Jak Jazz

Jak Jazz

As a first time visitor to this year's Jak Jazz festival, I
read with interest the various comments and remarks about the
event, to which I mostly agree.

Basically, to have such a Jazz festival on an annual basis in
Jakarta is a wonderful thing and, in general, I also found it
quite adequately organized with the exception of the already
mentioned problem of bands performing at the same time on
different stages leading to an overlay of music.

One way to overcome this really disturbing problem would be by
using only two big stages on opposing sides. While a band
performs on one stage, another band can set up their equipment on
the other and, after the show on stage one is over, stage two is
ready to start. By doing so, perhaps not that many bands can play
in one night but then one could arrange for a program where each
band performs only once and does not have to repeat the act the
next two nights again.

The aforementioned concert practice was used successfully for
many years during the Essen Song Festival in Germany in the late
sixties, which always lasted three days and three nights and with
many bands becoming famous later on, for instance Pink Floyd or
Deep Purple performed there back to back without any problem or
unnecessary delays.

Lastly, I also second the request recently made for
traditional New Orleans jazz bands. I think their music would
complete the whole variety of different jazz styles.

R. WOEHRLE

Jakarta