Parkdrive: Relaxing in the jazz park

Artist: Parkdrive
Album: Parkdrive
Record Company: Gowa music
Featured Single: Sekedar Cinta
Rating: *** out of *****

There are a number of misleading and just plain wrong stereotypes floating around about jazz. That jazz is boring. That it is difficult to listen to, or just plain uninteresting. But thanks to a number of young jazz musicians in Indonesia, like the hip and talented Maliq and the Essentials, jazz has begun to stand out in the country's cluttered musical scene.

Now a new jazz band has arrived, bearing with it loads of talent. Parkdrive consists of Mikuni Gani (vocals), Juno Adhi (drum/synthesizer/trumpet) and Rayendra Sunito (drum/electric bass/electric guitar and acoustic). The three Berklee College of Music graduates prove that jazz can be easy to listen to. With 12 tracks, including bonus tracks, on their self-titled debut album, Parkdrive presents a unique and memorable take on jazz.

The band recorded its first songs in 2002 while living in Boston. "We recorded a few songs on our computer during our summer holiday," said Juno.

However, nothing really came of the songs until 2004 when the three were back in Jakarta. Juno said the three recorded some new songs and rearranged those old songs from Boston.

Sekedar Cinta -- the group's first single -- is a hip tune that will have listeners bobbing their heads up and down. The band agrees that the song represents the entire album.

All 12 tracks on the album are catchy. Sinari Hari has a deep jazz soul, and the bass and keyboard mix really well together. Although the sound is very much like Incognito, you will not complain. Juno says he loves listening to Incognito, while the others are into slow jazz and funk.

Other catchy and groovy tracks include Kucoba and Siapa Dia. Both tracks have different atmospheres and Parkdrive successfully blends unique vocal arrangements with simple and sweet guitar arrangements. The heavy influence of Brazilian music can be heard throughout Siapa Dia, adding power to the song.

Writing lyrics in Indonesian was a challenge for the group. "Everybody says that writing in English is much easier, but we wanted to write the songs in Indonesian," says Juno.

Overall, the album is loaded with energy as it rushes along on a hip and catchy sound. With two English songs and 10 Indonesian songs, the album will offer plenty of jazz enjoyment for young fans. This is a gem of soulful jazz. -- Tari Danawidjaja