Ronald Douglas Quartet swings to a win
Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
I can only give you love that lasts forever/ and a promise to be near each time you call/ and the only heart I own/ for you and you alone/ that's all.
When Ronald Douglas' voice faded away and the final note had been played on Alan Brandt's That's All, the audience on Tuesday night erupted into applause and calls of "encore".
Pop singer Robbie William has an album called Swing When You're Winning, well the Ronald Douglas Quartet from the Netherlands was certainly winning with their swing at the Erasmus Huis in South Jakarta.
As such swing favorites as That Old Black Magic, Skylark, 'S Wonderful, Day by Day, That Old Devil Moon and My Funny Valentine, the audience found it difficult to stay in their seats while the music was playing.
It is not easy to define swing jazz without being too technical, and dictionaries are not much of a help either, with Hal Leonard's Pocket Music Dictionary defining it simply as "jazz-flavored big band music of the 1930s".
Jazz connoisseurs and music lovers will, of course, know what "swing" is, or at least know the type of music it involves. But for the novice, well, there is only one way to find out; listen and feel the beat. You can feel it, but you just can't explain it.
Although it was initially performed by big bands in spacious dance halls where audiences could "swing" to their hearts content, the ideal setting for the Ronald Douglas Quartet would probably involve comfortable chairs, dimmed lights and a not too large dance floor.
Douglas's mellow voice, the improvisations of Rob van Kreeveld on the piano and Marius Beets on the double bass, as well as Peter Ypma watching the tempo on the drums, would be a perfect accompaniment to a late night on the town with a loved one.
Douglas said his childhood was filled with a myriad of music, from classical to keroncong (Portuguese-influenced traditional Indonesian music), adding that his father was born in Surabaya, East Java.
But his special involvement in swing jazz was inspired by Sarah Vaughan's rendition of My Funny Valentine, which has become a staple in his shows.
Douglas has brought with him a special combination of musicians for his performances at this year's JakArt@ festival, with two of the musicians besides Douglas having connections to Indonesia.
Drummer Peter Ypma was born in Cimahi, West Java, and always had a yearning to "come home". And pianist Rob van Kreeveld performed in the country some 30 years ago.
It was a swinging good time on Tuesday night, with the Ronald Douglas Quartet receiving standing ovations and closing the concert with Nat King Cole's Don't Get Around Much Anymore.
The Ronald Douglas Quartet will perform at Senayan Square on June 12 at 8 p.m., the Gatot Subroto Army Hospital on June 13 at 5 p.m. and at the Balai Latihan Kesenian Jakarta Timur on June 14 at 8 p.m. For more information please call JakArt@ at 021-5265762 or 021-2524705.