Trakebah and Incognito to start the music at JakJazz
JAKARTA (JP): It is usually packed with shoppers, but the area around Pasar Festival on Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said assumes a musical character today with the opening of the Jakarta International Jazz Festival, better known as JakJazz.
Stages are ready at the soccer stadium, hockey field, indoor basketball hall and even at the food court at the Kuningan venue.
Organizers were busy installing lighting and sound systems yesterday, as others put up souvenir and snack stands. Promotional banners and colorful balloons added to the festive atmosphere.
The opening ceremony is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., and groups will play from 6:30 p.m. to 1:15 a.m.
At least 200 musicians from more than 20 groups will take part in the three-day festival.
Trakebah does the opening honors with its Arabic/Indian- influenced dangdut music blended with pop, jazz and rock.
Featuring rock singer Achmad Albar and his sister, dangdut queen Camelia Malik, the group is expected to have the audience swinging to its unique tempo.
"It doesn't mean a jazz festival cannot play other (music) than jazz," organizer Ireng Maulana says.
Trakebah includes musicians known for their jazz performances, among them Indra Lesmana, Dewa Budjana and Gilang Ramadhan. Their performance in the soccer stadium stays true to dangdut rhythm, with the strong beat of kendang (traditional drums) played by Jalu.
At the same time, Elmhurst College Jazz Band will play at the hockey field.
Under the direction of Doug Beach since 1978, the band has received outstanding receptions at jazz festivals and has toured extensively.
Their recordings include Pawnbroker and I Think It's Time To Say Goodnight.
Local musicians showing their skills include the young sextet Simak Dialog, performing easy-listening pop jazz.
Established in 1990, the group of Riza Arshad on keyboard, Arie Ayunir on drums, Tohpati Ario Hutomo on electric guitar and Indro Hardjodikoro on bass, favor arrangements blending jazz with Indonesian ethnic music from Timor island.
Simak Dialog's performance at the indoor basketball hall will be followed by six musicians and five vocalists from Tamam Husein.
Lorber
Their style melds contemporary jazz, Brazilian music and Indonesian ethnic tunes.
At the hockey field, Jeff Lorber makes his debut at JakJazz.
Defying any neat musical categorization, the Philadelphian has come a long way from his first album,Jeff Lorber Fusion.
After gaining a reputation as a founder of jazz/fusion music in the 1970s and early 1980s, Lorber has expanded his musical horizons as a multi-faceted artist, venturing into R&B and urban pop domains.
Close to midnight, British swinging group Incognito, the expected highlight of this year's festival, takes the stage.
Unlike the meaning of its name, Incognito is well-known for its hits, such as Still A Friend of Mine, Positivity and Deep Waters.
Ireng, the man behind the Rp 2.5 billion (US$757,575) festival, will also show his talent.
The guitarist is accompanied in Ireng Maulana All Stars by vocalist Ermy Kulit, Idang Rasidy, violinist Luluk Purwanto and her husband, pianist Rene Van Helsdingen.
Their show at the basketball hall will be followed by Australia's Guy Strazzulo Trio, playing their own jazz arrangements.
Today's JakJazz lineup also has Michael White Project -- a septet of fusion musicians -- which is scheduled at the hockey field from 11 p.m. until midnight.
Singer Phil Perry, noted for his potent voice, will mark his fifth appearance in this year's JakJazz.
Perry, who launched his solo performing career at L.A. clubs and met noted guitarist Lee Ritenour, will likely perform hits from his latest album Pure Pleasure.
The man who once appeared on one of Karimata's albums singing the band's old composition, Rainy Days and You, will perform with legendary jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis.
Lewis' recordings, particularly those from the 1960s, were accessible to all music lovers, attracting a considerable non- jazz audience.
On his 1965 albums, In The Crowd and Hang On, Lewis made the pianist into a major attraction, but from that point on his records became more pop-oriented.
In the 1970s, Lewis decided to stick to the acoustic after trying his hand at the electric piano. He can still play melodic jazz but, for the past 30 years, Lewis has mostly stuck to easy- listening pop music.
The most-awaited performance by R&B lovers may be that of LA All Stars, which is replacing no-show Earth, Wind and Fire. The All Stars start their set at 12:15 a.m. at the soccer stadium.
Set up by Al McKay -- himself a founding member of Earth, Wind and Fire -- the band will perform all-out with McKay on guitar, Freddie White on drums, Andrew Woofolk on sax, Johnny Graham on guitar, the Phoenix Horns (Rhamlee Davis & Michael Harris), Bobby Watson (Rufus) on bass, Ndugu Chancler on percussion, Ben Dowling on keyboards and Michael Davis on horn.
Sidney Justin (Shalamar, the Miracles), Adonis Hampton and others are the group's vocalists.
Unlike previous festivals, where the staggered schedule allowed concertgoers to move from one performance to the next, this year's JakJazz requires making choices, due to simultaneous performances on the three main stages.