Bakrie agrees to sponsor JakJazz festival for five years

JAKARTA (JP): A private corporation co-sponsoring this weekend's A Mild JakJazz festival, Jakarta's biggest musical extravaganza, said yesterday it would finance the event for the next five years.

Director of PT Bakrie Investindo Anton Setyanto said PT Bakrie's sponsorship of JakJazz was part of its effort to support Indonesia's cultural and social activities.

"We do not expect to profit from the event, not even to reach the break-even point," he said.

The company's biggest aspiration was to encourage more people to appreciate jazz, he said.

This year's festival was cheaper than last year's because there were less foreign musicians, said Surya Handoko, a representative of the event's main sponsor Sampoerna.

He said last year's festival cost about Rp 1.8 billion (US$759,814).

Musician Ireng Maulana, who heads the festival committee, said the reasons for having less artists this year were aesthetic, so artists would have more time to improvise.

"It allows them to perform more expressively," he said.

The A Mild JakJazz festival opens at 4 p.m. today with several local and internationally acclaimed musicians including Sadao Watanabe, Mike Stern, and the groups Mezzoforte, Inside Out, and Itslyf.

The concerts will be at the refurbished Soemantri Brodjonegoro youth center in Kuningan, South Jakarta.

Tickets cost Rp 20,000 and Rp 30,000. There are special prices for college students who enter before 3 p.m. today.

The opening ceremony is free.

Ireng said he was satisfied with the venue because choosing a good location had always been a problem, Ireng said.

Past festivals have been held at recreation areas in Ancol, North Jakarta and Senayan, Central Jakarta.

"Other jazz festivals such as the ones in North Sea, Holland, and Montreal, Canada, have indoor and outdoor facilities," Ireng said.

The youth center has the facilities to accommodate spectators in its stadium, hockey field, the plaza, food court, and the temporary JakJazz cafe. (02)