We have now reached the 20th Edition of Jazz Break Revival. This time Jazz Break Revival was set to have some interesting different concept. From the first announcement we were told that there would be set of  strings appeared led by Ammy Kurniawan, one of the rare jazz violist in our nation. We would also reckon that some of the new bands would make their first appearance at the stage of Concordia Resto & Cafe big hall at Bumi Sangkuriang. It would be an interesting night, we thought, and what happened was exactly like that.

It’s not easy to keep bringing this event month after month. But with the spirit, consistency and endless efforts made by KlabJazz together with Melinda Hospital and Bumi Sangkuriang, also everyone else behind the event, Jazz Break Revival has emerged to be a continuous jazz event that quench the thirst of every jazz lovers in Bandung. It feels great to have it in a city that has a solid jazz community, and we are always more than happy to support it.

Fastcom was the first band to start the show. Fastcom is a set of three with Christ Stanley (piano), Ilham Setia (bass) and Albert Shadrach (drum) that had never appeared in the Jazz Break Revival soil before. Interesting jazz standard were given from the stage with nice rhythm control. For the next song a nice ethnical  texture, taking on a traditional Javanese folksong, “Manuk Dadali”. Smooth, tender and lovely the song was carried from start to finish. Again, another nice jazz outfit was placed on another folksong from the most northern part of Indonesia, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam. It was “Bungong Jeumpa”, that was brought with full improvisation. The last song was a Betawi famous song, written by the late Betawi artiste, Benyamin S entitled “Ondel Ondel”. Again, the playful arrangement was fitted perfectly on this famous Betawi folksong. Fastcom gave a really unique and different side of jazz in a harmonious marriage with folk song. We wish them all the best and hope to see them among the top stars in the future.

Ammy Kurniawan gave a new texture to Jazz Break Revival XX. With a solid rhythm section filled by Rudy Zulkarnaen (acoustic bass) and Ari “Aru” Rinaldi (drum), Ammy led no less than 9 violin players to perform for the first time in the lovely hall of Bumi Sangkuriang. All the violists for tonight were little children to teenagers, and it was really nice to see that they were ready to perform at such young ages. They were taught in Ammy Alternative String which has established since last year. The mission is clear, to build fresh new violists as early as possible. “So far the response has been good”, Ammy told us. And we are happy to know it, because we rarely find jazz violists to fill up the jazz scene. We had Luluk Purwanto before, and now we have Ammy Kurniawan, but we do need more violists to enrich our jazz world. And tonight we got the chance to see the fruit of Ammy’s calling. 9 young violists appeared led by Ammy himself and it was great.

Surprise surprise, the first song was Glenn Miller’s gold “In The Mood”. It was really amazing to see young kids did couple of nice improvisations on the songs. 5 kids on strings held the main melody of the song. The crowds loved it, they all applaused and screamed to see their cute performance with high quality. Ammy was taking the guitar part alongside with senior fellows, Ari Aru and Rudy Zulkarnaen, on drums and bass.

The whole new set of strings now came forward. A women string quartet now were in front, they gave a very cool version of “Tico Tico”. Again, the crowds enjoyed it really well. Huge applause with big pops were given when they closed the song. Then the rhythm section moved down from the stage. They sat on the floor, drank the juice, it was funny and the crowds laughed to see it. Ammy gave a weird sound effect with his violin. The echo came out in a cool experimental style,  It was actually the intro for a kiddie song entitled “Kapal Api”. They brought it really playfully, an attempt that successfully grabbed the atention of everyone in the hall. The whole string ensemble now appeared. They brought a song entitled “I Want To Be Happy”.  A very lively song filled with improvisations brought by each violists. What a fun performance! We can’t wait to see more of them!

Vassagie replaced Ammy Alternative String for the next session. This is the band consists of 3 players: Aldi Nada Permana (piano), Jalu Rohanda (electric bass) and Herwin Parta (drums). This is also a new group that appeared for the first time in Jazz Break Revival. The delicious bluesy jazz was their opening, taking on Hiromi Uehara’s “Love and Laughter”. followed by a nice funk rhythm on their own original song “Kutahu Kau Ada”. The next song was Eric Clapton’s “Change The World” brought in a delicious funky rhythm. A speeding jazz in samba texture was next entitled “On Fire”. Another cool new group was born, again we wish them all the best.

Speaking about the beauty of post bop in the hand of younger generation in Indonesia, especially in Bandung, we would come to a quartet named Sonny Akbar Quartet. Sonny Akbar is an outstanding pianist/keyboardist that know how to transform a set of complex chords into something that could still be enjoyed even by the non jazz music listeners. Tonight he brought 3 other players including Tuwuh Sarwoprasojo (electric bass), Dani Irjayana (drum) and Arief Rinoko (alto saxophone).

A set of songs delivered in high skilled way of play. “Exit Music”, “The Source”, “Barganzi” and the ever lovely “Stolen Moment” delivered in cool blue note style. Sonny Akbar Quartet brought us to a memory lane just like when the extravagant post bop ruled the jazz world back then. As usual, an authentic pattern of jazz was delivered by Sonny Akbar and his quartet.

Iman Brata Trio as the last performing band came on stage, ready to give their performance for the first time in this monthly event with this new group. Some of them were the personnel of Blue Jeans, but now they re-appeared with new formation. The group featured Abank Sulaiman Kramadibrata (guitar and vocal), Ade Sulaiman Kramadibrata (drums), Gabriel (bass) and Artie (vocal).

