On Java Jazz

Your article of March 9 and John Holdaway did agree on one main issue. The Jakarta Post: "The most heartening of all developments was the presence of numerous jazz groups comprising of young musicians who turned in impressive performances." John Holdaway: "The best 'jazz' I saw at the festival was from two groups of young whippersnappers from right here in Jakarta."

The two bands Jaktones and Tomorrow People Ensemble, being mentioned as examples of the bright future ahead, are made up of students from the Institut Musik Daya, a jazz and contemporary music academy founded by Tjut Nyak Deviana Daudsjah in 2001 when she returned to Indonesia after 25 years abroad in Germany to bring up a new generation of studied musicians. The lack of music education in the past is now being slowly reversed. Institut Musik Daya was described as a rare music school in an article that appeared in the Post on Jan. 16.

DOROTHY POON, Jakarta