Jazz lovers finally get their fill
Jazz lovers finally get their fill
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
It was a night of delight for jazz lovers, as dozens of
international and local acts performed and interacted on the
first day of the Java Jazz Festival on Friday.
Continuous performances gave jazz lovers reason to be thankful
that noteworthy music acts had finally come to the capital.
Performers took turns in taking to the 11 stages, erected
inside the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) in Senayan, Central
Jakarta. Some of the stages were set up in open spaces and
without barriers so that the audience could closely watch and
interact with the performers.
The festival kicked off with a powerful traditional Acehnese
dance performance by the Dedy Luthan Dance Company accompanied by
percussionist Steve Reid, Adjie Rao and scores of child
percussion players.
The child percussionists managed to outshine the dance
performance with a polished knack that could put Led Zeppelin's
John Bonham to shame.
No sooner had the opening performance wrapped up when lyrical
flamenco guitar playing was heard from the stage closest to the
main hall entrance.
A guitar duo of the Romero's quickly drew a crowd, and for 30
minutes they listened to flamenco-tinged songs.
The festival came to full life later in the evening when more
people swarmed the convention center for the performances of
piano player George Duke, female crooner Laura Fygi and
ultimately the performance of the godfather of soul, James Brown.
The air was electric with expectation, and concertgoers
patiently waited for the piano-playing Duke when his stage
appearance was delayed for more than 45 minutes. And when Duke
finally appeared, the audience applauded thunderously.
Some last-minute changes in the schedule irritated some who
had arranged their time to fit in with a particular show.
"I had a tight schedule today but managed to keep after 8 p.m.
free so I could watch Laura Fygi. She was the reason I bought the
ticket," said patron Johan Kusnadi.
"But they changed the schedule to seven o'clock and I missed
Laura's show."
Fygi, who got a standing ovation on Friday night, said she was
worried she would be confronted with an empty room because of the
change in schedule.
However, many people had been at JCC since performances stared
in the afternoon so they knew about the changed schedule. About
500 people packed Assembly I room at JCC to watch the Dutch
crooner and her band.