The first song they brought was Dian Pramana Poetra’s “Aku Ini Punya Siapa”. The next song was a fully groove song we all know so well, “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing”.  The next one was Andien’s “Masa Lalu” and then a song belong to Blue Jeans, a cutie song  called “Mutiara Cinta”.  They closed their session with “You Are The Universe”.

Again, a wonderful jazz night was served. We are happy to see many promising new talents with good quality keep coming to give their best. Providing a chance to perform for some of the bands which failed to do so at the Java Jazz Festival 2010 was also good too, because no matter what we do need such events where they could hatch and establish themselves. Another well done event, we salute KlabJazz, Melinda Hospital Bumi Sangkuriang and everyone else behind it. As the event has entered the maturity numbers, we hope to see more surprises and concepts coming up in months to come! See you again next month!

See more pictures:

Reporter: Riandy Kurniawan, Adott Jumbo
Photographer: Eghi Gabred

Jazz Break Revival XX is coming. This March edition will feature some interesting bands from Bandung that had never performed at Jazz Break Revival before. Reaching the 20th edition is not an easy task, but with the spirit, consistency and endless effort we are happy to see that Jazz Break Revival keep continues on and getting more power each and every month.

KlabJazz in coorperation with Bumi Sangkuriang and Melinda Hospital once again presents the March edition of Jazz Break Revival. Something new will happen this time, as a string orchestra led by the violist Ammy Kurniawan will give a new texture to this monthly event. Jazz Break Revival XX will also feature some of the bands which failed to perform at the Java Jazz Festival 2010.

Featuring:

AMMY ALTERNATIVE STRING
Ammy Kurniawan – violin dan dirigent
Rudy Zulkarnaen – acoustic bass
Ari Aru Rinaldi – drum
+
17 violin players led by Ammy Kurniawan

SONNY AKBAR QUARTET
Sonny Akbar – piano
Tuwuh Sarwoprasojo – electric bass
Dani Irjayana – drum
Arief Rinoko – alto saxophone

IMAN BRATA TRIO
Abank Sulaiman Kramadibrata – guitar, vocal
Ade Sulaiman Kramadibrata – drum
Gabriel – bass
Artie – vocal

VASSAGIE
Aldi Nada Permana – piano
Jalu Rohanda – electric bass
Herwin Parta – drum

and

FASTCOM
Christ Stanley – piano
Ilham Setia – bass
Albert Shadrach – drum

Date: Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Time: 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Location: B. P. Bumi Sangkuriang
Jl. Kiputih no. 12, Bandung

FREE OF CHARGE

February is the month of love. This is the month for the world to celebrate the love day, the Valentine’s Day. It’s the time when love is in the air, couples have romantic candlelight dinner with flowers and gifts, renewing their love vows and more. But actually we should celebrate the Valentine’s Day in wider scale. Not only for lovers, but also for everyone. Our parents, siblings, relatives, friends, even to other people in general, including people who need care and attention at the hospital. Melinda Hospital knows how important it is to send the love message ellegantly to the patients in particular and to everyone in general, and how wonderful it would be to have it sent through jazz.

We’re happy to see that Melinda Hospital still continue their 3 monthly events after a whole successful year of events in 2009. (check out the report of the previous jazz events at Melinda Hospital, the 2009’s Grand Jazz Valentine,  2009’s Grand Jazz Kartini, Melinda Hospital’s 5th Anniversary and 2009’s Melinda Christmas Jazz ) . It’s not often for us to have music concerts at the hospital, but through this 5 star concept maternity hospital we see the fact that actually jazz could go hand in hand harmoniously with the healing process. Jazz could help us to feel relax, and who knows, it could help to heal as well. One thing for sure, the cozy lobby of Melinda Hospital will feel much lovelier with jazz nuance surrounding it. And this time it will be even better with love being involved as the main menu to celebrate the Valentine’s Day.

Melinda Hospital in cooperation with KlabJazz proudly present: GRAND JAZZ VALENTINE: The Music of DAVID FOSTER. We are all familiar with many classic hits of David Foster that mostly speaks about love and romance. Ever since he started his career in 1972, David Foster has been known for many love songs, wonderful melody and well written lyrics. Not only that, he’s also a superb producer as he discovered many world famous artists we know today and made them as superstars including Celine Dion, Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, Renee Olstead and many more. It would be perfect to celebrate Valentine’s Day with David Foster’s songbook, especially when they all re-arranged to appear in jazz suit.

If you are looking for jazz to make your Valentine’s Day lovelier than ever, let’s join together with us.  Experience how love being spread in the hospital through the jazz version of David Foster’s songbook. Let’s celebrate it together and share the love with everyone!

GRAND JAZZ VALENTINE presents: The Music of DAVID FOSTER

Featuring:
Imelda Rosalin (vocal, accordion and acoustic piano)
Rudy Zulkarnaen (acoustic bass)
Ari Aru (percussion)
Brury Effendi (trumpet)
Ardi Squire (guitar)
Ajat SD (keyboard)

with featured vocalists:
Nenden Shintawati
Arina “Mocca” Ephiphania
Iwan Zein
Josef Otep
Lia Amalia

plus the string section:
Bohemian String Quartet:
Yoyo (violin)
Raga (violin)
Tommy (viola)
Andan (cello)

Date: Friday, February 12, 2010
Time: 5:00 – 7:30 PM
Location: Lobby Melinda Hospital
Jl. Padjadjaran no. 46 Bandung

FREE OF CHARGE

Happy Valentine’s Day guys!

