Gontha, from jazz to action<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
\"When I have an argument with my wife, the moment she
\nthreatens not to serve me dinner, this is jazz,\" said jazz
\naficionado Peter Frans Gontha when asked to define the musical
\ngenre.<\/p>\n
He went on to say that all musical genres were in fact jazz
\nwhen they were not played directly from musical notation. \"Rock
\nmusic is ultimately jazzy, as all the melodies are always twisted
\nand turned before reaching the intended result,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Gontha claims that jazz is no longer confined to a small
\ncircle and has in fact proliferated among the general public.
\nThere is now even a car named after the musical genre.<\/p>\n
Gontha clearly has a profound love and passion for jazz, and
\nthis devotion has led the media businessman into a deep
\ninvolvement in promoting jazz in Indonesia in a variety of ways.<\/p>\n
He was the brains behind the now-defunct JakJazz, an annual
\njazz festival that showcased local talent along with world class
\nperformers. With the festival being brought to an abrupt halt in
\n1997 as a result of the Asian financial crisis (\"krismon\"),
\nGontha ventured abroad and took part in organizing the World Port
\nJazz festival in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.<\/p>\n
Long before his involvement with the festival, Gontha played a
\ncritical role in promoting Indonesian jazz to the outside world.
\nHe helped local bands and artists such as Baskara, Krakatau and
\nsinger Ruth Sahanya perform in the revered North Sea Jazz
\nFestival in Den Haag, the Netherlands, in the late 1980s.<\/p>\n
In his spare time, Gontha has recorded dozens of jazz tunes,
\nsometimes in collaboration with local jazz crooners. He has
\nreleased a couple of light jazz albums and public response has
\nbeen quite reasonable.<\/p>\n
Now, after being out of the limelight for some time following
\nthe demise of JakJazz, Gontha will once again give a pleasant
\ntreat to Indonesian jazz lovers.<\/p>\n
After six-months of preparation, he last week unveiled the
\nstaging of the International Java Jazz Festival that will run
\nfrom March 4 to March 6, and which will be the biggest jazz
\nfestival this country has ever seen.<\/p>\n
Over 100 performers representing a diverse range of musical
\ngenres will be performing at the festival, including the likes of
\n\"godfather of soul\" James Brown, neo-soul crooner Eric Benet,
\npiano player George Duke, and Incognito. And this in spite of
\ntravel advisories from many countries advising their citizens not
\nto come to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"Let's show the world that in spite of all the media reports
\n-- stating that Indonesia is a corrupt country, rife with
\npolitical problems and diseases, that has just been struck by a
\nmassive natural disaster -- that we are a cultured country. And
\nthere is one thing that all these afflictions cannot take away
\nfrom us: hospitality,\" Gontha proclaimed.<\/p>\n
He said that the festival also aimed to show the world that
\nIndonesia was completely safe for foreigners. \"Recently, I
\nwatched a news report on CBS that stated that the godfather of
\nsoul would perform here and entertain tsunami victims. Although
\nthis report was not entirely accurate, it showed that our name
\nwas once again recognized and the world is giving us due
\ncredibility, \" he said.<\/p>\n
However, for all this, staging the festival will require a
\nmonumental effort.<\/p>\n
\"I had to work hard to persuade sponsors to engage with the
\nfestival, because without them there will no festival,\" he said,
\nadding that he also had to work hard to attract international
\nartists.<\/p>\n
Sponsors play a significant role in paying the bills for the
\nfestival. In an effort to draw the largest crowds possible,
\nticket prices would be relatively low, especially in comparison
\nwith ticket prices at jazz festivals abroad.<\/p>\n
\"In Europe, you can pay up to 100 euro just for one show, but
\nfor this festival, concert goers only have to pay on average Rp
\n200,000 (US$21). With ticket prices so low, we have to rely on
\nour sponsors to foot the bill,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Gontha said that profit was not his prime motivation in
\norganizing Java Jazz, but rather it was his desire to see the
\nfestival develop into a stand-out, world-class jazz event.<\/p>\n
\"This festival has been recently been put on the list of the
\nworld's jazz festivals. We are at number 608,\" he said.<\/p>\n
To maintain the longevity of the festival, Gontha pledged that
\nthe government would not have even the slightest involvement in
\norganizing the jazz festival. \"I don't want this music and this
\nfestival to be connected with politics. We don't have to invite
\nthe President to open the festival, but if he wants to come
\nalong, then of course we will be delighted,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Gontha has apparently learnt from past experience, that even
\nthe support of an influential minister in the cabinet of former
\npresident Soeharto could not help sustain the former JakJazz
\nfestival.<\/p>\n
Besides his deep entanglement with jazz, Gontha, a Dutch-
\neducated accountant, was once considered Indonesia's equivalent
\nto media magnate Rupert Murdoch, controlling as he did a number
\nof big media outlets.<\/p>\n
He was one of the major shareholders of the SCTV television
\ncompany, and was a member of the board commissioners for RCTI and
\nTPI. He also owned a number of newspapers and radio stations back
\nthen.<\/p>\n
Born in Semarang, Central Java in 1948, Gontha nurtured his
\nbusiness acumen at the American Express Bank from 1979 to 1983.
\nAfterwards he joined PT Bimantara Citra, a holding company owned
\nby the son of former president Soeharto, Bambang Trihatmojo.<\/p>\n
After divesting some of his media interests, he now controls a
\nmajor cable TV service, QTV.<\/p>",
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