitely hook you up and a female jazz singer who loves to sing standards. We will let you know more later, in the mean time, keep supporting your local jazz community, because it won’t be able to exist without you guys. See you next month!

See more pictures:

Reporter: Riandy Kurniawan
Photographer: Titus Firmanto
Video Editor: Vierna Mariska

Rachel Guerzo Productions launches “Alfonso 25”: A various artist album featuring re-arranged original compositions of legendary Alfonso Soliano.

There’s a very interesting project being made in Malaysia. This project project is not only about music, but about how a national heritage must be conserved and how important it is to pay homage to those who have broken down barriers for us. It’s a project involving various artist, featuring re-arranged original compositions of legendary Alfonso Soliano which is packed in one album titled “Alfonso 25″. This album is produced by none other than his own granddaughter, jazz pianist/singer who has been honing her art and cementing her reputation for over two decades, Rachel Guerzo. The title of the album is a play on numbers related to Alfonso’s birthdate (he was born on February 25, 1925, and this year actually marks the 25th anniversary of Alfonso’s demise.

Alfonso Soliano was a pioneer in Malaysian music industry. He started his career professionally at the age of 7 by playing as a pianist for the Grand Jubilee Bangsawan troupe with family members in 1932. He was instrumental in setting up our nation’s first orchestra for Radio Malaya, infusing modern music elements with traditional Malay music. Speaking of jazz, Alfonso is also known as Malaysia’s father of jazz. He trained generations of Malaysian musicians, he broadcast sounds of Bebop, Cha Cha and Rhumbas into Malayan homes, thereby shaping musical consciousness of a modern nation. Alfonso had a very illustrious career for over half a century. Today, his influence continues in the form of jazz inflected Malaysian music which can be heard in Angkasapuri and Dewan Filharmonik Petronas. His protégés include Dato Johari Salleh, Dato Ahmad Nawab and Michael Veerapen. Alfonso’s compositions which run into the hundreds, have never been catalogued.

Since the album is produced by Alfonso’s own granddaughter, we think it would be interesting if we could dig some of the memories of him from Rachel herself. “I was still 16 and alone at home with him when he suffered his final stroke.” said Rachel. “Most times, I would play piano when he was napping. Thinking he would not hear my mistakes – but he would get out of bed to correct me each and every time I made one. He could never stand a wrong note!”. On the day he had his last stroke, Rachel was practicing and he did come downstairs twice to correct her before he got the fatal attack. 25 years later, this girl paid respect and brought the unforgettable works of Alfonso into a whole new, modern horizon. “He was a wonderful grandfather who spoilt all his grandchildren. A pat on the head from him meant the world to me and I would only get that when I played all the right notes – which wasn’t often.” Rachel added, smiling.

The book “Rosalie and other love songs” written by Saidah Rastam and published by Khazanah Nasional, was among the catalysts for this project. A journey into Malaysian music heritage, “Rosalie” highlights Alfonso’s contribution to our music industry and how the ‘Negaraku’ came to be. “Alfonso 25″ features most popular original compositions by Alfonso Soliano, made popular in the 50s – 60s by legendary artists such as Asiah Tuah, Zain Azman, Ahmad Daud, Dato’ Julie Sudiro and Kartina Dahari. These famous songs of Alfonso are rearranged freshly, aims to bring his music to contemporary audiences. Songs in the album (listed below) were given fresh arrangements and re-recorded by The Guerzos, Bihzhu, Ali Aiman and Lokman Aslam.

Tunas Kasih – Julie Sudiro
Ku Puja Alam – Kartina Dahari
Memujuk Cinta – Zain Azman
Rindulah Rindu – Zain Azman
Teruna Idamanku/Gadis Idamanku – Asiah Tuah/Zain Azman/Ahmad Daud
Airmata Berderai – Zain Azman
Malam – Asiah Tuah

Let’s take a closer look at those names. Jazz pianist/singer Rachel Guerzo studied at Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts. Born into Malaysia’s most influential music family, the Solianos, Rachel has emerged as one of the most exciting and innovative jazz musicians in her own right, honing her art and cementing her reputation by playing to discerning live audiences over the past two decades. Rachel is a fluid pianist with a rich and sultry voice to match, a charming personality with a great sense of humor. She is a naturally gifted entertainer in a class of her own. Rachel’s most unique ability to breathe new arrangements to already popular jazz standards, R&B and chart topping tunes is her winning trademark. She has worked alongside very fine musicians such as Jeremy Monteiro, Michael Veerapen, Pascoal Mirelles, Steve Thornton, Valtinho Anastascio, Lewis Pragasam and Farid Ali. With a resume that includes a sell out performance at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP) and two albums that has garnered local and international buzz, Rachel continues to strengthen her portfolio and remain relevant to the regional jazz circuit

.Rachel’s siblings are also involved. Together the band’s called The Guerzos. The band consists of Alfonso’s grandchildren: Rachel Guerzo (piano and vocals), Don Guerzo (bass) and Dado Guerzo (drums). The Guerzo siblings who are all well renowned musicians in the local music industry, have a diverse repertoire and a formidable musical lineage. Currently working on their debut album, the Guerzos are fourth generation professional musicians, all natural born entertainers and have worked extensively with various musicians and bands before coming together to form this one of a kind trio. The siblings love different genres of music, from Pop, Rock, Jazz, R&B, to Malay Classics and Brazilian Rhythms. They often blend these various styles to produce their own unique sound.

Lokman Aslam is indeed KL’s latest sensation. He’s a newcomer in Malaysian Contemporary Jazz Scene, but the clarity and crispness of his voice, soulful and tender, plus his effortless style of singing confirms him as a rare talent in recent time. His debut album “Namun Engkau Tahu” (“But You Know”) garnered over 100.000 views on YouTube. Currently signed onto Alibi Music as a singer-songwriter, he is currently working on his latest single “Melodi Cinta” (originally by Mazlan Hamzah) and upcoming plans include a collaboration with Jazz songstress, Atilia; and Tilu the experimental, funk and jazzy band consisting of 7 members from both Malaysia and Indonesia.

Then there’s Bihzhu, 2013 Voice Independent Music Award “Song of the Year” winner and “Vox-Pop Winner” in the Cabaret Song category for USA-based 12th Independent Music Awards. This Penang-born lady is gifted with rich, soulful voice and rapturous performances. She’s just recently returned from a 3-city tour of China and continues to enchant audiences from intimate acoustic concerts to festivals in all around Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea and Australia. Her latest single “Bright Veins” follows in the tradition of her hit single “The Heart Way”. She was also chosen for a Penang Global Tourism ad featuring the famed shoe couturier Dato’ Jimmy Choo on the Asian Food Channel that aired in for 14 weeks in 10 different countries.

Also featuring Ali Aiman. He is without a doubt, one of the few standout producers/singer-songwriters to emerge from the KL music scene in 2014. Known for his sparse, electronic and down-tempo piano-anchored tracks, Ali Aiman’s debut EP, “Overture” has earned rave reviews from local and international medias. His “Every Little Thing” from “Overture” topped the charts while his other songs have appeared on local radio stations. Speaking of magazines and newspaper, he’s all over it too. Together with his trio, Ali Aiman has performed at major festivals and events.

The first release consists of two songs, “Ku Puja Alam” by The Guerzos and “Gadis Idamanku” by Lokman Aslam. “Ku Puja Alam” originally was made as a ballad ‘bolero’ rhythm and sung by the late Kartina Dahari. Later the instrumental version was rearranged and recorded by Orkes Radio Malaya. Classified as R&B with a touch of Pop Rock, Ku Puja Alam featured a well crafted rock guitar solo by Wan Gigi. “Gadis Idamanku” on the other hand, is considered a classic and Alfonso’s most famous composition. This song has been recorded quite number of times by Asiah Tuah, Datuk Ahmad Daud, Zain Azman,The Solianos and Rachel Guerzo. Originally the song’s called “Teruna Idamanku”, sang by Asiah Tuah in bossanova, now this song got a contrasting arrangement by injecting a R&B feel. Lokman’s soulful vocal is perfect on this song. These songs is available on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/alfonso-25-single/id991175988).

The album will be time released and sold online in three stages over a period of six months. A double CD limited edition will be made available by end of September 2015. The final product will contain 8 re-arranged and 17 originally recorded Alfonso compositions. All tunes will retail online via iTunes and Spotify, at USD.99 cents per song. Pre-orders for the final product can be made via email to rachelguerzo@gmail.com.

This project/album is important and interesting. Interesting since it’s produced by someone who’s really close to Alfonso which is none other than his own granddaughter, it involves great all-star lineup and the arrangements are made fresh to suit the taste of today’s music listeners. It is indeed important, since this album can remind everyone of the legends who have started it all so we all can pay respect to them and continue their legacy. “I do hope with this project, to create awareness and to continue in the legacy of my beloved grandfather.” said Rachel. We do hope so too.This project contains good stuffs that you can both enjoy and learn from, made beautifully in memory of the great legend Alfonso Soliano. Let’s support it.

All photos are courtesy of Rachel Guerzo, used by permission

For Indonesian and some other parts of Southeast Asia, Lunpia (Loenpia: the oldest Indonesian spelling or Lumpia) is undoubtedly one of the most favorite pastries. For our foreign readers, if you haven’t heard or tasted it, lunpia is the snack similiar to spring rolls. Originally brought in by Chinese immigrants, loenpia (derives from Hokkien language) can have its own variation from one place to another. One of the most famous is Loenpia Semarang, the variant from the capital city of Central Java, Semarang where significant numbers of Chinese Indonesian (Peranakan) settles. Loenpia Semarang has, in fact, become one of the most famous icons of Semarang, the top of Semarang’s culinary attractions.

Speaking of jazz, this largest city of Central Java province certainly has a healthy one. Thanks to the solid local jazz community Jazz Ngisoringin, jazz has been accessible in regular basis since 2009. Their openness towards all genre, status and level, the mindset of learning and having fun together in the simplest and friendliest way have been proven to work. Since 2012 Semarang has been having its own Jazz Festival too, presented by this very own community. Brilliantly, as a way to promote the hometown and be proud of its cultural heritage, Jazz Ngisoringin decided to use the name Loenpia Jazz for their annual fest. “For us, Loenpia is the symbol of cultural diverstiy of Semarang, and certainly works in harmony with the wide array of rich variety found in jazz.” they said. They also wish to see Loenpia Jazz as a media to strengthen the cultural diversity in Semarang that are communicated in jazz music. Unity in diversity.

Last year’s Loenpia Jazz was situated at the Chinatown of Semarang, featuring no less than 300 musicians, watched by more than 6000 visitors and served for around 10 hours straight. This year it’s going to be bigger and merrier, and it’s just around the corner. LOENPIA JAZZ 2015 is set to roll on Sunday, June 7, 2015, taking place at Puri Maerakaca (Maerokoco), Semarang. As usual, not only you will find all kind of jazz, you can also expect variety of cultural contents too in it. All FREE OF CHARGE.

Last year’s Loenpia Jazz at Pecinan/Chinatown Semarang

Puri Maerakaca is an iconic, beautiful tourist site which pictures the miniature of Central Java province located just 3 km from the airport. It’s named after an ancient wayang story, Maerakaca garden, the most beautiful garden in heaven which was moved to earth by Sukrasana with all cost under the request of Bambang Sumantri. This story inspired the tagline of  this 2015 edition: “Aku Ngejazz Mergo Kowe”, translated as “I’m Jazzing Because of You”. This tagline describes that Loenpia Jazz is presented sincerely by Jazz Ngisoringin community to all the people of Semarang.

The Loenpia Jazz 2015 is set to run from 12 noon to 10:00 pm involving four big stages spread around Puri Mearakaca. These stages will accomodate hundreds of musicians. National stars including Syaharani, Barry Likumahuwa, Endah N Rhesa, BubuGiri, Yura and Bonita & the Hus Band, then some jazz communities from all over Indonesia including Komunitas Jazz Kemayoran (KJK), YK Samarinda and Komunitas Jazz Mben Senen from Yogyakarta. Also featuring Rencang, Aljabar, Baroqah and Baruch Jethroobe representing the local community Jazz Ngisoringin. Stay tuned for more updates from the organizer.

Unlike before, this time you can taste variety of food while enjoying jazz at the same time. Not only to offer new experience but it will strengthen the identity of Semarang as the culinary haven.

Komunitas Jazz Ngisoringin as the organizer believes that Loenpia Jazz can make the city and people of Semarang proud, that through jazz and music, we all can contribute good things toward the art and culture of Semarang. The jazz lovers have an important role too in order to make it successful, simply by attending and having wonderful time in it. In the end, Loenpia Jazz is not just a music fest, but it should also be consider as a cultural event. Come and support Jazz Ngisoringin’s presentation for Semarang, “Aku Ngejazz Mergo Kowe.”

For more info log on to http://loenpiajazz.jazzngisoringin.com
Follow Loenpia Jazz on Twitter and Instagram: @LoenpiaJazz

PalJazz-Palembang Jazz Community returns with “Jazz Night”. This event is scheduled to run on Saturday, June 6, 2015 starting at 3:00 pm at Kambang Iwak Plaza (in front of the official residence of Palembang’s mayor). The event is open for public and free, so everyone can join, including the non-jazz communities in Palembang.