We have reached the 19th Jazz Break Revival. It’s the first step after the maturity number that we have just passed last month. We were surprised by the coming of the legendary band Chaseiro on Jazz Break Revival January edition, giving out a very memorable performance for all their fans in Bandung. (Check out our exclusive interview with Chaseiro here) And what a way to kick off the start of this edition. This time it wasn’t only a concert, but Jazz Break Revival has touched the educational side of music. We always believe that jazz development won’t be enough if we only think about on-stage performance. The educational program is needed as well. It can be beneficial to everyone who are serious about building themselves in jazz, and that, of course, will benefit our music world.

As usual KlabJazz, BP Bumi Sangkuriang and Melinda Hospital are those who presented this edition. If the previous events started at night, this time the event kicked off earlier in the afternoon. The workshop started this month’s Jazz Break Revival with the topic “Jazz Basics”. The clinician for this workshop was Julie Spithill from University of Sydney Conservatorium of Music as a part of special collaboration with Studio Musik Melodia, and supported by our fabulous Imelda Rosalin.

Julie Spithill is absolutely no stranger to music. She has been contributing a lot  for many years. She has worked with David Baker, Hal Galper, Dave Leibman, John Scofield, Ed Soph, Sonny Stitt and many others. She holds degrees in Music and Education and a Masters degree in Music Education, and currently completing a PhD. Julie gave up her performance career to concentrate on pedagogy in the early 1990’s. Besides teaching at Sydney University Conservatorium of Music, she has also written many books on intervals, chords and rhythm for her clinics, and teaching books for children as well. Many of her students have became famous, including one of the most amazing pianist we have in Indonesia, Indra Lesmana.

Julie Spithill hosted the workshop in a very friendly way. She opened up with a simple question many have asked, “What is jazz?” This is a very simple question but difficult to answer. Spithill simply said that jazz is what you want it to be. It could be your hobby, passion, career and anything you wish to make it as. Over a hundred years, jazz has grown so much, accumulated into many forms, styles and shapes we all know today. There are over 50 different sub genres of jazz so far, and it will still grow from time to time. Basically jazz is cored on four important elements, Melody, Rhythm, Harmony and Improvisation. Right after the break, Julie got a surprise from Tesla who played his own new composition especially made for Julie.

At 7:45 pm, the stage performance began. Opened by Chalk For Cheese, we say it’s about time to have them again. We haven’t seen them a lot lately. This is a very interesting band with the style that suits the music trend today in Indonesia. Labeled themselves as”The new nu jazz/groove band in the block”, their crunchy groove will place them higher in no time. Their beat shuffle, soul and groove with great players on every instruments, plus the unique vocal of Trianzani Sulshi are the main ingredients to bring them into the spotlight. Besides Trianzani Sulshi, there are Ferry “Gembong” Nurhayat (keyboard), Arif Baradja (drums), Iman Rahman (bass), Ferdy Apriady (sax) and Martin Handy (guitar).

The first song was “Berbisik Maaf”, and the groove was on. The next song was a ambience groove jazz version of one famous pop song called “Cari Pacar Lagi”. The delicious “Apple Pie Order” came next, followed by “Sukmaku” and “Bercerita Jingga“. It was nice to see them again, and we hope to see them again in the future.

The next band performing was “B.L.A.V”. Unfortunately the keyboardist Bayu was late, so they just played 2 songs without him. Mohammad Athar (guitar), Septian Linanto (drums) and Rahel Pradika Purba (vocal) took the stage and brought some songs  including “Softly As the Morning Sunrise”.

BAG Trio consists of some personnels from different bands. They are young, talented and still energic, full with ideas and creativity. We have Gerald Situmorang as the guitarist, half of the dynamic duo SKETSA who just launched their debut album, “Childhood’s Dream” last Sunday (January 31,2010). With the skill he has, surely he’s someone to look for in the future. We also have Aldhi Mahardika, the drummer of NEW SEASON, the winner of 2008’s JGTC, who is also active in Jazzyphonic. Establishing in such diversity, BAG Trio appears as a unique trio. They combine jazz, funk, rock and world music in their style.  On the bass section we got Dimas Soegiharto replacing Bramantyo Musyanif who couldn’t make it for tonight.

That was exactly what they showed on stage. It was fusion on high, blending with a little african rhythm, reggae and rock on “The Rock Star”. It was really fun. Again a wild ride delivered on stage with the next song, “Auditor’s Room”. They were having lots of fun on stage with many cool improvisations in good chemistry between each other.The best of funk fusion appeared next through the playful “Strange Feeling”. Fast paced, energic and dangerous, the song brought absolutely like a fun ride from start to finish. After “Where’s The Mosque”, the closing was even more manic, entitled “BAG’s theme”. It was totally a lightning speed composition. BAG Trio brought us on a journey into the different side of jazz, entering many layers of it. It was seductive, it was wild, it was stunning. What an experience to enjoy their music.

It  was a pleasure to see Agam Hamzah delivering his skill again. He is one of the amazing guitarist who never wants to be trapped up inside one genre. For him, the melody has to come first, no matter what the genre is. Latins, folk/country, classical, smooth jazz to the darkest side of jazz fusion can be brought perfectly by this versatile and modish guitarist. After his show with Donny Suhendra at Jazz Break Revival XII several months ago, it was great to have him again.

