Ho, ho, ho! Christmas is right around the corner. If you celebrate it, you should already be very excited now since it’s very, very near. Now put jazz in it, won’t you love it even more? Who doesn’t love the jazzy sounds of Christmas. Once a musician said, when jazz and Christmas intersect, his celebration would be truly enhanced. Surely this quote represent many of us who feel the same.
Now let’s talk about Braga Jazz Walk. As a fruit of cooperation between us, Jazzuality.com, Braga City Walk and KPH Music, the event has been showcased 7 times. 6 regular shows (every the second and fourth Thursday of each month) and one special edition in accordance with the culinary fest Bragalicious. Since we are entering the fourth week of December, Braga Jazz Walk is set to go again next Thursday. But hey, what a cool coincidence. If you look at the calenddar, you will see that next Thursday is exactly fall on 25th of December. For us it was like a sign, a sign that we should make something special. We are. This time, in accordance with the theme of the mall: “The Oldtown Christmas”, the Braga Jazz Walk #07 is set to bring the joyful Christmas spirit to you. Three groups are going to give you that. Jam Session will be available too as always. Braga Jazz Walk: Christmas Edition will be held on 25th December 2014, starting at 7:00 pm at Braga City Walk, Bandung. If you are in Bandung on that date, do come and join us. Nothing to worry, we won’t charge you even a penny. This event is totally FREE and open for public.
Who will be featured this time? First, one of the prestigious Jazz Goes to Campus 2014 consolation prize holder, 5th Avenue. This band consists of 3 lads: Chris Alfeus (guitar), AlbenOctorys (drums), William Anthony (bass) and 1 lady who is also in charge as the manager: Stella Inke (piano). Their playground is somewhere around jazz fusion and smooth jazz. Some of their specialties including brilliant arrangement and the scat singing along with guitar playing on the same note (or at the interval of an octave) by Chris. This made Chris won the Best Guitarist for Jazz Goes to Campus 2014. They have some great original compositions, they do interesting covers of some famous jazz repertoires/songs. This is our time to enjoy Christmas carols from them. Ever wonder how Christmas songs would sound with guitar-scat-singing in jazz fusion/smooth jazz outfit? Wish to see a neat fusion band that serves smart arrangements, ear-catchy songs that are easy to listen to? 5th Avenue it is.
Out of 7 is a band that places itself in between secular and gospel. All personnels are active praise and worship musicians beside their daily works. We used to call them acrobatic band due to their ‘stunt’ attempt in exploring wide array of genres. The keyboarist Widiyanto Sutanto is the leader who is also in charge of composing the materials. Then, the young but hyperactive lady drummer Marissa Wiguna who has catchy appearance and rich punching variety, guitarist Herman Yulianto and Daniel Christy with their rock-blues colors over jazz and funky bassist Abet Darmaji. Last but not least, the man you’ve seen in every Braga Jazz Walk edition as the MC, Erick Gabe is the vocalist. He has magical gift when it’s about voice. Wide range, perfect pitch, extreme manouvers, scat-singing, mouth-trumpet,trombone, beatbox and so on, you name it, he does it. They have some original songs too (including several contemporary gospel songs), and just like 5th Avenue, they love to surprise us with unique arrangement. Luckily none of them leave Bandung for holiday, we can invite them to fill one slot. We don’t get to see them often anymore nowadays, we’re happy to bring them back again.
For this act Out of 7 will bring some Friends, a vocal harmony group from GKI Maulana Yusuf consists of Norama Herty Yunieke, Mutiyani Repie, Lela Yuliantika Kawareh and Ferdi Hendarman. A vocal harmony group will surely enrich the Christmas Edition, we believe so.
Then, speaking of GKI Maulana Yusuf, here comes the last band to highlight: MY Kids. MY stands for Maulana Yusuf, the name of the street where their church stands. This band consists of kids from 12-16 years of age including Billy (drum), Panji (bass), Adam (electric guitar), Korin and Miguel (acoustic guitar), Yugo (conga), Ferdi (keyboard), Louis Arnita and Syela (vocals). My Kids was built from the children of the church’s Sunday School who apparently have talents in music. It began only with acoustic guitar but then grew with more kids coming in. They have began their service since April 2011 and has been serving twice a month ever since. Cute performance will be just one aspect to expect, because usually children can surprise you with their all out ‘nothing to loose’ way of performing.
As we’ve mentioned earlier, jam session will be provided as usual. You can be on stage and play any song you like with the other players, but we expect some Christmas songs too. Just bring your gear and come, the stage is open for one.
Christmas celebration is going to be colorful, served under the Braga Jazz Walk #07: Special Christmas Edition on 25th of December. Plenty of songs, plenty of styles. From swing to bop to fusion to smooth jazz, from full band to children ensemble to vocal harmony group, from full music and singing, instrumental and acapella, all wish to make your Christmas celebration and holiday season merrier than ever. Talks about the harmonious relationship between jazz and Christmas that has been walking side by side for decades, the Braga Jazz Walk is ready to bring that up in this special 7th edition. We may have no snow, but we do have jazz. So, do you wish for jazzy Christmas? Come and let’s celebrate with us.
Braga Jazz Walk #07: Special Christmas Edition
Date: Thursday, December 25, 2014
Time: 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Location: Braga Jazz Walk
Jl. Braga 99 – 101, Bandung
FREE EVENT!
Featuring:
:: 5th Avenue ::
Chris Alfeus (guitar)
Stella Inke (piano)
AlbenOctorys (drums)
William Anthony (bass)
:: Out of 7 ::
Widiyanto Sutanto (keyboard)
Marissa Wiguna (drums)
Erick Gabe (vocals)
Herman Yulianto/Daniel Christy (guitar)
Abet Darmaji (bass)
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Vocal Harmony Group:
Norama Herty Yunieke, Mutiyani Repie, Lela Yuliantika Kawareh and Ferdi Hendarman
:: MY Kids ::
Billy (drum)
Panji (bass)
Adam (electric guitar)
Korin and Miguel (acoustic guitar) Yugo (conga)
Ferdi (keyboard)
Louis Arnita and Syela (vocals).