This edition featurs two top bands from Jakarta, Syaharani & the QueenFireworks a.k.a ESQI:EF and Nita Aartsen Trio (with senior bassist AS Mates and senior traditional percussionist Jalu G Praditina). Hopefully they will bring more values to Palembang jazz lovers.

The event is set to be friendly and interactive. It will start with Music Clinic session. The guest stars will share everything they know in terms of their jazz playing skills to everyone in Palembang Jazz Community. Looking at the skill and experience possess by these players, surely anyone can dig as much as knowledge from them.

“This event is open for public and totally free, so everyone in Palembang can enjoy jazz without any boundaries.” said Adji Soebijantoro as the programmer of Jazz Night. The educational aspect is placed on top too, so the local musicians can learn from these top jazz artists from Jakarta, as said by Zaenal Hanani, the head of Palembang Jazz Community.

Jazz Night is once again supported fully by Bank SumselBabel. From music clinic to the performances of bands representing Palembang Jazz Community and BSB Band, the event will reach its peak with two guest stars, Nita Aartsen Trio and Syaharani & the QueenFireworks. If you’re in Palembang, do come and have a good jazzy time!

Braga Jazz Walk is going to reach its 14th edition. From one edition to another, we give our best in presenting multi colored jazz, played by variety of artists. From kids to seniors, the newcomers to experienced musicians, local, national and even international players have graced our stage with their music. What also makes us proud is the fact that the jam session has been proved to work ever since. The Braga Jazz Walk as the fruit of solid cooperation between us Jazzuality.com, Braga CityWalk and KPH Music provides a fun and friendly playground for just about anyone to play on. Now runs once a month on the second Thursday, we feature 4 bands/groups/soloists in each edition.

As we are heading towards the second week of June, here we come to Braga Jazz Walk #14. We are preparing a solid, colorful batch with mostly potential young guns. Electric and acoustic, from swing to fusion, traditional to modern, jazz standards to today’s chart toppers, cover and original songs, all will be yours if you come and join the party.

Now, let us introduce the featured bands/artists for this 14th edition. First, meet a rising star and the next big thing, Fabian Winandi. This young man’s just made his debut in the recording field by releasing his selftitled album a month ago. The album which is available in our online store is produced by the man behind many successful artists, Ari ‘Aru’ Renaldi. He’s also in charge of the arrangement for the album.

If you listen to the album, you will get something fresh directly from the first track. Fabian is great in playing guitar, the instrument that has been with him since he was still a kid. He has a great vocal too. He plays colorful music style by combining many elements like jazz, blues and funk inside his crafts, but he presents them chilled in eclectic pop, easy to enjoy by everyone. The content of the album? “About cheerfulness, love and life.” he said. Plus, all songs reflect his true self. He has released a single titled “Mimpi” (Dream) that currently climbs the charts in many top radio stations. You can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRUyJWDCWOA.

As the album is released indpendently under Demajors, we are proud to have him making some waves at Braga Jazz Walk. He’s going to have full support by an all-star cast including Krisna Alda Radiansyah (bass), Iwan Popo (keyboard), Billy Ramdhani (saxophone) and Rully Parulian (drums). Some of them should be familiar since they also play as Yura’s band member. Come see him and listen to his song, and of course, do support him. This young man is the next big thing, no doubt.

There’s also another young man who plays guitar and sings in this edition. His name is Rizky Ahmad Mudzakir, better known as Izky Mudza. He already started playing guitar since junior high school and then moved forward to sing too after he reached the university. Izky loves blues and is inspired by many big cats from Eric Clapton, John Mayer to Gugun Blues Shelter and Josh Sitompul among others. Today he’s working hard in establishing his solo career and soon will release his first single titled “Ini Cinta”.

Izky is one of the highly potential new sensation since this man also has everything needed to success. He has visited Braga Jazz Walk and gave us some teaser in the 8th edition (http://jazzuality.com/jazz-event-report/braga-jazz-walk-08-the-report/). He made us stunned, especially when he put his voice into falsetto while pouring tasty music with guitar. We expect to hear more, so we give him one full session. For this performance, he’s going to play with Praditio (acoustic guitar), Agustinus (drums) and Roni Okta (bass). He reminds us of John Mayer. If you’re into his style, you’re going to love Izky too.

From the list of female jazz singers in Bandung, there’s one name that you should take a look at. Her name is Tuti Iskandar, but better known as Misty. This stage name actually created by her students who called her ‘miss’ and ‘ty’, taken from the last syllable of her name. So, Misty it is. And coincidentally, she is into jazz and great in singing jazz and bossa standards with her smooth voice that has jazzy vibes attach in every breath.

For this appearance Misty will play with her beloved husband, the respected pianist YD Nafis who you will find in Tesla Manaf ft Mahagotra Ganesha and West Java Syndicate. It was Nafis who actually taught her to sing when she was still in junior high school. It’s going to be cool to see them expressing love to each other on stage. Both of them are great artists, and the chemistry they share as real life couple will definitely add much values into their show. “Teach, music, arts are my favorite things”, she said, it’s time to enjoy some of her jazz-related passions, intimately.

The last name to mention is Fearman & TNT. Fearman (Firman) is the man behind a successful band named Poinkustik. With this band he has performed all over Bandung and beyond, but since he’s a great all-round singer, he has to establish his solo career too before it’s too late. Fearman is not an ordinary singer because he can pin different styles as much as he wishes. He can go sweet and simple, he can give flawless manouvers in perfect pitch. He can climb the highest octave easily, he can reach the low keys without problem. He can climb the highest note like a rock star but he can also croon the way Michael Buble does. Joining him is TNT (Tinto Arief Anugrah), also an all-rounder but on guitar. We have invited him before in 8th edition of Braga Jazz Walk where they gave one charming and rich session in minimalist concept. It’s time to bring them back again and see what they got this time.

Jam session will be available as usual after all the featured bands rest their case. Either you’re a musician (from all genre) or singer, a pro or just hobby, you can always join the party. Let us know that you wish to jam, we will gladly prepare it for you. So many have tasted the fun, pleasuring jam session of Braga Jazz Walk. It’s homey, it’s friendly and familiar, you will feel at home while having the time of your life on stage. Trust us. It’s really like that.

So there, we have said it all. This event is totally FREE of charge. 13 editions are passed, the 14th is just around the corner. We have prepared cool set of talents for you, just come and have a good time with us. See you there!

Braga Jazz Walk #14

Date: June 11, 2015
Time: 07:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Location: Braga CityWalk
Jl. Braga no 99 – 101, Bandung

FREE EVENT!

Featuring:

:: MISTY ::
Misty (vocals)
YD Nafis (piano)

:: Izky Mudza ::
Izky Mudza (guitar, vocals)
Praditio (acoustic guitar)
Agustinus (drums)
Roni Okta (bass)

:: FEARMAN & TNT ::
Fearman (vocals)
TNT (guitar)

:: FABIAN ::
Fabian (guitar, vocals)
Krisna Alda Radiansyah (bass)
Iwan Popo (keyboard)
Billy Ramdhani (saxophone)
Rully Parulian (drums)

If you’re in Bandung, you should have visited Paris van Java (PVJ), a one of a kind shopping centre in Asia which blends mediterranian architechture and lush greenery into a unique and memorable experience for all ages. Other than offering lots of tenants to fulfill your shopping needs and of course, an excellent place for movie mania, this resort and lifestyle place also holds many restos and cafes. Some of them are situated outdoor, allowing you to dine while watching stars and moon.

Now imagine this:

• What if, you can enjoy great quality of live jazz performance while enjoying your dinner with friends and family?
• What if, there’s an open jam session for you to join in?

Jamming in Paris van Java, getting entertained by some of the best bands from Bandung, Jakarta and other cities? Along with having dinner with friends and family in a tasty bistro? No cover charge? Really? Yes. Can we do that? Why not. Maybe you didn’t find jazz often in PVJ before, but soon you will.

Here’s the good news. JAVANA BISTRO; an Indo-Western eatery and us, JAZZUALITY.COM; community-based jazz e-mag is ready to make jazz available and accessible in Paris van Java. Like we said, not only you can enjoy high quality of jazz that won’t be difficult to digest, you can also sing or play music in there. How cool is that? Oh yeah, the name of the event is: JAVANA JAZZ BISTRO, and the premiere edition will come no longer than next week, on Sunday, June 14, 2015. That’s the last Sunday before we enter the fasting month of Ramadhan. This will start at 8:00 pm until drop. Which bands will perform and who are they? Keep reading, we will let you know about them.

Two groups are set to merry this premiere edition. First, meet the group of three lovely ladies, Jazzy Juice. This all-ladies jazz band formed actually not that long ago (around 2012) but they quickly found the harmony to grow together as a solid team. There’s Dyah Sekar on piano who can also sing just as good,then two members of famous pop band SHE: drummer Adisty Zulkarnaen and bassist Arnie Christanti. Just three players you might think, but you will be surprised once you see them play. Dyah often creates sweet melodies to appear jazzy, blues, sometimes classical, Latin, Brazilian and so on. She can even draw the combinations naturally. Arnie funks like none other. Once she’s into the groove, no one will be able to stand still. You will start tapping your foot, moving your head or even groove along with her. As for Adisty, she is a dangerous drummer, sharp and full of killing punch.

We have seen this band since the beginning and their progress. From playing simple standards and Brazilians, they expand and grow as time goes by. Today they have top notch rearrangements of famous songs, they already have their original songs, one single complete with video clip, “Death of Mosquito” (watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9ZjguOHtK0) and they can be so fun (and funny) while performing. They joke around, the call and response is on all the time, attractive appearance are just a few of the good things you will get from cute ladies of Jazzy Juice.

Well, yes, as you could see in that photo above, they may look cute and all, but they are dangerous once they are equipped with their instruments. They can play as sweet as a honey or as soft as the morning dew, but they can go as wild as a raging bull or really playful like a gang of girls having fun in the amusement park. Three beautiful, cute, trendy but dangerous ladies? Hey, that reminds us of Charlie’s Angels don’t you think? Only this one exists in the jazz world. If you’re their fan, do come, if you haven’t known them yet, it’s time for you to add this jazzy Charlie’s Angels in your favorite list.

A man who stands above genre. He’s into reggae, he is a bluesman, he is jazzy. And everything in between. He has a strong character and need no time to make you familiar with him. He is none other than Erwin Saz a.k.a Mr Uye.

Erwin Saz is a dynamic artist and idealist. He sings and plays various instruments ranging from guitar to trumpet. Around 4 years ago he made a hit single titled “Sumitro Rojali” which uniquely released in two version, reggae (http://jazzuality.com/jazz-events/braga-jazz-walk-02/%20https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgCy3kqm6hI) and jazz (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hKSVsfMRI0). With this single he quickly gained attention of music lovers. As for the song, it remains popular until today. We still hear the song being played here and there.

Just a couple of months ago he released his second album entitled “Uye is Back”, contains 10 songs plus 1 bonus track. This album is supported by many artists from various backgrounds, including blues, pop and hiphop. His single carrier “Mana Kopinya” (featuring Nissan Fortz and Eddi Brokoli) is doing startvery well right now in many top radio stations in Indonesia.

When you listen to him, you will find colorful dimensions created by crossovers of genres that feels natural. He plays what he likes, he doesn’t want to be trapped into any box of genre. What’s important is for us to enjoy his performance and have fun together with him. He loves to build his session with the spirit of jamming, he trusts his heart in controlling the flow from start to finish.

For this gig Erwin Saz will bring heavy artillery to back him up. Some confirmed artists are the one and only Nissan Fortz, a guitar genius who’s known as one of the blues movement frontmen in Bandung, also half of the famous Sarah N Soul, one of The Trias and currently busy establishing his solo career. Then Dede, a rockin’ bassist most likely will be there too, along with the young but great drummer, Dani Irjayana who you would see in Tesla Manaf ft Mahagotra Ganesha among other bands that he’s in.

For us, Erwin Saz is important because he can be the exact proof of borderless music. Whether it’s reggae, jazz, blues, soul, rock, pop and fine blends from these ingredients can surely be found inside his veins. Give him trumpet, harmonica/harp, guitar or microphone, one of or all of these, he will create magic. You don’t believe us? Come and see yourself.

Like we said, no cover charge. All you have to do is to secure a table and enjoy the rest. There will be variety of full set menus that you can choose during the event. Another important thing to mention, you can come and jam in Javana too during the show. If you come early, probably we will let you jam before the presentation of featured artists, at the peak hours of the mall. How cool is that?

So, do come and support us. While you are getting your jazz needs fulfilled, you’d definitely help us by coming, because the continuation of this event depends on the respond of you, jazz lovers out there. Write this down in your agenda and mark the date! Let’s get loud with jazz next Sunday (June 14) at Javana Bistro, Paris van Java. See you!