But this time he brought in a different nuance. Agam Hamzah performed together with the beautiful Tiwi Shakuhachi in a very lovely intimate bossa session. An amalgamation of Parahyangan valley‘s exoticism with the charm of jazz improvisations, that is Tiwi Shakuhachi’s musical persona. She’s a great piano and accordion player who can also sing very well. Tonight she appeared with accordeon, accompanied by Agam Hamzah on acoustic guitar. Actually Tiwi was supposed to play with her group, but they couldn’t make it tonight. So they decided to play as an acoustic duet, and actually in my opinion it was just perfect. They both brought some magic on stage, turning it into a romatic bossa night. As the rain poured heavily outside, they warmed the audience with sweettunes. Tiwi hummed sweetly almost through all the songs, running up and down the melody. Her accordeon gave a taste of a tender Parisian romance, while Hamzah did his part tenderly on his guitar. The classic bossa “Tristeza” was the opening, followed by Maria Schneider’s composition called “Choro Dançado”. It was very beautiful, as the audiences were hypnotized with their performance. Love was  in the air. Series of songs were still brought intimately and romanticly such as “Magnificent Seven” and Djavan’s composition entitled “Jogral”. Tiwi and Agam then closed their session with the request from the audience, “The Girl From Ipanema”. What a lovely performance by these two outstanding musicians.

The next band to perform was G/E/T. From the moment G/E/T was established last year, we could clearly see that this very talented trio would do very well in our music scene. Tesla Manaf Effendi (guitar), Gallang Perdhana Dalimunthe (bass) and Edward Manurung (drums) are the personnels behind this group, and they keep on showing good progress, on skills, performance, harmony and creativity. For tonight, they brought all their own original compositions.

They kicked off their session right away with “Sekapur Sirih”. They continued with another heavy fusion entitled “Play Death”. Both were like the hardcore side of jazz, it was dark. It was like a showcase of skills with amazing compositions made by Tesla.  “Migrain” was the next song, followed by the cooling “Postpone” and closed with “Outside of the Bird Cage” which was delivered playfully, full with joy, just like looking at a bird that just found its freedom.

Bayu who finally came all the way from Jakarta joined his band, “B.L.A.V” and delivered two songs, “Sunny” and “Recordane”. It’s nice to have the unique keyboardist Bayu back on jazz stage. We kinda missed him since he decided to leave the jazz scene due to his work as once he stated a couple of months ago. With these two last songs, this month’s Jazz Break Revival reached the end.

Again, it was a very interesting night at Bumi Sangkuriang. It’s about time to deal with the educational side of jazz, and that’s what exactly happened on Jazz Break Revival February edition. We are blessed to have Ms Julie Spithill from Sydney Conservatorium of Music as the clinicians, sharing her knowledge to improve our quality in jazz. Thank you to Studio Music Melodia for this, also we extend our thanks to KlabJazz, Melinda Hospital and Bumi Sangkuriang for the spirit and courage to carry on. Another great night with success indeed. Can’t wait to see the concept next month!

See more pictures:

Reporter: Riandy Kurniawan, Adott Jumbo
Photographer:  Omar Arif Maulana

Jazz Break Revival is coming again soon. Right after their 18th edition last month, the number that usually describes such level of maturity, here comes Jazz Break Revival XIX with something new in the program. If usually we only have concerts involving different bands, artists or musicians, this time the event goes also with workshop. We always believe the development of jazz won’t be enough only with the on-stage performances. We also need to think about the educational side, providing wide enough space for jazz lovers to learn more about jazz. To know jazz better, to distinguish jazz than any other genres known in the music world, to understand the philosophy or even to get familiar to the big happy jazz family. After all, to know is to love, right? So it’s great to start including the educational program inside the package, of course without throwing the entertaining side of jazz, when we are still in the early months of 2010.

KlabJazz, BP Bumi Sangkuriang and Melinda Hospital are proudly present: Jazz Break Revival XIX, February edition. Make sure to check the schedule carefully this month, because there will be a workshop before the stage performance, starting at 5 PM Western Indonesian Standard Time. The workshop entitled “Jazz Basics”, hosts by Ms Julie Spithill from University of Sydney Conservatorium of Music as a part of special collaboration with Studio Musik Melodia. For sure this will be beneficial for everyone who share the same love and passion to jazz.

About the performance side, we have heavy lineups this month. First of all, it’s great to know that Agam Hamzah will appear once again after his stunning performance with Donny Suhendra several months ago on Jazz Break Revival XII.   As how he once explained about his connection and unforgettable memories to the city of Bandung (check out the exclusive interview with Agam Hamzah and Donny Suhendra through this link) , I’m sure he is excited to perform once again for Bandung jazz lovers. Agam Hamzah is a versatile guitarist with complete ability to play in various genres. He knows how to pour out beautiful melodies from his finger touch on the guitar. And surely he will stun the audiences once again as he did last June. This time he will play along side with Tiwi Shakuhachi, who also makes her return to Jazz Break Revival stage. Chalk for Cheese and G/E/T will also be back again this month. There will be Bag Trio, consist of New Season’s drummer Aldhi Mahardika and Sketsa’s guitarist Gerald Situmorang. Also introducing the new project of Moh.Athar and Bayu Kristanto, B.l.a.v.

Save the date!

