Jazz Orkestar -- Bassie's boogie from the Balkans

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post/Sanur, Bali

The name Zagreb, the capital city of Croatia may not ring a bell with jazz lovers here. Unlike New Orleans, Rotterdam or Umbria, which are known to music buffs as the home to the world's finest jazz festivals and musicians, this Balkan city does not appear on the jazz map very often.

However, the city is home to one of Europe's finest youth jazz groups, the HGM Jazz Orkestar, a big band jazz outfit that is steeped in the signature 1930s sound.

Earlier last week, a small circle of jazz lovers in the resort island of Bali got the chance to see the outfit play its first live gig in the country; the opening of the band's four-city tour here.

However, if the audience's reaction was anything to go by, the fans who gathered in the smoke-filled beachside club in Sanur were unprepared with what was to come their way.

This vibrant young band from an Eastern European city played old-school tunes from Count Bassie, Duke Ellington and Buddy Rich with prodigious flair and swung harder than any bands playing here have in recent memory.

Under the leadership of zealous conductor Sigi Feigl, who gave the impression that one out-of-key note from any individual band member would mean a termination notice the next morning, the HGM Jazz Orkestar turned on a startling show with a playlist of timeless numbers.

If regular jazz outfits are usually lauded for their meandering and endearing improvisations, the Jazz Orkestar won concertgoers approval for its breathtaking precision in the execution of each song.

Individual notes sounded as if they were wrung from every instrument, be it trombone, alto sax, bass or trumpet, and after each song was completed concertgoers could almost see the sweat drip from the musical instruments.

One of the tunes that was interpreted exquisitely by the band, was the vocal-less Only the Greatest, a mix of traditional and modern jazz originally penned by Count Bassie as a tribute to Buddy Rich, a jazz legend from the Swing Era.

From the opening crashing cymbals, a smooth bass lead and an interplay between the saxophones and minor-key trombones, the Jazz Orkestar operated like a well-oiled machine, constantly chugging out beats and melodies for concertgoers to tap their fingers or nod their heads to.

A more modern flavor appeared in the song when guitarist Elvis Penava unassummingly played his axe for a lenghty solo.

Elvis got a helping hand in a couple of songs from Balinese Jazz guitarist Balawan, who guested with the Jazz Orkestar's Indonesian tour.

Although Balawan's stage performance was sometimes dogged by his drive to show off his craft -- compared to the techinically proficient but laid-back attitude of Jazz Orkestar -- his guitar work added an enjoyable, extra dose of blues to the standards.

Balawan and his band, an outfit that mixes traditional Balinese and modern Western instruments, opened for the Croatian band, and they weren't bad either.

For smooth jazz lovers who came to the show hoping to hear lite, middle-of-the-road jazz tunes; the kind regularly played on top forty radio, their treat came late the Jazz Orkestar's show, when the band played Some Skunk Funk, the most accessible tune in the night's show.

Built from a catchy piano line and a melodious bass, the song succesfully capped the night, striking light in the hearts of the audience.

What is music, if cannot make one smile?

The HMG Jazz Orkestar will play the Centre Culturel Francais (CCF) in Bandung on Aug. 23 and Jogja Expo Center (JEC) in Yogyakarta on Aug. 25.