JAVANA JAZZ BISTRO: Premiere Edition

Date: Sunday, June 14, 2015
Time: 08:00 pm – onwards
Location: Paris van Java
Jl.Sukajadi no. 137-139 , Bandung

For reservation:  +62 (22) 820 63518, +62 822 1470 8842

Semarang is a beautiful city that’s famous for many things. Other than many historical sites and cultural gems, this city is also famous for its culinary world. Loenpia, pastries of Chinese origin which is similiar to spring rolls was brought by Chinese imigrants and settled nicely in Semarang more than hundred years ago. Today, Loenpia stands as one of the top ambassadors of Semarang. How cool it is to find out that Loenpia as an icon of Semarang now has a new, important role, moving from culinary to music, especially jazz. Jazz? Yes. The jazz community in Semarang, Jazz Ngisoringin took this pastry to make Semarang as a great jazz city. Ever since 2012 Semarang has its own jazz festival. It grows every year. It’s called Loenpia Jazz. And this year this festival reached a certain height that should make every jazz lovers of the city proud. Five stages stood tall from noon to night time holding hundreds of musicians who served one wonderful party in the name of jazz. Speaking of variety, Loenpia Jazz 2015 gave extra miles. They served all kind of jazz, plus, and including, some ethnic twists from local cultures. This is what we love when we cover an event in a different cities: we can enjoy and learn from local wisdom especially the art and cultural aspects. Loenpia Jazz gave exactly that.

Held at Puri Maerakaca which pictures the miniature of Central Java province (it’s like the Central Java version of Taman Mini Indonesia), the tagline for this year is “Aku Ngejazz Mergo Kowe” which is taken from the ancient wayang story of Maerakaca garden. Translated as “I’m Jazzing Because of You”, the tagline describes that Loenpia Jazz is brought sincerely by Jazz Ngisoringin community to the people of Semarang and beyond.

Due to the condition that we are based quite far from this event, we could only send two photographers. It was difficult for two shooters to cover the whole shows according to the rundown, but we tried our best in covering the event, capturing as much as we can. We were picked late, sadly we had to miss many bands who performed early. Later on when the crowds grew bigger, it was impossible to swing from one stage to another, making us unable to record the moment at some shows.

Loenpia Jazz 2015 started at noon with the official opening ceremony featuring Sayong dance from from house of art and cultural heritage Sobokartti. Not long after that, the other stage began its service. Baitbaru from Tanjungpinang on Stage Ganjel Rel and Semarang Blues Community which was reincarnated in 2010 showed love to the city’s jazz event at the other corner. Other than having regular event, it also has many active members. As blues is the roots of all modern music, it’s nice to see this event actually served blues in the first hours. What’s unique is to find three more communities served their dishes chilled, Komunitas Ska, Komunitas Drummer Semarang (KDS) and Gubug Poci Tegal. Speaking of Ska, it’s a fact that ska actually breathes healthily in Semarang. Earlier in 2015 the city even held its Semarang Ska Festival following the first one 3 years ago by Semarang Ska Foundation. Ska and jazz can go along nicely, the evidence was as clear as a sunny day. Then we found out that Tulungagung, a regency in East Java do jazz too.

Fellow musicians from well established jazz community in Malang city, Rompok Bolong was the third act on Stage Ganjel Rel. Since 2012 they have made jazz accessible in Malang. This community does have good players too, as shown in their session. While the Classic Guitar community of Semarang took place at Nivea stage, considerably new jazz movement, Etawa Jazz made everyone comfortable with their presentation. In case if you wonder what an etawa goat has to do with a jazz community, actually the movement was born through regular jam session every Wednesday night at Kedai Susu Kambing (goat milk store) located at the North Ring Road street, Yogyakarta. If blues and ska had contributed in the first hours, now it’s time for rock to send some love, courtesy of SCOR: Semarang Community of Rock.

A strong and solid jazz community from Yogyakarta, Jazz Mben Senen entertained the audience on Mie Kopyok stage at Banyumas pavilion. Jazz Mben Senen is made as an open space for everyone; from jazz lovers, musicians to supporters/fans; to interact. Jam session is on every Monday night at Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta and filled not only by local players but also national stars even internationals. Another important achievement to mention is that they have released many compilation albums.

Some local bands really did well in this festival. Jazz fusion sounded nice from Delight, a band formerly built as an acoustic project but then settled with Fauz (bass), Putra (sax), Alex (guitar), Yoga (drum) and Dimas (keyboard). The players are still young, but they have been inside the business for quite a while now. They also helped in shaping up Loenpia Jazz from the beginning, as told by the festival’s official twitter a couple of days before the event.

The good ol’ jazz community KJK (Komunitas Jazz Kemayoran) took over the stage from SCOR. Led by the founder himself, the one and only Beben Jazz, this community offers jazz edutainment wherever they land. And they have done it for hundreds of times since they were established 11 years ago. As usual, Beben wasn’t only performing with his guitar, he also shared some interesting facts and knowledge about jazz. With them jazz appeared fun and friendly as if it was easy to play. Another good round from the community after the last time we watched them at Kampoeng Jazz in Bandung (http://jazzuality.com/jazz-event-report/the-7th-international-kampoeng-jazz-dont-stop-till-you-jazz-enough-report/). The talent manager of Loenpia Jazz 2015, Baruch Jethroobe gave a special treat with his seductive sax attax. Man, what a talent.

Acoustic modern pop jazz brought nicely by Coffee Freeze. This band is definitely not new since they was born 5 years ago and has 3 members including Zenna Sabrinna (vocal), Sebastianus Yoga (guitar/backing vocal) and Yusuf Rizal (bass/backing vocal). On the other side of the venue, Endah N Rhesa put happy smile on the face of their audience by presenting intimate, connected performance. The way they told the story, the way they execute each song, the sweet loving chemistry between this real life couple, all felt perfect especially under the sun heat in the afternoon.

On the other side ran another great jazz community from Solo city, the Solo Jazz Society (SoJazz Society). This community was established in February 2007 with a wish to develop the potency of jazz, both musicians and the music itself in Solo city. Various activities have been made for that such as learning and sharing both in theory and practice, jam sessions and creating events such as the monthly Parkiran Jazz (Carpark Jazz) and the annual Jazzin Lebaran that celebrates Eid Al-Fitr with jazz. We have covered the SoJazz Society bands several times and always love the happy vibes from their show.

More interesting local heroes in action. Baroqah continued their good appearance last year with another catchy set of pop jazz delight. Meanwhile, Absurdnation gave something different by serving smooth, sweet jazz but groovy and danceable. Nanda Goeltom (vocal), Yusuf Saputra (piano/synth), Fauz Hibatul Haqqi (bass) and Fanny Wardoyo (drums/percussion) gave a tight performance and creative concept, two of the things that have brought them performing all over the nation and even able to make their name heard in Italy.

It’s not usual to find a math term like Algebra in jazz, but actually Semarang has a group with that name. This group is unique since they have their own ingredients in fusing jazz with hiphop. MG (vocal and guitar), Fajar (MC/rapper), Mirza (bass) and Koko (keys, loop, synth) knows exactly what they are doing. Why not? They have been doing it for at least 5 years and they all have gained experienced from their previous bands. It’s just cool to find out a jazz hiphop band in Semarang.

So many communities found in Java island, and they are all healthy. Even Jombang, a regency found in East Java located on the southwest of Surabaya has a jazz community. It’s simply called Jombang Jazz Community. From what we saw, they can really do this. “Stolen Moment” was one of their selections. Komunitas Alat Tiup Semarang demonstrated their skills in playing wind instruments. Representing Sumatra was Threesong, a spectacular family band with the ability of playing like a pro. Abraham Song (guitar), Samuel Song (bass), Josafat Song (drum) ,Dodo mikha (piano). Not only in local circuit, they have gained recognition too abroad. Two months ago they impressed Leonardo Pavkovic, the man behind MoonJune Records on his visit to Indonesia. With Threesong’s existance, it’s positive that jazz is alive and kicking in Lampung, the province located on the southern tip of Sumatra island.

We still remember a jazz lady made a big wave twelve years ago with a nice, easy listening, smooth jazz standard album which soon followed by more until the next three years. This young lady is great both in singing and playing piano. Speaking of piano, she was once a student of the late maestro Bubi Chen. She was everywhere for some years, but then we lost track of her. She is Peppi Kamadhatu.

Where has she been? We don’t know, we failed to meet her after her show. But for certain, we are happy to see her again. Collaborating with a band from Jazz Ngisoringin community named Rencang, Peppi is as good as ever. She still has that strong character in her voice that perfectly suits the famous standards like “God Bless the Child” and “A Girl From Ipanema”. We hope to see her active again, gracing one festival to another, because ageless songs coming out from a beautiful voice, who could resist it?

Coming from Jakarta, Blotymama took the audience into an intoxicating funky vibes right from the start. Teddy Aditya (vocal), Ade Avery (guitar), Rendi Raditya (bass) and Rio Agung (drums) are the people behind this band that combines jazz, funk with rock and RnB touch. It was a party. On the other spot we found a swingin’ fusion group from Jazz Ngisoringin named 5th Floor ft Madra taking the road of fusion, as what’s written on their t-shirt, “In Fusion We Trust.” John Coltrane’s “Giant Step” was done nicely by them.

Things got hotter after the praying break. The Gambang Semarang Art Company (GSAC) gave a strong traditional color in this fest. It’s a good move, because the traditional gambang Semarang can be promoted internationally through a big event like this. Next, a legendary band from the 80s originally from Semarang, DAC Band. DAC stands for Dynamic Action of Chord. This is like a statement, showing how they want to bring their music as. Formed long time ago in 1987, they managed to bag some noticable achievements and released an album in 1989 by having some other players in the formation. They also participated in Band Explosion 1987 and 1988. After being hiatus for long time, suddenly they back again in 2010 on Fusion Nite 80’s at Jajan Jazz Teras Kota BSD City. The formation consists of the golden players from several formations such as Momo (guitar), Dudut (bass), Aditya (drums), Iga and Atok (keyboards) and an additional vocalist Shanty. Just like we expected, we got 80’s fusion style from their stage while showing some fresh, more modern style too along the way.

Move to another stage, we got probably the furthest participant from Borneo, YK Samarinda. This quartet has played in many big festivals including Jazz Goes to Campus, Jazz Gunung, Ngayogjazz, and outside reaching Sarawak for Borneo Jazz Festival. This band clearly plays jazz, but they proudly include traditional musics too especially from the place they come from. Swara Nusantara combined gamelan, kendang and bonang with modern, western instruments, resulting rich, cross cultural sound. Theater Kaplink ran on Nivea Stage.

The collaboration between Indonesian Idol 2014 finalist Ubay Idol and a sweet pop, acoustic light jazz band from Semarang named Coffee Break ran on different stage. An exist band from Semarang, 26 Akustik played not long after that. Then an important ceremony took place at the Tahu Gimbal Stage. The Jazz Ngisoringin officially launched its compilation album for this 2015 edition. 26 Akustik played not long after that and Wayang Tenda Nandang Wuyung gave a folkish acoustic presentation at the Nivea stage.

Many people doubt that a minimalist group would work in a festival. For those who have this in mind, they have to change the perception because there are duos who could bang louder than a full set band. Bubugiri can be one of the best representative in this matter. Coming from Bandung, this dynamic duo offers a musical alternative to music fans in Jakarta and beyond. Bubu, a soulful lady with bluesy, jazzy vocal vibe together with Giri, a fantastic all-round guitarist with strong groove has been stealing the heart of their audience wherever they land. For Semarang audience they sang both original songs and covers. Some original songs including “Copycat”, the feel good tune “Get the Music Started”, “What About Us” and a Sundanese influenced “Kagagas”. They also sang some of Michael Jackson songs in medley. They are perfect in a small space, they surprisingly suit the large stage. They are spontaneous, both musically and in performance. The joke, the interaction, all feels natural. Great show.

Tohpati Bertiga dropped their mega rockin’ bomb. This is a trio consists of long-time partners/buddies Tohpati (guitar) and Indro Hardjodikoro (bass) and Gugun Blues Shelter’s drummer, Aditya Wibowo better known as Bowie (drums). Playing songs like “Rocket”, “My Dream” and a very loud version of “Smooth Criminal” as a part of Michael Jackson medley, the freedom of playing from this three guys is captivating. Cool heavy rockin’ time surely boosted the energy of everyone in this event. Brutal play by Bowie, he even jumped over the drums. Absolutely crazy. The Indonesia Bass Family showed what can be done by having bass straight in front.

Then on Stage Wingko came a captivating band. Bonita & the Hus Band. Intense, fun, joy, that’s how the band describes their concept. For this event the band appeared full team including Bonita’s husband Adoy (guitar), Barata (percussion) and Jimmy (saxophone).  Starting with “Bangun”, they carried on with “Do What You Gotta Do” and “Ain’t Gonna Fall”. The combination of soul power house and all out performance of Bonita and the tight rhythm from Adoy actually worked perfectly. They created a stunning formula with acoustic approach. As the daughter of legendary Koes Hendratmo and sister of Anda Perdana, Bonita possesses all aspects needed to be a star. She is charismatic and multi talent. Intense, fun, joy, yes! Bonita rocks.

Barry Likumahuwa participated not with his BLP but this time with his new project called Barry Likumahuwa Experiments. In this project Barry brought 4 friends. Jordy Waelauruw on trumpet gave an infectious funky lines along with Barry. Funky, cheerful and skillful, Barry Likumahuwa and his gang gave cool entertainment to everyone.