WORKSHOP “JAZZ BASICS”
host by: Ms Julie Spithill
accompanied by: Imelda Rosalin
Time: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM Western Indonesian Standard Time

Performances:

BAG Trio
Bramantyo Musyanif – electric bass
Aldhi Mahardhika – drums
Gerald Situmorang – electric guitar

B.L.A.V.
Bayu Kristanto – piano
Mohamad Athar – guitar
Septian Linanto – drums
Rahel Pradika Purba – vocals

CHALK FOR CHEESE
Trianzani Sulshi – vocals
Arif Baradja – drums
Iman Rahman – bass
Ferdy Apriady – alto saxophone
Martin Handy – guitar
Ferry Nurhayat – keyboard

G/E/T
Gallang Adimunthe – bass
Edward Manurung – drums
Tesla Manaf Effendi – guitar

and

TIWI SHAKUHACHI feat. AGAM HAMZAH
Tiwi Shakuhachi – accordeon & vocal
Agam Hamzah – guitar
Sheila Permatasaka – bass
Toni – vocals, saxophone

Date: Wednesday, February 03, 2009
Time: 07:00 PM – 11:00 PM Western Indonesian Standard Time

Location: Balai Pertemuan Bumi Sangkuriang
Jl. Ki Putih no. 12 Bandung, West Java, Indonesia

FREE OF CHARGE

Jazz Break Revival has reached the 18th edition. That’s the number that shows the consistency and strong will to keep this event continues to roll from month to month. If for human 18 is considered to be the number of maturity, that’s what we hope for Jazz Break Revival as well. We hope by reaching the 18 edition, KlabJazz together with BP Bumi Sangkuriang and Melinda Hospital will find the steady rhythm to grow bigger with more power in the future. It’s not easy to keep the event alive continuously, but all the people behind Jazz Break Revival have proven their spirit of presenting high quality jazz for all of us, the jazz fans that mostly live in Bandung.

The lineups for this month looked awesome. We got three quality groups that have been very active recently in Bandung jazz scene. First of all, let’s talk about Imam Pras Quartet. we’re happy to see that Imam Pras has found his passion once again on stage after being in absence for quite sometimes. Imam Pras is one of the superb jazz pianist in Indonesia that is always able more color to paint the jazz scene. As usual Imam Pras brought his stunning quartet, consists of senior musicians Rudy Zulkarnaen (upright bass), Boyke Priyo Utomo (sax), Ariefandi Rinaldi (drums) plus the vocalist Lia Amalia. Next, we got the younger generation with his trio, Sonny Akbar Quartet. Sonny Akbar is also a jazz pianist with complete skill. He is known as the keyboardist of 4 AM Quartet and some formations of his own. Whether he play trio or quartet, he always able to perform a stunning pattern of jazz that seems complex but cool to listen. For tonight he was joined by Tuwuh Sarwoprasodjo (bass), Dani Irjayana (drums) and Arief Rinoko (alto sax). Be Pop is the other stunning band, again consists of senior musicians and the best on each position, including the pianist/vocalist/accordionist/music director Imelda Rosalin, Wachdach Band’s bassist Teddy Achmad Budiman, guitarist Kanggep Kusuma, drummer Yudiarso Wibowo and trumpeter Brury Effendi.

But the sensation for tonight, or should I say a surprise came from the legendary band who recently finding their way to make a huge return on the music scene. CHASEIRO, that’s the band that filled the joy in every heart of their fans with their presence in Bandung. I personally dare to call them legend, that how we should address them as, since they still have solid and faithful fans behind them for more than 3 decades, and some of their songs are still sang and played by many. We got many surprised comments from the readers when they read about Chaseiro’s performance at Jazz Break Revival XVIII in Bandung for this January edition. Imagine a lovely, intimate reunion between the fans and their idols in a cozy hall, in cold and rainy night, and it was free of charge. What else could be better than that? It was a surprise for us too when we heard about the coming of CHASEIRO to perform at Jazz Break Revival as well.

Tonight’s edition was opened with the delicious post bop pattern. And Sonny Akbar Quartet is the band that know how to cook it the best way. This is the group that offers post bop as their menu, complex but not too difficult to absorb. Skills are very important for them, so is the chemistry between the personnels as they rely themselves on massive improvisations in every song they play. Two cool jazz were delivered nicely. Then they took a step into a romantic path with “Blame It On My Youth”, re-arranged in more relaxing style. The last song from them was “Stolen Moment”.

Imam Pras, pianist, composer and lecturer, is an important name in our jazz scene. Not only perform on stages, he also active in making many talents ready to enter this wonderful world of jazz. After being quiet for quite sometimes, he seemed to find the passion to grace the stage again these past several months. It’s always nice to see Imam Pras and his band, Imam Pras Quartet that knows how to define quality in the simple way. Just in front of the entrance we saw the CD entitled “Jazz For Family”, produced by Imam Pras himself. It’s the CD that safe for kids and for the whole family. It’s something rare to have, and it shows Imam Pras’ commitment to reach wider segment, and that should include kids.

This is the band consists of senior who already knew each other very well. What they showed on stage was clearly the kind of performance with mutual and harmonious understanding with each other. They started with “Nature”. After the instrumental song, Lia Amalia came on stage and sang a dark jazz version of Deep Purple’s “Black Night”. Then it was cooling down time with The Carpenters‘ “I won’t Last A Day Without You” in a romantic standard jazz version. The next song was “Anak Desa/Nalidaek” (the reverse of “Keadilan” or Justice). Another instrumental was delivered called “Black Hole”. As an appreciation and respect for the performing group Chaseiro, Imam Pras Quartet delivered Chaseiro’s golden hit “Pemuda” in more jazzy version. With “Pemuda”, Imam Pras Quartet finished their performance.

Be Pop has recently been active on local jazz scene. They have held 23 performances so far, every week at some cafes, not to mention several appearance at Jazz Break Revival. The personnel tonight was solid and complete, filled with senior jazzer in every line. I can see their concept that tries to bring jazz into more pop, and vice versa, making jazz more acceptable to music lovers in general. Be Pop started with Stevie Wonder’s song entitled “Sir Duke”, a song he wrote as a tribute to the legendary Duke Ellington in 1976. It was a really nice opening, especially with Imelda’s ever charming voice. “we’re trying to play jazz, we’re trying to play pop.” Imelda joked. “So just have fun..” she continued. The next song was Duke Ellington’s “In a Mellow Tone” arranged in a nice funky style with average beat. The next song was “Moody’s Mood For Love”, followed by a song that was written by Ivan Lins and performed by Sergio Mendes called “When I’m Alone”. The last song appeared, and it was another Stevie Wonder’s hit, “Isn’t She Lovely.”

