New band co-P aims to support jazz locally
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Jazz should not necessarily be complicated. It is not required to be serious. And it should be compatible to all ears, even those of young people.
These statements marked the release of Blue Lines, the debut album from newcomer co-P (derived from "kopi", the Indonesian word for coffee, which is more or less pronounced like "copy").
While the jazz scene here is still in the doldrums, it is exhilarating to find young people who are so excited about representing a genre that is not traditionally related to youth.
Jakarta-based co-P comprises guitarists Dimas Suryoputro and Teuku Denie, keyboardist Glen Dauna, bassist Ilyas Muhadji, drummer Aditya and vocalist Tri Alexander.
Except for Glen and Ilyas, who are in their 30s, the rest of the band is in their early 20s, with Denie the baby at just 20.
"We want to support local jazz music. If not us, who else?" said Dimas, 22, who is also the executive producer and main songwriter for the group.
The group was started in 2000 after Dimas met Denie at a regular Monday Jazz gig at Pasar Festival on Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said in Kuningan, South Jakarta.
Motivated by noted jazz musician Ireng Maulana, who initiated the Monday event, Dimas and Denie decided to form a jazz group. Other members then came along, including long-time musicians Glen and Ilyas.
A graduate of a music academy in Germany, Glen often performed with top musicians like Erwin Gutawa and Dwiki Dharmawan.
Ilyas' reputation as a bassist began in the 1980s. He has won numerous music festivals and has backed up local and international artists, including Chaka Khan, Paul Young and James Ingram.
The younger members of the band are no less skilled, and all have experience with other bands and several have won awards at music festivals.
With all this skill and knowledge, their debut album gives listeners a taste of contemporary jazz music.
"Contemporary jazz for us is jazz that is not too complicated. We want something that is not too mainstream. We insert elements of pop, classical and rock music," Dimas said, adding that co-P also can mean contemporary part.
Comprising 10 songs, the album veers into easy listening and smooth jazz, in the mode of the likes of Fourplay and Al Jarreau.
All of the song titles are in English, with one song called Tocafero -- whatever that means.
"It is indeed deliberate because we always refer to the international music industry. With globalization and stuff, we wanted to make something that everyone can understand. It is our intention to go international," said Dimas.
As a debut album, Blue Lines is not bad at all. In fact, it is quite catchy, even though it does not really have a distinguishing style.
Above all, it is the courage and spirit that count.