Yura and Syaharani and the QueenFireWorks sealed this year’s edition. Syaharani and the QueenFireworks (ESQI:EF) also made a warm closing show. Eventhough Syaharani has the kind of smoky voice that’s just like wine, getting better with age, she is more than just a singer. She is also a true entertainer and has more than enough experience in doing so. Together with her partner in crime, senior guitarist Donny Suhendra and multi instrumentalist/creative brain Didit Saat she formed ESQI:EF, presenting wide variety of music. For tonight the team consisted of Syaharani (vocal), Donny Suhendra (guitar), Eddy Syakroni (drums), Bekti (bass) and Andy Gomez (keyboard). Syaharani made everyone feel relax by sitting on the edge of the stage while singing her first song. The song choice ranging from standards (Syaharani’s version of “Misty” deserved 5 stars by the way, the cover of “Route 66″ was fun), their own songs including “Anytime”, “Arisan Hujan” and “Morning Coffee” and a Javanese song titled “Jangkrik Genggong”.

Yura. Who doesn’t know her today? She rises fast like a comet and now stands as one of the most wanted names for music festivals. We saw her show involving a clown on stage at the Java Jazz Festival, we saw her overcrowded show at Kampoeng Jazz 2015. She got even more people on her stage in Loenpia Jazz. Performing with a pack of talented young musicians from Bandung including Khrisna Alda (bass) and Iwan Popo (keys),  Billy Ramdani (saxophone), Rully Parulian (drums) and Rizky Eka Putra (guitar),Yura sang many of her popular own songs like “Balada Sirkus”, “Kataji”, “Jester Suit”, “Berawal dari Tatap”, “Super Lunar”, “Cinta dan Rahasia” and covering famous songs like “Hip Hip Hura” and “Bang Bang”. Yura and the band made the Loenpia Jazz became much sweeter, and that should made the audience went back home with smile. So, ESQI:EF on one corner, Yura on another, Loenpia Jazz 2015 reached the end with great climax.

Held earthy just like a people party under a lovely, cozy surroundings and friendly sunshine, Loenpia Jazz successfully created a miniature of wonderful world where ats from different corners of the world could live side by side in lovely harmony. The headline is jazz, it’s true, but Jazz Ngisoringin and everyone behind this event made a brilliant effort by presenting fine composition of talents that involved national artists, jazz communities from several regions and good local talents in good balance. And in terms of music variety, we got many sides of jazz, also the mixture with other Western genre and traditional elements. This is what we always love when covering an event in another region, we can learn about so many things and see how beautiful and rich our culture really is. An event like this is beneficial in many aspects. It can promote the region, it can promote the local arts, and it will definitely show the openness of jazz towards different musical patterns and styles. Kudos to you guys, and congratulation Semarang for having a very good annual jazz festival. We look forward to see  you again next year. Keep jazzin’ folks!

See more pictures:

Reporter & Photographer: Mia Damayanti Sjahir , Septian

Another interesting edition was scored. Rising stars, the professionals, experienced musicians and potential young talents burned the stage, altogether making Braga Jazz Walk #14 stands as a fun, enjoyable and entertaining show with good quality. The showcases were tight, the jam session was hot. While guitar played a vital role in this installment, the other instruments ranging from bass, drums, piano to trumpet added richer textures for 3 hours straight.

We dedicate this edition to a friend, an awesome artist that had been playing in this event many times who passed away at such young age (21 years old). His name is Guntur Satria. Also, there’s a movement to respect Guntur made by fellow musicians called #100PanggungBuatGuntur (100 Stages for Guntur), we submitted this one to the initiators so this would count. Following the announcement we made earlier in our social medias, there were fellow musicians came, plus the lineup are also his friends. We dedicate this edition to him.

From the lineup, first in action was a collaboration between a man with excellent singing skill and an all round guitarist: Fearman and TNT. Fearman is known as the vocalist of successful acoustic band Poinkustik that currently also works hard in establishing his solo career. Fearman is a complete vocalist who could sing just about anything, from a high pitch rocker voice to jazz crooning, from Western style to all kind of traditional singing styles. As for Tinto Arief Anugrah – the real name of TNT, this rockin’ and rollin’ guitarist is a total package. He can go groovy, bluesy and jazzy just as good as his rockin’ mode. The last time we invited them was on the 8th edition (http://jazzuality.com/jazz-event-report/braga-jazz-walk-08-the-report/). It’s time to bring them back again and check what they have in store at present time.

We thought they were going to perform as a duo, but actually they featured a skillful bassist we knew from EIP, Muhammad Ilham. From two to three, they kicked off with Titiek Puspa’s “Bimbi.” Then Fearman dedicated one song for Guntur, a classic from Queen, “Love of My Life”.

Then they gave a surprise by taking the hard rock way, delivering Extreme’s “Cupid’s Dead” by using a pre-recorded drums. It’s not everyday to have a full rockin’ performance on our stage, so we think it’s cool. TNT was on fire, roaring wild freely throughout this song. Oh yeah, he played both acoustic and electric guitar which added more attractions to this gig.

Fearman and TNT are friends. Perhaps that makes them easier to build such strong chemistry. Ilham blended with them nicely too. These lads are skillful. Edgy, bold and daring approach, unique song selection, what a start.

The second round was taken by a real-life couple: wife Misty (real name: Tuti Iskandar) and husband YD Nafis. YD Nafis is a respected pianist who plays in several bands, including the mindbending West Java Syndicate and Prog Jazz with Balinese twist, Tesla Manaf ft Mahagotra Ganesha. Perhaps not many people know that his wife actually has a lovely singing voice which is perfect to sing jazz standards and Latins. We knew it and arranged the schedule, which actually already planned since almost a year ago. Now finally we could invite them to express love on stage, and they really did that.

This time piano became the backbone of the whole thing. Nafis guarded it perfectly so Misty could fly freely following her soul throughout the performance. Misty began by singing “Bluesette” and then went bossa with “No More Blues”, originally titled “Chega de Saudade”, a monumental song since it is onsidered to be the first recorded bossa song. The sweet, intimate moment continued on with Lalah Hathaway and Snarky Puppy’s “Something” and “Meant to Be”, originally by Melissa Polinar. As the last song, she chose a famous jazz blues ballad from the 50’s which was popularized by artists like Julie London or Ella Fitzgerald, “Cry Me A River.” Nafis provided essential melodies for his beloved wife, supporting her fully without any intention to share the spotlight.

Misty works as a teacher. But singing is also her favorite thing, which we think should be continued due to sweet, satin smooth vocal that she’s gifted with. What we love is her simplicity.  No show off, no overdo, just sing the song as it is. That way we could listen to the sweetness of each songs, which works perfectly in presenting this kind of songs. Another inspiring thing from this session is how a real musical couple could support each other and how they could transfer love that they share to the audience. Following the jam session that she was in before, we are happy that finally we could bring her in one full slot.

The third session belong to a handsome young man that would remind you of John Mayer. He is great in playing guitar, he sings just as good too, including his efortless falsetto. This expressive and talented young man’s name is Rizky Ahmad Mudzakir, better known as Izky Mudza. Since he loves blues and blues is the roots of all modern music, it’s not difficult for him to go embracing different genres from rock, alternative to jazz. We knew him when he came and sang two songs in Braga Jazz Walk #8 and love him ever since.

For Braga Jazz Walk #14, Izky performed with some friends: Praditio (acoustic guitar), Agustinus (of Salamander Big Band; drums) and Roni Okta (bass). Cool stuffs were all over right from the start by taking an Eric Clapton’s signature, “Change the World”. He then sang his single “Ini Cinta”, a song that we believe has the potential to be a hit. It’s groovy, catchy melody and has the kind of lyrics which tells stories not far from what we experience and feel daily. John Mayer’s famous song “Gravity” sounded perfect from him and the boys. He once again demonstrated how good he is in blues rock. His original song “Buatku Gila” became the very last meal, where once again the catchy melody, lyrics and groovy blues rock shone from this team.

Izky currently is busy with preparing his debut album. His first single “Ini Cinta” is going to come out soon. A talent like Izky won’t have any problem to shine. He’s gifted with more than enough talent and his music is relevant with today’s trend. He can appear alone and with band just as good, he’s charming on stage. And here’s anothe key point, this man has a strong character. It’s always cool to meet a talent like him, let’s wish him the best in pursuing his solo career.

Fabian was the final act for this edition. He is a rising star and the next big thing, currently just made his debut in the recording field by releasing his selftitled album a month ago under Demajors. The album which is available in our online store is produced by the man behind Tulus, Yura and many other successful artists/bands, Ari ‘Aru’ Renaldi. Ari is also in charge of the arrangement for the album.

We are proud to have him making some waves at Braga Jazz Walk. Having full support by an all-star cast including Krisna Alda Radiansyah (bass), Iwan Popo (keyboard), Billy Ramdhani (saxophone), Rully Parulian (drums) and Salamander’s trumpeter, Brury Effendi enabled him to run freely in exploring the musical terrain. Clearly this young man has jazz inside his concept, but jazz isn’t the only genre because he also embraces others like blues, funk, pop and so on in his crafts. He’s eclectic, deriving ideas, style and taste from diverse range of sources and know how to make his own sound from it.

Fabian and the band played no less than 7 songs. The first four songs were taken from his album: the cheerful, groovy “Showtime”, eclectic “Sturara”, “Mengapa” and “Senyum Untukmu”. Then he dipped himself fully in heavy funk with Stevie Wonder’s “Superstitious.” He also used this song to introduce the band member along with action-packed solo runs. Fabian sealed his performance by singing his single, “Mimpi”, dedicated to Guntur. “He’s a friend of mine, I know that he liked to dream. But what’s cool is, his dreams inspire people,” said Fabian. This song has the power to be a hit. It’s light, melodious and groovy. Everyone won’t have any difficulties to love it.

If you listen to the album, you will get something fresh directly from the first track. Fabian is great in playing guitar, the instrument that has been with him since he was still a kid. He has a great vocal too. He has released a single titled “Mimpi” (Dream) that currently climbs the charts in many top radio stations (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRUyJWDCWOA). As for the performance, he looks cool and confident in owning the stage. He is smiley and has good, friendly vibes in and out the stage.  And, he has great team too. This young man is the next big thing, no doubt.

Before the jam session began, Andre Arizky stepped up and sang “”Here Without You” in medley with :Lemar’s “What About Love” He tried hard to hold his tears while singing this song for Guntur. By the passing of Guntur, we lost one very special talent with big heart. It’s a big loss for us, it’s a big loss to for our music industry. He was on his way to reach his dreams, but actually God has a different plan for him. Rest in peace Guntur, you will never be forgotten. Andre Arizky, thank you for a very touching rendition.

.Jam session took place right after. Fearman and TNT were back, but both were with guitar now. Our photographer Titus Firmanto on drums, Omega on piano and a friend of Fearman and his Poinkustik band, Dadan on vocal. This batch sang Bad English’s “When I See You Smile”.

Danto, a singing blues guitarist then joined the stage. Together this group played Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing” and gave it to Guntur. Erick and Andre Arizky joined as they went on with “Route 66″. Since it was already late, that became the last song for the 14th edition.

Bandung actually has so many talents that have big chance to success. We are proud to be able to show them in our event and coverage. In every edition we try our best to make a reliable spot to enjoy jazz, to perform, to jam and to learn. We make careful selection that can show the rich variety of jazz, the distribution of players/bands and so on. We believe this edition reflects our intention too.

The Braga Jazz Walk will be back next month with a special edition of Ramadhan. We will bring many more great talents within our reach. This wraps our coverage, thank you for your support, see you in the next edition!

Watch the video highlight of Braga Jazz Walk #14 on our Youtube channel:

See more pictures:

Reporter: Riandy Kurniawan
Photographer: Titus Firmanto, Mia Damayanti, Umanbott
Video Editor: Vierna Mariska

Paris van Java, the most happening shopping centre in Bandung went jazzy last Sunday, June 14, 2015. Right at the last weekend before the fasting month of Ramadhan, Javana Bistro and us, Jazzuality.com held the premiere of JAVANA JAZZ BISTRO, an event sponsored by MLD Spot that intends to announce and welcome jazz as an integrated part of this trendy Indo-Western eatery. To make it work, we invited wo groups with strong characters and awesome skills. Plus, we provide open mic and jam session. We thought, how cool it would be if musicians could jam in Paris van Java. Don’t you think so? Well, it’d definitely make a strong statement that both parties are serious of bringing jazz accessible here in the ground floor of Paris van Java.

The first one performing was an all ladies jazz band, Jazzy Juice. Dyah Sekar on piano, Adisty Zulkarnaen on drums and Arnie Christanty on bass, Only three in numbers, but these girls are more than able to bring a party in well-arranged flow. “Night in Tunisia” gave a strong introduction of this event.  They quickly switched to Jobim’s “One Note Samba”. Jokes, cheerful smile and showcase of skills were shown by these three ladies.