And the moment all had been waiting for was finally came. Chaseiro came on stage with huge applause by the audiences. CHASEIRO was born when a group of Universitas Indonesia (UI) students won the first place at a radio competition in 1978. Their appearance at the first Jazz Goes to Campus was memorable and from that moment Chaseiro made their way to appear higher and higher on the music scene. The first album, PEMUDA was sensational when it was released in 1979. The name Chaseiro came from the combination of personnels’ name: Candra Darusman (keyboard, vocal), Helmi Indrakesuma (vocal), Aswin Sastrowardojo (guitar,vocal), Edi Hudioro (flute), Irwan Indrakesuma (vocal), Rizali Indrakesuma (bass,vocal) and Omen (Norman Sonisontani) (vocal).  Unfortunately Candra Darusman and Rizali Indrakesmua  couldn’t make it since they are not in Indonesia at the moment. Nonetheless, Chaseiro still managed to give the best of them for tonight.

They started right away with the energic “Mari Wong”, and the crowds popped.It was delivered perfectly and the audiences were brought into the nostalgic lane right away, feeling the sensuous jazz pattern in the late 70’s. “It’s a touching moment for us to finally perform in Bandung again, after 30 years..” Omen said. They continued with “Sapa Pra Bencana”, that appeared in smooth breezy bossa just like how it was back then. The next song was another memorable song of Chaseiro called “Hanya Membekas Kini”. What a stunning vocal harmony, they still have it perfectly just like the old days. The next song was “When I Was Sixty Four”, again showing the premium vocal harmony of them.

A song that they used to sing on stage appeared. It was a folk song from East Timor entitled “Bolelebo”. The intro appeared, and the crowds popped again. It was the intro of their popular song, “Dara”. Smooth breezing bossa was the outfit of this song, and it was such a classic moment. Another song taken from their first album came next, it was the folk/country one entitled “Irama Hidup”. Time went by so fast, all of a sudden Omen mentioned they were ready to give the last song, and it was their classic hit “Pemuda”. The crowds sang along with them. The crowds chanted “we want more”, then they gave an encore, taking The Beatles‘ golden hit “Yesterday”. Simply a heartfelt performance by the legendary vocal group Chaseiro.

30 years is not a short time for a band to keep alive. But really, there’s nothing change from the vocal quality and harmony. All is still there. It was amazing to see them live from a very close range like this. Just like the way the captured the heart of the fans 30 years ago, they were still able to do that tonight. Charming, intimate and lovely, that’s how I think about their performance. And we hope they will have the passion to stay on the music scene for long time to come.

It was a dream come true to see CHASEIRO’s performance for this January edition of Jazz Break Revival plus the best quality of jazz served by 3 other Bandung-based super group, Imam Pras Quartet, Sonny Akbar Quartet and Be Pop. Again Jazz Break Revival delivered a high class show and it was nicely done as usual. As we said earlier, 18 is the number that defines a maturity level, and we hope by reaching the 18th edition, Jazz Break Revival reaches the steady rhythm to go up higher and higher in months to come. We thank KlabJazz, BP Bumi Sangkuriang, Melinda Hospital and everybody else behind this event. Keep the spirit guys! Look forward to see the next edition.

See more pictures:

Reporter: Riandy Kurniawan, Adott Jumbo
Photographer: Omar Arif Maulana

Jazz Break Revival XVIII is on its way again at the first week of year 2010. There’s a big surprise coming up this time, because the legendary pop jazz group that just made their fantastic return in 2009 will perform live in front of us. It’s Chaseiro.

Chaseiro is a group that was established in the late 70’s and reached their stardom not long after that with many memorable hits. They are still remembered so well and loved dearly by their fans even when they were inactive. No wonder when they decided to reunite again, all the fans cheered enthustiastically. The reunion became a big news when Chaseiro appeared at Java Jazz Festival 2009, and from that moment they decided to continue their journey. With the faithful fans beside them, and with the passion they still have together, we are sure that Chaseiro still has a very bright future.

Chaseiro’s performance at Java Jazz Festival 2009 (courtesy of Jazzuality.com)

The name Chaseiro came from the combination of its personnels’ name. Candra Darusman (keyboard, vocal), Helmi Indrakesuma (vocal), Aswin Sastrowardojo (guitar,vocal), Edi Hudioro (flute), Irwan Indrakesuma (vocal), Rizali Indrakesuma (bass,vocal) and Omen (Norman Sonisontani) (vocal). It all began at the first Jazz Goes to Campus (JGTC) in 1978, then followed by winning a competition held by Amigos Radio. During their 3 decades career they have released 4 albums, plus one compilation released in 2001. Some of their hits such as “Pemuda” and “Dara” were still popular by music fans until today.

Don’t miss this golden opportunity to see Chaseiro live in Bandung. As usual it’s going to be held in the cozy hall of Balai Pertemuan Bumi Sangkuriang, and it’s going to be free of charge! Besides Chaseiro, KlabJazz together with Bumi Sangkuriang and Melinda Hospital will also present 3 other senior jazz group, Imam Pras Quartet, Sonny Akbar Quartet and Be Pop.

