JakJazz needs govt, private sector support

JAKARTA (JP): The A Mild JakJazz festival '96, dubbed the country's biggest musical event, was held last weekend.

Thirty-six local jazz bands and seven foreign groups performed this year. The festival had fewer jazz stars than last year, but the organizers managed to bring in big names such as Japanese saxophonist Sadao Watanabe, American guitarist Mike Stern and the Mezzoforte group from Iceland.

Watanabe is indisputably a big name and a favorite of Indonesian jazz lovers, and Mezzoforte earned a place in the hearts of Indonesian jazz lovers in past performances.

Other foreign participants were American saxophonist Eric Marienthal, ethno-jazz group Itslyf with musicians from Austria and America, multinational female group Inside Out, and the Latin-style group Los Caballeros.

For the first time in JakJazz history, campus musicians took part in the festival. There were eight campus groups from Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang and Surabaya.

Jamz Matra Big Band, which groups Indonesia's best jazz musicians like Bill Saragih, Benny Likumahuwa (leader), Embong Rahardjo and Oele Pattiselano, had the honor of opening the festival.

But the stars of the festival were the Mike Stern trio and Sadao Watanabe who enthralled more than 1,000 spectators at the main stage with high-speed jazz action.

However, this year's festival, which cost about Rp 1.5 billion to stage, failed to attract a larger audience than last years'.

A lack of preparation and promotional efforts, inadequate funds, and rain on the first two days of the three-day Jakarta International Jazz Festival made for low attendance and left an audience of only true jazz aficionados.

Minister/State Secretary Minister Moerdiono, who sang a modified version of the Indonesian pop song Bujangan (Bachelor) with the Jamz Matra Big Band during the opening of the festival, proudly or cynically commented, "This festival was prepared by the committee in only 26 days. Only Indonesians can prepare an international festival within such a short time."

The JakJazz festival, founded by local jazz musician Ireng Maulana, was first held in 1988 in Ancol, North Jakarta. The second festival in 1991 was also held in Ancol. It became an annual event in 1993 and thereafter was held at the Senayan parking lot, Central Jakarta.

This year, however, it was held at the Soemantri Brodjonegoro Youth Center after the committee signed a sponsorship agreement with the Bakrie group, which manages the center.

The Bakrie group has agreed to co-sponsor JakJazz for the next five years with the festival's longtime sponsor Sampoerna cigarette company. This would spare the organizer of festival the financial difficulties it has always faced. Last year, the government helped finance the festival but in return the JakJazz committee had to change the festival's name to Red-White JakJazz in conjunction with Indonesia's golden independence anniversary.

Despite all the shortcomings, the organizer of the festival deserves praise for its dedication and untiring effort in presenting delightful yet serious entertainment.

The government, the private sector and the music industry must support the JakJazz organizer if we are to have a more professional festival in coming years. (jsk/raw).