We already saw their potential since they were formed in 2012. Why not? Three cute, stylish and trendy girls with more than enough skill. Good chemistry and strong teamwork. They are fun to watch and nice to listen to. What else would one need? But interestingly, these girls aren’t easy to satisfy. They keep improving, expanding and growing. Now, three years later, they are better than ever. They already have original songs, single, and already found the exact character needed in live appearance. They have reached Malaysia and look forward to land on many other soils abroad.

They added more flames on the next songs. It was Adisty’s turn to sing, and surprisingly she took Van Halen’s “Jump”, twisted in vintage jazz style with a little folkish touch by Dyah. They even included some nursery rhymes inside. Then some of the guests demanded Arnie to sing. She chose today’s hit from Ed Sheeran, “Think Out Loud” . Due to our request, they played their original single that we think is their masterpiece so far. The song’s called “Pohaci” (Goddess of Beauty). This Sundanese-coated song is dynamic, not easy to play and somehow mystical and mysterious. “Aqua de Beber” brought everyone back to the joyful mood, and for the last song, they played the medley of their original song “Happy Selalu” and “Blue Rondo ala Turk”.

We mentioned them as the Jazzy Charlie’s Angels not for nothing. These girls are sweet and trendy, but when they are in action, they can flip you upside down. It was again a very fun session with them. Everybody happy, not only the audience and they should too.

After the ladies done their thing, the crazy gang of lads took over the center point of the Javana Bistro’s outdoor side. This second show belong to a man who stands above genre, from reggae, jazz, blues, pop, folk, indie and so on. He’s famous with his hit, a funny song “Sumitro Rojali” released in 2011 but is still played here and there until today. And now, he’s just released a new album titled “Uye is Back”. The single “Mana Kopinya” (“Where is the Coffee”) is doing very well in top radio stations and gains popularity more and more. He is Erwin Saz, a very cool entertainer, multi instrumentalist and natural artist.

What a joy to be able to have him along with heavy artillery, an all-star cast for this first installment. Along with him were great musicians who share the same perspective in playing music: the one and only Nissan Fortz, a guitar genius who’s known as one of the blues movement frontmen in Bandung, also half of the famous Sarah N Soul, one of The Trias and currently busy establishing his solo career. Then Dede, a rockin’ bassist most likely will be there too and Dani Irjayana, the drummer of Tesla Manaf ft Mahagotra Ganesha among others. With a players like this, only God knows what could happen. Yes, just like our prediction, Erwin Saz and the gang made their show like a joyride in a theme park. Many guest stars involved in his session which pretty much opened for everyone to join in. Spontaneous twists with lots of surprises, some cool manouvers in a split second, unpredictable, and great, great fun.

How generous for them to perform not only one but two hours straight! All the way until near midnight, Erwin Saz and friends delivered lively crossover, borderless music where sky is the limit. Imagine, the attendance which varied from jazz lovers, the guests of the bistro and mall-goers who then chose to join us could enjoy mixture of genres, from reggae, rock, blues, jazz, folk, pop and everything else in between. Even ethnics when these mad guys felt like it.

Erwin Saz led Nissan, Dede and Dani to sing Bob Marley’s “Waiting in Vain”.  Erwin sang and played trumpet in this one. Right from this first song, we could already feel their incredible spontaneity. He carried on with his own song, “Cuma  Teman Biasa”.

As the size of the crowds grew more, Erwin Saz then delivered his big hit, “Sumitro Rojali”. Joining them on stage was Fearman, the vocalist and founder of Poinkustik. This is cool, since Fearman used to sing this song in his gigs, even recorded it, posted it in Youtube and showed it to Erwin. Now they sang together which also started the jam session right at Erwin Saz’ session.

What’s cool is that Sarah Saputri was there too and ready to jam. Erwin called her and quickly we got Sarah N Soul in front. Two third of Jazzy Juice, Dyah Sekar and Arnie Christanti were back again in action. They chose Eddie Brickell’s classic, “Good Times”. If you think they just sang it plain, you’re absolutely wrong, because they actually used this song as an even bigger playground. Imagine, in the middle they made a Sundanese twist which lead to a traditional song, “Cingcangkeling”. Sarah showed she’s an excellent blues harp player also amazing singer too. It was a blast, the applause were above the roof.

Erwin kept the intensity by playing his new hit single, “Mana Kopinya” which began with dynamic guitar collaboration between Erwin and Nissan. “Love Me Do”, a song from Erwin’s “Uye is Back” album once again reflected this man’s free spirit in writing and composing. No specific genre, we even got the traditional keroncong style in the middle.

Singing multi instrumentalist Felix Andre replaced Dani on drums for Benyamin S’ “Nonton Bioskop”. Then they embraced Jimi Hendrix’ gem “Little Wing” in deep blues tone. An ageless Johnny Nash song which is popularized again by Jimmy Cliff one decade later titled “I Can See Clearly Now” was the next song. Felix now served as a singer along with Erwin.

A guitarst with character, Izky Mudza was in front with Nissan, Dede and Dani. John Mayer’s “Gravitiy” felt so much alive from him. For the last song, Sarah and Arnie were brought in again, and they sealed the whole show with The Beatles’ “Come Together.” Oh yeah, Arnie sang again in this song.

No plan, no rehearse, just flowing down the river of notes freely. Erwin Saz and friends were generous enough to add extra one hour for this event. Erwin Saz is indeed a true artist and entertainer.  Tonight he played trumpet, guitar, harp and sing. Nissan Fortz is a guitar wiz since he brings magic by using guitar as his magic wand. Dani and Dede were solid in providing the rhythm. The special appearance of Sarah Saputri added more vibrant colors into this edition. Huge applause and loud cheers from pretty number of audience were given to these music wizards many times. So many passers-by stopped to watch these mad boys. For us it’s a joyful scene. We are happy to be able to bring jazz to Paris van Java, and proud to have Javana Bistro as our partner in crime.

As a pilot project of the availability of jazz regularly at the Javana Bistro, we believe we nailed it. Two featured bands were fun-tastic, they all are master in doing their thing. Jam session was taken by many participants The flame was on and well kept up until the end. We are happy and satisfied with the result, we hope Javana Bistro and MLD Spot as the sponsor too. If this event continues to run, we are going to bring more amazing jazz bands in rich variety. But if it’s not, let’s say that we’ve tried to bring jazz into this happening mall, and it suits perfectly with the atmosphere and surroundings. Thanks to all the performers for painting a vibrant jazz colors tonight, thanks to the guests who came. Hope to see and jazz with you again.

See more pictures:

Reporter: Riandy Kurniawan
Photographer: Titus Firmanto
Video Editor: Vierna Mariska Kurniawan

We were shocked when we heard a sad news about the passing of a very (multi) talented artist, a dear friend of ours, Guntur Satria. Still very young (21 years old), he was actually on his way to reach the peak of his career. His EP “Pergi Ke Luar” has released, he got supports by family and friends including medias. He had a perfect wind to sail. But God got another plan and took him much sooner than we all expected. We miss him dearly. Not only because he’s a great, natural bluesman equipped with tasty folk touch but also for his big, good heart.

We have featured Guntur Satria a number of times in our events, from the moment when we were still at the Festival Citylink to the most recent ground we’re in, Braga Citywalk with monthly Braga Jazz Walk. We made the previous Braga Jazz Walk in accordance with #100PanggungBuatGuntur (100 Stages for Guntur) movement (http://jazzuality.com/jazz-event-report/braga-jazz-walk-14-the-report/), but we still wish to do more. what a coincidence, we found out that his friends were planning to make a special tribute to Guntur. We believe the best way of paying respect to Guntur and show how much we miss him is by making a special tribute. We immidiately in talk with them and offer the next edition of Braga Jazz Walk for this occasion. So it’s set. Braga Jazz Walk 15 is ready to come as a special edition in remembering and giving respect to him: TRIBUTE TO GUNTUR SATRIA. It will be on Thursday, July 9, 2015 at Braga CityWalk, starting earlier than usual, at 5:00 pm. If you’re his friend and wish to honor him through music and live performances, this is your chance. We are more than happy to welcome you.

Before we continue to share the lineup, let’s take a moment to know him more.

Guntur Satria was born on April 18, 1994. His friends recall that he was already played music at least since junior high school, starting first with keyboard but then switched to guitar as he’s inspired by John Mayer and Jimi Hendrix among others. With guitar and these source of inspiration, his soul quickly merged with blues. That could clearly be seen throughout his performances. Wild, naughty, attractive and unpredictable. His body gesture flew in sync with the melody from his guitar, he could all of a sudden laid on the floor during his play. Or, placing the guitar above his head or behind his neck. Amazing, especially for a self-taught.

He painted the blues flavors in many occassion, especially under GFRTrio along with his buddies: Farhan Faikar (bass) and Raka Rizkyandi (drums). This group was formed in 2012, then went to hiatus for about a year. When we invited the band to play at Terraz Jazz, the band had its reunion again (http://jazzuality.com/jazz-event-report/terraz-jazz-6-special-blues-edition-the-report/). The way he burnt the stage was mind bending and spectacular. A really promising band, but surprisingly, Guntur took a drastic turn. Suddenly he felt the urge to build his solo career first before he continued with the band. We got the chance to invite him as a solo performer (one man show) twice, at the Terraz Jazz #11 (http://jazzuality.com/jazz-event-report/terraz-jazz-11-the-report/) and Braga Jazz Walk #8 (http://jazzuality.com/jazz-event-report/braga-jazz-walk-08-the-report/). From time to time he kept us updated with the process of his debut EP, “Pergi Keluar” (Going Out). The album is ready, consists of five songs that would let you feel the spirit of Guntur. You can get the album in this event, a repackage edition with the additional 5 songs from his GFRtrio band. All profit will be donated to Guntur’s family.

All lineup of this event are taken by Guntur’s friends. First, The Alibi. This is the last band that he was in. The Alibi embraces blues up high, and that’s no surprise since the personnels are from Bandung Blues Society. Guntur won’t play with Ijay Irawan (guitar), Setiadi Almas (bass) and Sandy Po (drums) anymore, but surely his spirit will be there among the rest of the band.

Then Afterisya. Guntur played with the band many times. The band is unique since it has a lot of guitarists inside. The personnels are Guntur’s manager Tama Randy (guitar), Cakil Tachibana (guitar), Bang Achiiws (guitar), Andre Agris (guitar), Maizar Hafiz Rachman (bass) and Junii (drums). From what we heard, they will perform in acoustic mode. It’s going to be interesting to see how they will pay the respect to Guntur. We can’t wait to see it.

Next to mention is GFRTrio. GFR stands for Guntur, Farhan and Raka. Of course there will only be Farhan dan Raka to perform, plus a superb young violinist Pangestu Hning Bhawana and N.E.A.T’s guitarist Rayhan Murtaza. But from what we heard, somehow Guntur will be involved too in this act. How? Why don’t you just come and see it yourself.

Proud to tell you that a pack of blues brothers from Bandung Blues Society is having their own slot. As Guntur is active inside this blues community, many friends are expected to join this session. This blues community has been running healthily for over 7 years. With still growing members consisting of legends, seniors, today’s front runners and the young ones, the Bandung Blues Society is a reliable source for everyone who are into blues. Who will represent the community to send their respect to Guntur? Let’s find it out together.

Last but not least is the highly successful guitarist, Fiersa Besari. He describes himself as “a man who got lost in words and falls in love with music, art, history and wanderings. Other than being a successful artist, he’s also the owner of Bung Clothing, an active photographer and the owner of recording studio. Other than those facts, he’s gifted in writings too. So far he has released 3 albums with great results. Guntur worked side by side with him before he passed away, since it Fiersa was vital in the process of making his first and last EP.

Jam session will be open after all of these acts. The family of Guntur are expected to be there, so you can give condolence directly to them. Other than the live performance, you can also buy Guntur’s EP “Pergi Keluar” during the event. You can directly buy the album or get it by enjoying the breaking-fast special menu set from GiggleBox with only IDR 50K. Since the package is limited, make your reservation now. Contact person: Srikandi – 081809422513.

On behalf of Guntur’s family, friends and our partners, we invite you to come to this tribute. This will be a perfect moment to send our love and respect to Guntur Satria, remembering him and every single talent he possessed. Mark your calendar on July 9, 2015 and we hope to see you there.

Braga Jazz Walk : Tribute to Guntur Satria

Date: Thursday, July 9, 2015
Time: 05:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Location: Braga CityWalk
Jl. Braga no 99 – 101, Bandung

FREE EVENT!

Enjoy special Break-Fasting Menu Set from GiggleBox including Guntur Satria’s EP “Pergi Keluar” (Repackage) , only IDR 50K (Limited)

For reservation, contact 081809422513 (Srikandi)

None of us know how much time we have on earth. Whoever we are, our final moment will surely come. Yet we’re always shocked when we heard the news of someone’s passing. We grieve when we lose someone close and dear to us, we’re sad when those we loved aren’t here with us anymore. In the afternoon of May 28, 2015, we got saddened and shocked by a phone call, telling us that a very talented young man with a big, beautiful heart named Guntur satria passed away at the age of just 21 years old. No sign of serious illness, no sign of health problems, suddenly he’s not here among us anymore. We didn’t want him to go, his success was just around the corner, and for a very nice man that he was, we still need his presence. But God actually got another plan for him. He’s not with us anymore, but we want to remember him and his music. We want to keep it alive in our heart. And we want to pay our best respect to him, through the media that he really loved, music. Together with his family and friends (especially Srikandi Herbatari, Ovilya Shara, Farhan Faikar, Raka Rizkyandi and Asti Nurjanah who were intensively connected with us during the preparation), we made this Tribute to Guntur Satria, a special edition of our regular Braga Jazz Walk, July edition.