CHASEIRO

Candra Darusman (vocal, keyboard)
Helmi Indrakesuma (vocal)
Aswin Sastrowardoyo (vocal, gitar)
Edwin Hudioro (flute)
Irwan B. Indrakesuma (vocal)
Rizali Indrakesuma (vocal, bass)
Omen Norman Sonisontani (vocal).
dan
Ade Hamzah – bass
Firman – acoustic guitar
Disto – percussion

IMAM PRAS QUARTET

Imam Pras – piano
Rudy Zulkarnaen – upright bass
Boyke Priyo Utomo – saxophone
Ariefandi Rinaldi – drums
feat.
Lia Amalia – vocal

SONNY AKBAR QUARTET

Sonny Akbar – piano
Tuwuh Sarwoprasodjo – bass
Dani Irjayana – drums
Arief Rinoko – alto saxophone

BE POP

Imelda Rosalin – piano/vocal
Teddy Achmad Budiman – bass
Kanggep Kusuma – guitar
Yudiarso Wibowo – drums
Brury Effendi – trumpet

Date: Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Time: 7:00 PM – Onwards
Location: BP Bumi Sangkuriang
Jl. Kiputih no.12 Ciumbuleuit, Bandung, Indonesia

FREE OF CHARGE

Ho, Ho, Ho, Christmas is finally here! This is the season of joy that would lighten our hearts with the warmth of love. People around the world celebrate it in many ways. From Christmas trees with blinking colorful lights, presents, candies, to dinner and of course musics, all are used to make the best of this joyous season. Christmas is the time of thanksgiving and appreciation, it’s a time when love, sharing and smiles abound and are exchanged among everyone without exception. And that spirit of Christmas was sent by Melinda Hospital to all the patients, those who are waiting to deliver their babies and to everyone who came to the concert in general. Besides fulfilling their wishes to celebrate Christmas with everyone, Melinda Christmas Jazz was also made as an appreciation and compliment to all the patients who choose Melinda Hospital as their trusted place to give birth and to be healed.

Melinda Christmas Jazz is the 4th concert presented by Melinda Hospital through the year of 2009. It was started in February with “Grand Jazz Valentine”, then followed by “Grand Jazz Kartini” as a tribute to a national Indonesian female heroine. Several months later Melinda Hospital celebrated its 5th Anniversary with a Jazz Concert and now, the stage was fully set for Christmas. It delighted our heart to see that jazz has been spread rapidly all through the year. Not only in stages, halls or stadiums, but jazz has successfully entered some unlikely places with good results. And making series of jazz events at the hospital is one of the perfect example how jazz has the ability to reach the hearts of everyone. Who knows, some might even be healed with the music, or at least the mothers-to-be would be relaxed with the sweet and smooth jazz that came from the lobby.

The concept of this 3 monthly event was built by Art & Culture Department and the Corridor Gallery of Melinda Hospital. It just strengthen the unique concept of Melinda Hospital. It was planned to be different than any other hospitals from the beginning. It was all set to fit the standard of 5 star hotel style, complete with cafes, art gallery, stores and everything else that you may find in the lobby of luxurious 5 star hotel. Two baby grand pianos placed at the lobby, right in front of the entrance shows that music will always be a part of Melinda Hospital as well.

It was fantastic. Right after we stepped into the lobby, we could already feel the spirit of Christmas through the lovely white Christmas tree, other decorations and music, jazz style. The lineups for the final concert for this year was made very special. Still conducted by the senior pianist Imelda Rosalin, all musicians for tonight was selected carefully. We got the combination between seniors and their juniors, across generations, all the best players in every lines, those who know how to give out their best to entertain people. Venche Manuhutu, the proud dad of the newest wonderkid David Manuhutu was ready to perform together with his son.  It was a big news for us since Venche hasn’t been active on stages for quite a while. We also got Rudy Zulkarnaen, one of the best bassist in Bandung, the complete guitarist Edward Prasetya, senior trumpeter Brury Effendi, the amazing percussionist Sankis were all on the lineups. We also got Nenden Shintawati and Grace Sahertian on vocals, and last but not least the music director Imelda Rosalin was also acted as playing musician (accordeon and acoustic piano) and singer. Two senior names that weren’t on the list were also presented, Trisno on clarinet and the vocalist Iwan Zein. It was a pretty lineup that could guarantee the quality of the event at its best.

The concert started with a very swingy version of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” Imelda Rosalin led on piano and vocal, Trisno on clarinet, Rudy Zulkarnaen on bass, Edward Prasetya on guitar, Sankis on percussion and Brury Effendi on trumpet. The little girl Eva, the daughter of the senior drummer Budiono then charmed everyone’s heart with her cute voice. The mood then changed to romantic when “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”
was brought through Iwan Zein’s smooth baritone vocal. Nenden Shintawati, the Indonesian Diane Schuur came forward and sang “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” with lovely arrangement.

Grace Sahertian the vocalist of Palm From Moodytunes replaced Nenden and sang “Just A Closer Walk With Me”. The senior guitarist Venche Manuhutu played his acoustic guitar for this song. As Venche’s family is really a jazz family, another son of Venche, the younger brother of David named Ezra joined the band with flute.  Itw was amazing to see a young kid at his age able to join the senior musicians perfectly. Grace continued with the famous “The Christmas Song” and followed with another cool swinging Christmas classic from 1934, “Winter Wonderland”. The wonderkid David Manuhutu was on piano along with his father on guitar. All along these previous 3 songs we were happy to see Venche Manuhutu back on stage again with his cool guitar style. We hope Venche will appear more often on stage.

Right after the 10 minutes break, the band came back again, this time with the duet of Nenden and Iwan Zein taking on the ever lovely “White Christmas”. Iwan continued with “The First Noel” to make the hospital felt even cozier. Nenden took over the mike from Iwan and sang “Blue Christmas”. David Manuhutu and Imelda Rosalin were both playing together with each baby grand piano. Trisno went on improvising just like he did on the other previous songs.

