Jazz quartet tours Jakarta, Surabaya

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A jazz quartet led by pianist Eric Watson will perform in Jakarta and Surabaya on May 10 and May 11 respectively.

The quartet, which launched their latest album Road Movies in September last year, comprises Watson, saxophonist Christof Lauer, bassist Sebastien Boisseau and drummer Simon Goubert.

In Jakarta, they will perform at Graha Bhakti Budaya Hall in the compound of the Ismail Marzuki Fine Arts Center (TIM) while in Surabaya the venue will be the Balai Pemuda.

The quartet's performance in both towns is part of the annual French Spring Festival in Asia, according to a press statement from the French Cultural Center (CCL).

Watson and Lauer worked with Claude Tchamitchian (contrabass) and Christof Marguet (drum) for Road Movies. For the concert, they will work with Boisseau and Goubert.

Watson is an American who has been living in Paris since 1978. He and Lauer have met regularly for radio recordings with the Hessischer Rundfunk Jazz Ensemble and have been good friends for a very long time.

This ensemble group have proved their extraordinary creativity in Road Movies. Watson gives breath to his piano, making it like a living thing, echoing and roaring. The melody created by Tchamitchian and Marguet (drum) depict harmony between the four musicians, while Lauer, who seems to be expert on every type of instrument, is able to expose internal emotion in the album excellently.

Other albums by the quartet include The Last Goodbye, and Hard as Naifs.

Aside from the jazz quartet, people in Surabaya can also enjoy a performance by Sergent Garcia during the festival.

Garcia, dubbed "the king of French raggasalsa", will perform at the Salsa Latino Concert to be held at the Panggung Apung Timur Monkasel on May 14, according to CCCL.