It was unfortunate to see him passed too soon. He was on his way to achieve his dreams with an EP titled “Pergi Keluar”. Just a couple of days before his passing, he did a photo session to support his launching. Other than this debut EP, he’s made some materials with his GFRtrio and a couple of other projects. With all these and the support he got from medias and friends, he could actually gain good momentum to rise. But sadly God called and decided to bring him back home before all of these happened. “It was difficult for us to make songs, it could take days without any promising result, but Guntur could just do one or even two in just a day.” said Farhan Faikar, his buddy and band mate in GFRtrio. Guntur was indeed a very talented young man. He was a natural born bluesman, but he played folkish pop and jazz just as good. He played guitar and sang, that way he was able to perform as a one man band. He offered something fresh to our music scene and no doubt he would be doing great had he still alive. He could be famous, but he once told us that he wasn’t looking for fame. “All I want is for people to enjoy and be entertained with my music.” he said. With the release of this EP, at least his wish came true. We could listen to his music and let him entertain us, eventhough he’s not around anymore. One thing’s true, he’s loved by many. In relatively short time this event could be created by his friends since they got many positive response from fellow musicians. As for us, we feel happy to be able to dedicate one edition of Braga Jazz Walk to honour him.

Unlike before, this tribute started earlier at 5:00 pm with a brief story about Guntur Satria, followed by a little ceremonial and performance to Guntur’s mother, sister, brother and family from his close friends. Then the event reached the break for praying and Iftar (break-fasting). There was slide photo and video of Guntur ran throughout the break. It was so touching, many cried during the video.

The live performance sessions began, starting with The Alibi. This is one of the last bands that he was in. The Alibi embraces blues up high, and that’s no surprise since the personnels have their steady existance in Bandung Blues Society.

For tonight they performed under The Alibi and Friends. On stage were Ijay Irawan (guitar), Setiadi Almas (bass) and Sandy Po (drums).They started with Srikandi of Mahesvara on vocal, singing “Englishman In New York”.  Dera and Panca of Ders Music replaced Srikandi for Slank’s “Terlalu Manis”. For the last song they sang Ed Sheeran’s big hit, “Thinking Out Loud.” Yaman and Tantri first, but then all the vocalists joined on stage. This song is actually the last song Guntur covered, an important song for him and for us in remembering him.

All songs related to their memory with Guntur. Therefore it was an emotional session. What’s even sadder is that the band told us that this would be the final show for them as The Alibi. A good band like this, we hope they think it over. What a cool start with The Alibi.

The second show was Afterisya. This is the band that Guntur played with many times. Afterisya is considered as unique since the band has many guitarists inside. Other than Guntur’s former manager Tama Randy (guitar), there are Cakil Tachibana, Bang Achiiws and Andre Agris (also on guitar), Maizar Hafiz Rachman (bass) and Junii (drums). What they served was a sentimental acoustic session where guitar shows its supremacy.

Afterisya rolled with their own song, “Harapan” before singing Guntur’s song from the EP, “Theater 5″. Wiz Khalifa ft Charlie Puth “See You Again” as one of the last songs Guntur covered became the last song.  The acoustic approach made it even more touching. A narrative reading about Guntur Satria and a video clip followed right after.

Then came the time to hear what Guntur’s family wanted to say.. His mother, Mrs.Yuyun Yuliantini told us her memory of how good Guntur was a son. Along with Guntur’s friends, we gave her photos of Guntur. Representing the Braga Jazz Walk, we gave a photo when Guntur performed for us, and his friends gave the last photo session Guntur did, two weeks before he passed away.

Things got hotter with the next performance. A pack of blues brothers from Bandung Blues Society got their turn to give respect. Guntur was active inside this blues community and clearly he got many friends, as shown by the number of Bandung Blues Society members came tonight. This 7 year-old blues community sent some of his best troops including Edo (vocal, lead guitar), Kibul (guitar), Ijay irawan (bass), Allan (drums), Ari (harmonica) and Kang Woko (vocal, harmonica). A spontaneous blues jam was directly served on stage from the first minute. “All songs we play tonight were Guntur’s favorite during the jam”, said Edo. Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child”, “Red House” and BB King’s “The Thrill is Gone”. What a show it was, blues fire was burning, heating up everyone coming to the event.

Then, a session that we would remember for a long time. The band was GFRtrio, GFR stands for Guntur, Farhan and Raka, a band that played attractive naughty blues. Guntur’s role was replaced by Rayhan Murtaza, the guitarist of N.E.A.T, plus a violinist Pangestu Hning Bhawana. Erick Gabe was on vocal for two songs: “I Feel Good” and “Englishman in New York”. The jamming mood was felt so strong.

Then came a surprise: Guntur Satria himself was involved in this! How could that be possible? Well, by using the technology, Farhan brought his voice and guitar playing back alive on stage, as if he was there playing with the rest of the team. Suddenly we remember the magic moment created whenever he stood tall on stage. The song called “All You Need is Love”, a song that was projected to be the single carrier for GFRtrio album. Guntur’s sister Anggie Ranggani sang “Kala Rindu” as the last song.

Since Rayhan did really well in replacing Guntur for the band, we do hope this band to keep going. The intense fire is still burning from them, and it does sound cool. Let’s hope so. We know this band when Guntur was still in it, so this one felt emotional for us. Thank you guys for bringing back the memory.

We got a surprise visit from Risa Sarasvati, a singer/writer/ghosthunter, and of course, a cousin of Guntur. Knowing that she is busy with tons of activities, it was a fortune that she could spend time with us at the Braga Jazz Walk special edition. Accompanied by his pianist Kevin, Sarasvati sang “Perjalanan” and then “Lembaran Baru” together with Guntur’s siblings. The haunting “Story Of Peter” became one beautiful ending for Sarasvati’s special performance. A unique talent with unique gift she really is, we wish her the best in every fields that she’s in.

The last show was a highly successful artist with 66K active followers in twitter, Fiersa Besari. As a musician he has released 3 successful albums, but that’s not all since he also owns a clothing company, active photographer, owner of a recording studio and a writer. Guntur worked with him intensively during the making of the EP, that fact makes Fiersa a very important person in the last days of Guntur. Fiersa appeared with his band, playing 3 songs in acoustic mode.

Unbelievable amount of people gathered in front of the stage, ready for an intimate session. “Can’t Take My Eyes Of You” was the opening, soon followed by Guntur Satria’s “lembaran Baru” in a very groovy, cheerful version. “Lembayung” took the audience to romantic mood What a coincidence that the event actually ended exactly at 10:00 pm. As much as we wanted to let some more musicians participated in, the event has to end due to the time limit.

So many people came to send respect and remember the beautiful memory of Guntur. It shows how much Guntur inspired us on many things. He’s very talented, yet he’s humble, friendly and has a big heart. His perspective of life was simple, he knew his calling and willing to work extra miles to do it. And certainly, it shows how many people love him. We still miss him and will always miss him. Words are never adequate in moments like these. We will say though, that our hearts go out to the you, and we will always remember the joyous memories that we are privileged to have in knowing you as a wonderful person. We extend our deepest sympathies to the family. We send prayers to him, may his soul find rest in perfect peace. You’re gone but will never, ever forgotten, your spirit will always be alive inside us. Keep bluesin’ in heaven, we love you.

Watch the highlight of BRAGA JAZZ WALK : TRIBUTE TO GUNTUR SATRIA

“Ijinkanlah saya Pergi Keluar untuk mengisi Lembaran Baru” (“Allow me to go, to write a new chapter”) – Guntur Satria

See more pictures:

Reporter: Riandy Kurniawan
Photographer: Mia Damayanti Sjahir Luqmanul ‘Umanbott’ Hakim
Video Editor: Vierna Mariska Kurniawan

After a long (way too long!) gap, I was back in Canada in June and July for one of the premier jazz events in the world, the Montreal International Jazz Festival! See my earlier articles and interviews from other festivals like the Borneo International Jazz Festival (Malaysia), Mosaic Festival (Singapore), and Forde Festival (Norway).

One of last year’s highlights at the Montreal festival was the late great blues legend B.B. King (see my compilation of his inspiring quotes). Fans of jazz and world music can also check out the app ‘Oktav,’ a collection of witty quotes about music (available on Apple iTunes and Android).

The 35th edition of MIJF featured legends Al Di Meola, Stanley Jordan, Stanley Clarke, Wayne Shorter, Bebel Gilberto, Bill Frisell, John Scofield, Vijay Iyer, Eliane Elias and Alain Caron. There were also a number of Canadian stars and other emerging artistes from around the world: Nigeria, South Africa, Cameroon, India, Mexico, India and Peru. Indonesian superkid Joey Alexander was among the lineup as well.

For 10 gloriously long summer days, from early evening to late night, dozens of bands performed across 15 concert halls and eight outdoor stages in the city. Join us in this photo tour of the Montreal JazzFest 2015, and make sure you put the 2016 edition on your must-attend list for next year!

Afro-Peruvian fusion by NovaLima

Anwar Khurshid on sitar

Canadian harmonica wizard Guy Belanger

Erykah Badu, neo-soul queen

Freshly Ground, South Africa – vocalist Zolani Mahola

Gabriela, Mexico (of duo Rodrigo y Gabriela)

Haitian-born Montreal singer-pianist Marie Christine

Jordan Officer, Montreal

Just Woan, Cameroon-Canada

MIJF posters in town

MIJF venue – downtown Montreal!

Paul des Lauriers, Quebec

Photo collage of MIJF

Album launched by Nigerian singer Somi

Poster salute to the jazz greats

Rodrigo, Mexico (of duo Rodrigo y Gabriela)

Youngblood Brass Band

Article and photos are provided by Madanmohan Rao
Editor & DJ, World Music and Jazz; Bangalore
Global Correspondent for Jazzuality.com

Last June we launched the trial of Javana Jazz Bistro in cooperation with Javana Bistro, a yummy eatery at Paris van Java (PVJ). In that event, the ladies jazz band Jazzy Juice and the playful pack of artists led by Erwin Saz successfully made a strong mark that gained many attention and positive responses from the crowds and among our readers/social media followers (Read the report here: http://jazzuality.com/jazz-event-report/javana-jazz-bistro-premiere-the-report/).

What’s next? Well, proud to inform you that the event is going to continue. Javana Jazz Bistro 2nd Edition is set to go on July 26, 2015. That means one thing: you can expect vibrant jazz colors being painted over the Paris van Java sky. And most possibly, you will directly feel that vibe just when you enter this popular shopping centre in Bandung. How can that be possible, you might ask? Why not, since Javana Bistro is located right in the front row of the mall. Easy access, good quality of friendly jazz will be available for you. Plus, you can also join the jam session after the live performances. How cool is that.

The first Javana Jazz Bistro, June 14, 2015

So, what’s the menu for this edition? We have prepared two sessions that offer different sides of jazz. First, let’s take a look at Imelda Rosalin Trio. Imelda is one of the siblings that have been doing great in the entertainment business at least for the last decade. Arina Mocca, Dewi ‘Dee’ Lestari and Key Mangunsong are her sisters which shine in each of their fields. Imelda can sing and play piano just as good, as well as arranging, composing and writing. She was famous with the album, “Di Ladang Stroberi (In Strawberry Field)”, the soundtrack of successful tv series aired in 2002. Years of classical piano training was first, but then she established herself in light swinging sweet jazz. It’s always fascinating to hear her jazz approach that can suit anyone’s ears any time.

Recently she’s busy with some recordings. Last August 2014 she launched an album entitled “Sahabat” with band from Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), The Last Eighties. In this album she composed one song, piano and vocal. In July 2015 she involved the compilation album “ITB Menyanyi Bimbo” (ITB Sings Bimbo”. She sings and plays piano in “Citra”. A month earlier, she did a recording for LA musician, Chris Miller.

Speaking of festivals, she has tasted the atmosphere of many, including Java Jazz Festival, JakJazz, and also Jakarta Blues Festival. Last year she played alongside Kara Grainger. A few years back at the same festival, she played with a stunning blues duo from the beautiful land of Shillong, India, Soulmate. Last January she appeared together with her sisters at @America, tributing The Carpenters. She plays regularly every Friday at Panghegar Hotel an once a month at TP Jazz Papandayan.

Is music the only thing she does? No. She is also a successful architect that involves in building better infrastructures in Bandung especially in transportation matters. For that, she currently continues her study for doctoral degree. So far her paper was accepted in three conferences, from Bandung, Malaysia to Shanghai. Let’s not forget that she’s also a wife and mother. Amazingly, she can do it all.  What an honour to be able to feature this superwoman for this event.

For this event she will appear in a trio format, with her long time partner, a senior bassist with international reputation Rudy Zulkarnaen and Rudy’s wife who’s famous with her band SHE, Adisty Zulkarnaen. Swingin’ pop in friendly musical atmosphere, sweet, sad and cheerful, whatever comes out from her will be beautiful. You don’t believe us? Why don’t you come and see yourself.