All the vocalist gathered together including Imelda Rosalin and continued swinging with more Christmas carols. This time it was “Jingle Bells” that was brought in very playful style. It was wonderful as it successfully entertained everyone in the room. “It’s time to bring you all up to the mountain”, Imelda said. It was a sign to have the traditional “Go Tell It On A Mountain” with a little blues style. Iwan continued the concert with “Oh Holy Night”. Nenden replaced him once again with “Silver Bells.” The last song to close the whole concert was of course the all time favorite “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” that was brought gloriously. All musicians and singers gathered together and wish everyone a Merry Jazzy Christmas.

Christmas brings a message of hope, a wish for peace and love for everyone. And it was presented perfectly by Melinda Hospital to everyone by using jazz as the main meal. We extend our thanks and appreciation to Melinda Hospital, the Art & Culture Department, Corridor Gallery, KlabJazz, all the superb playing musicians/singers and everybody else who have worked hard to make this event well done. We hope the spirit of Christmas could reach the heart of everyone tonight, and we hope to see more jazz events at the luxurious Lobby of Melinda Hospital next year. Thank you very much once again. God bless you all.

See more pictures:

Reporter: Riandy Kurniawan
Photographer: Glen Carolus Pattiradjawane, Eghi Gabred

Ho,ho,ho! Christmas is getting nearer. It’s a festive season where everything should be merry, cheeful and filled with joy! Get ready to have the merriest Christmas spirit soon! Melinda Hospital in cooperation with KlabJazz is ready to present a very special jazz event to celebrate Christmas together with you.

Melinda Christmas Jazz is the 4th concert held at the cozy and luxurious lobby of Melinda Hospital through the year of 2009. Following the previous “Grand Jazz Valentine” , “Grand Jazz Kartini”,  and “Melinda Hospital’s 5th Anniversary in Jazz” , this time the concert is fully set to celebrate Christmas.

The concept of this concert came from Art & Culture Department and the Corridor Gallery of Melinda Hospital. Not every hospital dare to make a music event in their own lobby, for that we give props to Melinda for consistantly making a jazz event with different themes.  It feels great to see how jazz could be enjoyed by everybody at the hospital, and who knows, maybe jazz could also heal the patients in some ways, or comfort them the least.

As we have said before, Melinda Hospital is a maternity hospital with unique concept.  They made the concept to fit the 5 star hotel concept, complete with art gallery, cafes and everything else that we usually find in the lobby of a 5 star hotel. Two baby grand pianos are placed right in front of the entrance, and that really gives a different nuance unlike the other hospitals.

Melinda Christmas Jazz presents some of the best talents in Bandung. Imelda Rosalin is once again act as the music director as well as the playing musicians for this concert.  We’re going to have the senior musician, Venche Manuhutu, the proud dad of the wonder kid David Manuhutu to perform this time. It’s going to be fantastic to see skilfull musicians from different generations join forces to make your Christmas season merrier than ever! Here are the lineups:

Imelda Rosalin (vocal, accordeon and acoustic piano)
Rudy Zulkarnaen (acoustic bass)
David Manuhutu (piano)
Venche Manuhutu (guitarist)
Edward Prasetya (guitar)
Nenden Shintawati (vocal)
Grace Sahertian (vocal)
Brury Effendi (trumpet)
Sankis (percussions)

SAVE THE DATE!

Date: Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Time: 5:00 – 8:00 PM
Location: Lobby Melinda Hospital
Jl. Padjadjaran 46, Bandung

FREE ENTRANCE

Let’s celebrate Christmas together in the jazziest way.  See you at Melinda Christmas Jazz! Merry Jazzin’ Chirstmas everybody!

Jazz Break Revival is keep getting more and more interesting. If two months ago they worked together with Goethe Institut Jakarta and its Serambi Jazz to present a tremendous artist from Munich, Henning Sieverts Trio, this time for Jazz Break Revival XVII, the event is in cooperation with CCF (Centre Culturel Français) Bandung, presenting a special performance from a French Quartet, Jean My Truong Quartet.

Jean My Truong is a very talented composer/drummer that has been playing with many international superstars such as Didier Lockwood, Joachim Kühn, Tania Maria, Jean Marie Ecay, MAL Wadron, Jacky Byard, Bireli Lagrène, Christian Escoudé and many more. World-wide experience has shaped him as a brilliant musician enriched with complete skills. Jean My Truong is going to perform together with his amazing quartet, Irving Acao (sax), Leandro Aconcha (piano) and Pascal Sarton (guitar), just several day before they perform at the prestigious JakJazz Festival 2009 on December 4 and 5, 2009.

Besides Jean My Truong Quartet, Jazz Break Revival XVII will also present two great local Bandung jazz groups: Boyke Priyo Utomo Project and 4 AM Quartet. Boyke Priyo Utomo Project will appear with the composition of Boyke Priyo Utomo (tenor sax), Rudy Zulkarnaen (acoustic bass), Arifandi Renaldi (drums) and Imelda Rosalin (piano). And 4 AM Quartet consists of Edward Prasetya (guitar), Gallang Perdhana Dalimunthe (bass), Edward Manurung (drums), Sonny Akbar Sembada (piano/keyboard).

Have the merry December month with jazz!

Date: December 02, 2009
Time: 07:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Location: BP Bumi Sangkuriang
Jl Kiputih no.12 Ciumbuleuit, Bandung

FREE ENTRANCE!