Bali Jazz Festival echoes the spirit of peace and love Susi Andrini, Contributor, Kuta, Bali
The recent Bali Jazz Festival, the second of its kind held on the island, bore the special theme "The Spirit of Love and Peace". The festival successfully attracted both local and international jazz musicians.
Jakarta, Bandung in West Java and Surabaya in East Java are normally the cities people think of when it comes to jazz in Indonesia. The three have produced a number of talented musicians and have hosted numerous jazz shows and festivals. Bali, meanwhile, is usually associated with traditional music and performing arts. So placing Bali on the national, let alone the international jazz map, would take a fair bit of work.
According to Arief Budiman, chairman of the Bali festival's organizing committee, the Bali Jazz Festival was designed as an annual international music event.
"Our main objective is to increase people's interest in jazz and to encourage young musicians here to learn from older musicians from other parts of Indonesia and from overseas," said Budiman, who is also chairman of Bali Jazz Forum.
Alexander Hermanto, marketing service and area manager of cigarette maker Dji Sam Soe, one of the festival's main sponsors, said his company was willing to support any international event that promoted Bali and Indonesia abroad.
"We expect the festival will play a significant role as an effective cross-cultural forum among musicians from around the world," Hermanto said.
Thirty-nine jazz groups and dozens of jazz singers took part in the three-day event that ran from Nov. 18 through Nov. 20.
Both local and international musicians including Rudresh Mahanthappa MSG, Eoro Koivistoinen Trio from Finland, Urs Ramseyer Trip from Switzerland, Bali Lounge and Bubi Chen Quintet Featuring Bertha from Indonesia, Idang Rasyidi, Krakatau Band and veteran jazz musician Indra Lesmana participated in the festival.
One of the best performances of the festival was by the Jurasic Big Band from the Indonesian Arts Institute (ISI) Yogyakarta. The band, consisting of 32 young and talented musicians, brought a new hope to the "dry world of jazz music".
With great enthusiasm, these young music students presented beautiful compositions, blending traditional and modern music. ISI Yogyakarta was the only group that performed in a big band format.
It was fantastic to watch performances by old pals like Bubi Chen, Idang Rasyidi and Indra Lesmana, but hearing a great performance by young musicians was truly refreshing, despite some shortcomings in terms of technique.
But performing at such a big event will help sharpen their skills and bring them to a new level of musical maturity.
Dominik Schurmann and Florian Arbenz from Switzerland shared this feeling. "This is an important jazz event to groom new stars. It would be very beneficial for many musicians to learn other cultures," Arbenz said.
Together with Urs Ramseyer, a Swiss pianist and anthropologist who has lived in Bali for more than 30 years, the Swiss musicians held a workshop for local musicians and students of ISI Denpasar, but the workshop failed to attract many participants.
Performing on the main stage at the Hard Rock Hotel, the Swiss jazz group showed their class. They played contemporary jazz based on compositions by Bill Evans and Enrico Pieranunzi.
Bali can certainly be proud of its young musicians like Rio Sidik, Saharadja, Batuan Ethnic Fusion and the Koko Harsoe Band, who marry cross-cultural and ethnic music with contemporary jazz elements.
Noted American saxophonist David Sills collaborated with the Jaco Quartet from Yogyakarta. Asian musicians like Jack Lee explored more Asian rhythms and music. On the second day of the festival, the main stage and the sand island venues at the Hard Rock Hotel were graced by world-class jazz stars such as Albert Yap and his group Eye 2 Jazz Mix.
An international jazz collaboration of Indian saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, bassist Ronan Guilfoyle from Ireland and drummer Chander Sardjoe from the Netherlands also put on a memorable performance.
Budiman said the festival was originally planned for an open stage near Kuta Beach, but due to security concerns was move indoors to the Hard Rock.
"No musicians pulled out of the festival, but we have to ensure their safety," he said.
The Bali Jazz Festival is still in its infancy and there are several issues the organizing committee should consider for future festivals. More promotion is needed to reach audiences in Bali as well as elsewhere from around Indonesia. Holding the festival during school holidays or around a national holiday would help attract more people. While a good start has been made, there is still a lot of hard work needed to turn Bali into an international destination for jazz lovers.