Next, get ready to be blown away by the new prince of pop jazz, Pangeran Muda (literally means Young Prince). He holds more than 200 achievements, he has landed on prestigious festivals, performing overseas, recording and acting, all before he even reaches 30 years of age. He has a great vibe when standing on stage, his clear, crisp but soft and tender voice sounds really nice.

Pangeran did great in competitions he’s been in since 15 years ago. He won the Sherina Star Kids Competition in 2000, McDonalds Kids Awards in 2002, Heartline Gospel Singing Contest (2006), the winner of talent search show produced by Trans TV “Suara Indonesia” and runner up of Bintang Radio Festival in Jakarta, 2005. Last year he reached the Top 20 in Indonesian Idol 2014.

Since last year he’s been busy preparing his debut solo album. He launched his single “Terpaku” on March 14, 2015 that quickly hit the spot in many radio charts all the way to Bali. The song’s produced by Tommy Widodo (co producer of Pongky Meet the Stars Album). Amazingly, throughout the process of making the album, Pangeran invites everyone to support him by being Co Producer through the Crowdfunding Go Panda! Campaign. That’s the reflection of the spirit of unity, something that he has inside his soul.

Musically speaking, this man decides not to be trapped in any particular genre. He describes his music as “Complicated Pop” that accomodates all music styles and genres that he likes. Having said that, jazzy vibes are often felt during his performance.

More about his album, he has prepared 6 songs, which all are written by himself. Pangeran based these songs on what we experience in life in daily basis. “True, there are so many love songs already, but we don’t fall in love everyday. So many other stories in life that we experience every day.” he says. Not just talking about love, he speaks loud on life motivation, family, friendship, nature and even anti bullying.

Last month Pangeran made his first Appreciation Concert in Jakarta. Looking at the result, Pangeran is preparing to make another one in different city.

For Javana Jazz Bistro pangeran is going to bring a full team, consisting of Andi Rustandi (of T-Five) on piano, Yabes Chrismanuel (bass), Michael SW (guitar) and a drummer (tba). Warn you ladies, this dandy young man is a heartrob. For you guys, you will enjoy his songs and voice too. Make sure you don’t miss this.

As we said before, we will definitely prepare an open jam session. Whoever you are, whatever your music background, you are invited to feel the atmosphere of jamming in Paris van Java. Keyboard and drums are available. Other than that, do bring your own instrument to join the party. If you’re a jazz/music lovers, you are also invited to be a part of this event. Also, you can get special discount to dine in Javana Bistro during the show.

So mark the date. Once again, Javana Jazz Bistro 2nd Edition will come on Sunday night, 26 July 2015, starting at 8:00 pm onwards. Together with Javana Bistro, we will be really happy if you join in. The highly experienced musicians and a new sensation is ready jazztertain you to the max while you’re enjoying tasty dinner. Let’s have fun together, see you there!

JAVANA JAZZ BISTRO #2

Date: Sunday, July 26, 2015
Time: 08:00 pm – onwards
Location: Paris van Java
Jl.Sukajadi no. 137-139 , Bandung

For reservation:  +62 (22) 820 63518, +62 822 1470 8842

“The goal is constant improvement, constant elevation” – bassist-composer Michael League, Snarky Puppy

Now based out of New York city, Snarky Puppy is a collective of musicians blending jazz, funk and world music. With a string of albums under its belt starting off in 2006, the band is spearheaded by Grammy Award-winning bassist, composer and producer Michael League.

They have played at a range of festivals including North Sea Jazz, Monterey Jazz Festival, Paris Jazz Festival, Blue Note Tokyo, EFG London Jazz Festival and Melbourne International Jazz Festival. The group is also committed to music education and community outreach. I caught Michael League’s workshop at the Java Jazz Festival 2015 in Jakarta, and interviewed him later during the Montreal International Jazz Festival 2015.

In this conversation, League shares with us his views on his musical journey, the role of musicians, industry trends, the importance of music education, and his experiences in Asia.

What are the challenges you face as a musician and composer?
Staying inspired isn’t difficult because there is so much beautiful music around us. But taking that inspiration and using it to create new compositions that pick up where my last one left off… this is really challenging. The goal is constant improvement, constant elevation. But it’s not always so easy. I write and rewrite over and over before we start rehearsing a song and play it live.

How do you blend different musical influences and genres?
We try to take the things that we like from every different kind of music we’ve ever heard and put them together in a pot. But I think the real “X Factor,” or the element that really makes it sound like Snarky Puppy, is the years of playing together. We’ve formed a sound over the years that allows us to combine musical styles from around the world without the music sounding overly disparate, or disconnected. Nothing can replace the experience of playing music together as band, night after night, for over a decade.

How would you describe your musical journey over the years?
The band started much more acoustic, much jazzier. We were white college students from the suburbs who had grown up in garage rock bands and got swept away by jazz. I think this is evident in our first few albums.

But when we started playing on the predominantly black gospel/R&B scene in Dallas (and when people like Bernard Wright, Robert “Sput” Searight, Shaun Martin, and Bobby Sparks joined the band), the sound of the band changed dramatically. It got funkier. We started focusing more on groove and melody rather than complex harmony. But I think the most important change was that we became more communicative, and consequently, more accessible to audiences.

What kinds of social and political messages have been conveyed in your recent albums?
Instrumental music is interesting in this way… because there are no lyrics, the meaning of tune can be very different to different people. The band definitely has shared views on social and political issues, for sure, but we don’t necessarily advertise them.

It’s quite a dilemma for me, actually. I make music for human beings – not just people who think like me – and I believe that the beauty of music is that it can reach and speak to people of varying cultures, communities, and mindsets. People who would never agree politically can sit down together and enjoy the same song.

But at the same time, I feel that artists have a responsibility to help advance a culture socially. The 1960s are a perfect example of musicians working together to change American society’s view on race and war. I commend these musicians for the impact they made on my country, and in many ways, they saved lives.

Should music and politics be kept separate? It’s a big question. I don’t want to ostracize music lovers who would disagree with me politically, but I also want to stand for what I feel is right.

What new album or video are you working on now?
We’re just finishing the mixing for our next live album/DVD, Family Dinner – Volume 2, which features a cast of really wonderful guest artists – David Crosby, Salif Keita, Laura Mvula, Susana Baca, Knower, Becca Stevens, Jacob Collier, Chris Turner, Jeff Coffin, Carlos Malta, Charlie Hunter, Väsen, Big Ed Lee, Bernardo Aguiar, Michelle Willis, Terence Blanchard, Big Sam Williams, Khris Royal, Donald Ramsey, Terence Higgins, Jamison Ross, Mike Dillon, Jason Marsalis, Ivan Neville, John Gros, Brian Coogan… it was crazy. This will be coming out on our label, GroundUP Music, in January. I’m so excited to share this one with the world.

And in December, we’re recording our first non-live studio album in six years of new original music. Just before that, we’ll be filming video lessons with each individual member of the band which will eventually be available on our web site. We’re really big into music education, and this is a great way to be able to reach anyone on the planet who has an Internet connection. So there’s a whole lot on our plate right now!

What have been your previous highlights in playing across Asia?
The Blue Note in Tokyo was our first Asian gig, and we immediately felt like we were on another planet. Asian cultures are so different from what we grew up with, and although there are strong communities in the United States, it doesn’t compare with experiencing the real thing in the flesh. We absolutely love it. The different cuisines, customs, people – it’s amazing.

Our Indian debut in Mumbai was particularly special, as we had no idea what to expect. I found it hard to believe that anyone in India knew who we were. But as soon as we left the airport, we saw a gigantic billboard on the main highway with our faces all over it. At the show, I met people who drove 12 hours to come see us perform. It blew me away. Music is such a powerful thing!

And the Internet makes it so easy to discover art. Since we played for empty venues for almost a decade, we really don’t ever take our audiences for granted. It means a lot when you fly 20 hours across the planet and you find a roomful of people who appreciate your music.

Do you compose on the road also, while travelling?
Absolutely. It’s really the only place I compose, since I don’t have a real home anymore. I’ve been without an apartment for 12 months now. I’m traveling practically 365 days a year, so the road is my home. I love it.

What are some unusual reactions you got during your live performances?
We definitely have seen and heard some interesting things. People shout really strange things at us, for sure. We played recently at Millennium Park in Chicago for a seated crowd. During the outro of one of our songs, Binky, we saw a guy standing up about 50 rows into the audience, convulsing and head banging like he was possessed by a demon. The contrast of him against 5,000 people calmly listening in their seats was hilarious.

In the early days of touring, we were in Georgia (the state) when a guy jumped on stage during a song and started taking his clothes off – all of them. He was arrested pretty quickly, but it made for an interesting few minutes.

Which are your favourite tracks in your repertoire?
The ones that have the strongest melodies. Shofukan, Thing of Gold, Sleeper, Flood – tunes like that. I feel that a good melody never gets old. Since I’m a bass player, it’s the hardest part of the song for me to write. I spend a lot of time during the composition process trying to craft singable, catchy, nuanced melodies. It’s very difficult for me sometimes.

Do you also teach workshops for students and musicians?
Absolutely. We’ve done over 200 educational events worldwide. We love it. We’re trying to expand our educational reach by making video lessons available online next year. I’m really excited about it.

How do you choose what to play in just a short 45-minute session in the festival, given your repertoire and many albums released?
It depends on who is in the band on that show, the type of room we’re playing in, and the country we’re in. We take these things into consideration in order to put on the best show we can.

How has the music industry changed over the years and how is that affecting you?
Ever since digital piracy began in the late 1990s, the industry has been trying to figure out how to keep revenue up. We were never a part of the ‘good old days’ of the music industry when making a living was easier, so all we’ve ever known is the struggle. But it’s a blessing in disguise, I think.

Ever since we started, we’ve had the mindset of trying to find different ways to make our music make money. We do lots of different things to encourage people to buy our music, like including bonus footage on our DVDs, extra tracks on our albums, artwork by respected graphic designers, etc. I think the environment that we came up in has made us resourceful.

What can we expect to hear at your upcoming performance?
It will be a mixture of songs from Bring Us The Bright, Tell Your Friends, GroundUP, and We Like It Here. We play each tune differently every night, so none of us actually know what’s going to happen until it does!

Do you have any piece of advice you want to give to aspiring musicians?
Take care of the music first – this is the centerpiece around which your whole business structure is based. And beyond that, we all need help to progress in the music world. People are more likely to put effort into helping a band that they are moved by, and will often go to extreme lengths to do so.

Interviewed by Madanmohan Rao
Editor & DJ, World Music and Jazz; Bangalore
Global Correspondent for Jazzuality.com

Photos from Snarky Puppy’s Performance at the Java Jazz Festival 2014 are taken by Mia Damayanti
Photo from the workshop is taken by Madanmohan Rao

“Never forget your roots or your beginnings” – bass ace Alain Caron

Canadian bass guitarist and composer Alain Caron was ranked Best Bass Player for 10 years in a row by Canadian magazine The Jazz Report, and best Master Bassist by French magazine Guitariste. The numerous albums to his credit include Le Band, Rhythm ‘n Jazz, Play, Call Me Al, Conversations and Multiple Faces. He has played at festivals across the Americas, Asia and Europe.

I caught Alain Caron’s workshop at the Java Jazz Festival 2015 in Jakarta, and interviewed him later during the Montreal International Jazz Festival 2015. In this conversation, Caron shares with us his views on his musical journey,

 How would you describe your musical journey? 
I was inspired by the bass greats like Scott Lafaro, Eddie Gomez and Stanley Clarke. When I first heard Scott Lafaron play solo on the bass, I noticed it was not like bass anymore – there were unusual lines and it was more sophisticated than just rhythm. From supporting harmony, the bass had a new voice, just like a lead instrument. Later on, I was also amazed by the great Jaco Pastorius.

I started off playing music when I was 11 years old, mostly Top 40 pop stuff. When I was 15, I began to study jazz. I was largely self-taught, and then studied at the Berklee College of Music. I later teamed up with guitarist Michel Cusson, and gigged with Mike and Leni Stern in New York as well in the 1990s.

I have lived in Paris also. After many years of arranging and producing fusion, I discovered my own identity in music and began to work on my own stuff.

I teach masterclasses and guitar clinics as well – there is a lot of interest in jazz among the youth, music schools are all full!

Do you compose music when you are travelling as well?
I do not compose music much when I am travelling; I prefer to be isolated and immerse in my music when I compose an album, which takes at least a month. I like to listen to the silences as well.

What are some other instruments you would like to play with, and dream collaborations? And how about adding a vocalist to your lineup?
I would love to play with someone on the oboe. I like the full symphony sound as well. I would love to play with Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea! But I have not yet experimented with a vocalist in my band.

You have also designed your own bass guitar
Yes, I have been playing bass for over 30 years now. I designed my six-string fretless bass with Luthier George Furlanetto of F Bass to have a wider range thanks to the lower and higher strings, and make it sound almost voice-like. It lets me play with higher registers.

It also has an additional belt at the waist so it causes less strain on my wrist. I don’t play acoustic bass much because it is a hard instrument to travel with, and I don’t like to borrow instruments for gigs abroad.

What can we expect to hear at your upcoming performance?
I will be playing in a string quarter, no drums this time. Sort of like jazz meets Western classical music. I have been doing work with symphony orchestras, and have a new DVD out, called ‘In Concert.’

Outdoor and indoor venues are very different, and sometimes even the presence of a wall in the wrong place can reflect the sound badly and create reverberations.

What is your message to the aspiring musicians out there, and to the audience?
Never forget your roots or your beginnings. When you get deep into your career, you tend to forget your roots and what it was that truly made you happy. Fame and wealth can make you forget where you came from and what is true pleasure.

While you keep looking for new things, also touch your roots. Keep an eye on the basics – in the case of bass, it is your fingers and not just technology that matters!

Interviewed by Madanmohan Rao
Editor & DJ, World Music and Jazz; Bangalore
Global Correspondent for Jazzuality.com

We, Jazzuality.com together with Braga CityWalk and KPH Music School have successfully held the pre event of Java Jazz Festival 2015 last February. Hundreds of jazz aficionados from Bandung, Jakarta and nearby cities gathered to enjoy the magnificent performances consisiting top artists from three countries: Indonesia, Italy and Mexico. (read the article here http://jazzuality.com/jazz-event-report/braga-jazz-walk-special-edition-pre-event-java-jazz-festival-2015-the-report/). We are proud to announce that we are linked with the upcoming big jazz festival also taking place in Jakarta, the 2nd INDONESIAN JAZZ FESTIVAL 2015 and ready to launch the one and only official pre event for Bandung, ROAD TO KITA INDONESIA! INDONESIAN JAZZ FESTIVAL 2015 as a special edition of Braga Jazz Walk. This event will come to you on August 1, 2015, totally FREE as usual.

For you who are still not that familiar with Indonesian Jazz Festival (IJF), allow us to introduce it to you. Indonesian Jazz Festival is a festival that places the spirit of nationalism up high. Unlike most of the big jazz festivals, IJF strickly let only Indonesian bands or artists to participate in. Since Indonesia has so many talents and many of them offers something fresh and different, we do need a huge platform that can accomodate as many of them as possible. IJF provides exactly that.

This festival launched its premiere two years ago in 2013. After a year without presentation, this year the fest is back again, ready to showcase hundreds of players on 5 stages for two days straight. This main event will be held on August 29 and 30 at Istora Senayan, Jakarta. What does this festival intend to accomplish? The director of ALBA Production who initiated this fest, Adrian Bramantyo Musyanif said this: “By making up this festival we have only one goal, that is to give a good ground and appreciation for Indonesian talents to bring out the best in them, also to provide a home for Indonesian jazz musicians to gather, inside a festival especially made from Indonesian musician, for Indonesian musicians.”

We arrange the lineup in accordance with the IJF’s spirit of nationalism and its vision. Therefore in this event you can see the iconic figures/legends, the creative band that has the calling to preserve our own music heritage, the emerging musicians, the groovy group and talents who are still very young and just begun. All that, plus, jam session will be up for grab too like always. Curious to see who will be there partying with you? Let’s take a look at them.

SYAHARANI, DONNY SUHENDRA and BEKTI SUDIRO

It’s surely a previlege to have these two iconic jazz figures and the rhythm master performing at Braga Jazz Walk. Syaharani, Donny Suhendra and Bekti Sudiro. Think of it. Who doesn’t know them? Syaharani has been active in the music business for over 20 years and still at the top list up until now. She has made a couple of solo albums including a psychedelic album Magma which is ahead of its time in 2002, she represented Indonesia in North Sea Jazz Festival 2001 and lately achieve big success with Syaharani and the QueenFireworks (ESQI:EF), a band that gives just about anything in delightful crossover by placing their core to the roots: blues, jazz and folk where Donny Suhendra also plays the main role. She has a prime sultry, smoky vocal that keeps better with age, something that you’d easily distinguish whenever you hear her sing. She has tried acting and writing books as well. As an artist, Syaharani is close to her fans. Often she takes requests from her social medias and sings them in her concerts. As we noticed, she cares about communities too. We haven’t got the chance to invite her to our regular community event before, but now finally she agrees to come to meet and greet the Braga Jazz Walk community. We feel happy and proud about it.

Donny Suhendra, Syaharani’s partner in ESQI:EF is undisputedly one of the most influential Indonesian musicians of this era. He has made a lot of today’s amazing guitarists, but that’s not all because he’s also established and involved with many legendary supergroups like D’Marszyo, Krakatau, Adegan, JavaJazz and he group he formed around 1997 called Big City Blues. Donny is widely famous with his sharp jazz fusion playing, but let’s not forget that he actually started with blues and rock and still passionately into these genres up until now. Today Donny also has his own group, Donny Suhendra Trio and occasionally play in many side projects and collaborations.

For the Braga Jazz Walk Special Edition: Road to Indonesian Jazz Festival 2015, Syaharani and Donny Suhendra will team up with bassist Bekti Sudiro. This formation has played at Kompas.com’s event: Feminite at the end of last April in Jakarta, now they are ready to serve one intimate party for Bandung music lovers especially their fans.

This light but tight acoustic trio will definitely steal your heart. The combination of meaningful and touching original lyrics, well known songs will go hand in hand with sharp collaboration between them. Rhythm, melody and top notch smokey vocal, who wouldn’t love it.

LANTUN ORCHESTRA

You won’t find any other band that can bring something proudly traditional yet sounds modern with high dose of fun like this. If you haven’t heard them yet, allow us to introduce to you, the one and only LANTUN Orchestra. Bassist Chaka Priambudi and vocalist Nesia Ardi established LANTUN Orchestra to (re)introduce the richness of Indonesian traditional music especially the Batavian like keroncong, tanjidor and so on. But what’s unique, in order to bring it, they use jazz elements not only in notations but also improvisations, solo runs and call & response. “We’re searching for the similiarities between jazz and Indonesian traditional music especially the Batavian, and that’s important because we need to preserve our own cultural heritage and keep deveoping it under today’s condition.” said Chaka.

This mid-size ensemble consists of skillful young talents in every corner. Other than the founder Chaka Priambudi on bass and Nesia Ardi on vocal, the band has Tiyo Alibasjah (guitar), Donny Prasetyo (keyboard), Armiya Husein (flute), Kenny Gabriel (trumpet), Dika Chasmala (violin) and Arman Chaniago (percussion), plus M Rizky (accordion). Having a lineup like this makes Lantun Orchestra able to climb up fast. Still in their second year, the band has landed on many prestigious spots including Jazz @ Kota Tua, Java Jazz Festival 2015 and a couple of appearances on TV. They have released one album (available at our store: http://store.jazzuality.com/product/lantun-orchestra/) and now has a new single titled “Si Mei-Mei”. Their performance at this event will mark their first concert in Bandung.

Lantun Orchestra – Keroncong Kemayoran

Lantun Orchestra proves that there are still many music corners to explore with limitless possibilities. They also brilliantly shows that jazz can be used to preserve our own traditional music, and for us, Lantun Orchestra is considered not only unique, but also important and urgently needed in terms of preserving our rich local cultural heritage in such creative way. Not complex but classy, rich in concept and arrangement yet really friendly at the same time, even to the common listeners. They bring the authentic sound just as the way it should be but somehow suits today’s style of music. Entertaining stage act should be added too. as one of the most interesting new concept at present time. Since Indonesian Jazz Festival is made under the spirit of nationalism, this band becomes important and relevant to participate in this pre event.

You think keroncong is old fashioned and/or outdated? Wait until you see how Lantun Orchestra does it. We’re sure you will have a different perception in no time.

WEST FUNK RHYTHM

If you think jazz regeneration is important, make sure you won’t miss this one. Starting from the weekly Rhythm Workshop by Eddy Syakroni and Arya Andiputra, in mid 2014 some young musicians decided to form a band cored in standard jazz. The name is West Funk Rhythm.  After series of intensive training, they managed to get chances of appearance including Jajan Jazz, Melodia Music and Margo Friday Jazz.

Today the band consists of skillful young lions: Rio Fritz Torang Siahaan (piano), Chika Olivia (piano), Hafiz Aga Anshari (bass) and the sensational 13 year-old drummer, Bima Adhitama Suradji. More about Bima, this boy has played with big cats including with Tohpati, Indro Hardjodikoro, Franky Sadikin and a big chance to be in Dwiki Dharmawan’s formed band which played as the opening band for Dwiki Dharmawan’s album launching in Jakarta and Bandung in 2014. Currently he’s learning from Eddy Syakroni and guitar from Maurits Kansil and Yossi (Farabi).

They are young, but they can already take some famous modern jazz repertoires from John Coltrane and the likes. It’s important to support the new jazz bands. They need it in order to grow, and we need them if we want to keep jazz alive in our music scene.

MOTIONVIBE

Motionvibe reminds us of young, modern Kahitna with beatbox. That’s what our first impression when we heard them and saw their performance for the very first time. The band is considerably still new, but they surely move fast. They are soulful, groovy when needed, got the flavor of RnB but also has jazzpression. They are energetic and know how to have fun together with the crowds. They clearly show how happy they are on stage and spread that positive vibe throughout the venue. The personnels of Motionvibe are Agung and Boang (vocals), Farhan (bass), Raka (drums), Edho (keyboard)  and Wahyu (guitar). This show will also feature a young female singer on her way to the top, Rizka Adlina.

THE TEENS

It’s become a tradition for us to feature very young talents in a special edition. Meet the kids from a church at Maulana Yusuf street in Bandung. Formerly known as My Kids, as they grow more mature, they now change the name to The Teens. They are still young, but they have shown the spirit to be brave and equipped with more than enough skills. We have invited them before and liked their presentation. As we want to have a good synergy with the vision of Indonesian Jazz Festival and focus on our mission in suppoting the jazz regeneration in local area, we believe it’s important to push the young talents to appear on the same stage with those who have successfully done it. This will make them hatch early, they can gain valuable experience and  learn from their seniors as well. The Teens consists of boys and girls from 12-16 years old. They are Luis Anastasia (vocal), Adam Gassor, Korin Werlina, Miguel Thomas (guitars), Yugo Junianto (guitar/percussion), Panji Saptadesta (bass), Brilliant Yosef (drums), Ferdiant Joshua (keyboard).

The main show will start at 6:30 pm, but this event will start early, as early as 4:00 pm in the afternoon. More bands are going to participate in this pre-show side, including GFRtrio ft Erick Gabe and ApelManis. GFRtrio has just suffered for losing its leader, Guntur Satria who passed away a couple of months ago at the age of 21. Most of the band will collapse and stop their journey, but amazingly GFRtrio decided to move on. The new chapter of GFRtrio is right here. The original members Farhan Faikar (bass) and Raka Rizkyandi (drums) are still inside, but now two more players are added. Replacing the late Guntur is bluesman Ijay Irawan, and they now collaborate with vocalist Erick Gabe. They need many hours to find a solid grip, so we believe this event could be one of the platforms for them to build the new chapter. As for ApelManis, this band has been running since 2012. The name (in English: sweet apple) was taken based on the personnels’ healthy habit to eat fruit especially apple, plus they think it suits the philosophy of the band. Ayub (vocal), Debby vocal) Adi (guitar), M. Yusuf (guitar), Dony (keyboard)  and Haidar (drum) have already made four original songs. Their music is rooted in pop fusion which is friendly to everyone’s ear. These two bands will start in the afternoon, come early if you want to catch them.

Mark your calendar on saturday Night, August 1st, 2015. The pre show will start earlier since 4 pm, providing you chance to get jazzy much longer. The main event itself will start at 6:30 pm all the way to 10:00 pm. The open jam session is available after all performances. If you wish to join in, just bring your gear and jump right in. The second Indonesian Jazz Festival 2015 is ready to present great local talents ranging from living legends, today’s frontrunners, experienced musicians, band of youngsters and the potential new groups under the thick spirit of nationalism. We make the Special Edition of Braga Jazz Walk: Road to Kita Indonesia! Indonesian Jazz Festivval 2015 to be the miniature where you can enjoy artists from the same range. The iconic Syaharani, the legendary Donny Suhendra, the unique, creative LANTUN Orchestra, the modern jazz band West Funk Rhythm, the soulful MotionVibe and pop jazz band The Teens, all will jazztertain you to the max and speak loud about the upcoming main event which will come on 29,30 August 2015. Once again this special event is COMPLETELY FREE! All you have to do is come and have fun with us. Alright then, see you!

BRAGA JAZZ WALK Special Edition: Road to Kita Indonesia! INDONESIAN JAZZ FESTIVAL 2015

Date: Saturday, August 1, 2015
Time: 4:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Location: Atrium Braga CityWalk
Jl. Braga 99-101 Bandung

FREE EVENT!

Supported by: ESQI:EF, KlabJazz, Venche Music School, Infinity
Media Partner: InfoBdg, UCS, Dokter Desain, Ardan 105.9 FM, Ardan Group Digital Communication, K-Lite 107.1 FM, 99ers 100 FM, OZ 103.1 FM, PRFM 107.5, Radio B 95.6, Rase 102.3 FM