“Ready to change the way you hear music, JAZZ the way you like it. “ That’s the first thing you’ll read when you enter the Dji Sam Soe‘s official website. You can interpret it as you wish, but for us it means one thing: The MAGNUM FILTER URBAN JAZZ CROSSOVER is back for another great round in 2012!

From the first edition in 2008 this event has been placing jazz in totally different atmosphere. It’s true that we’ve seen jazz crossing the borders many times, embedding other musical styles/genres, creating a new breed, musically speaking. But in this annual event, jazz crossover is the main headline and dipped in the sound of urban world. They always try to spoil the audience not only with wide arrays of jazz crossover; all the way up to the unthinkable blendings in multitude; but also with the stunning futuristic stage concept along with high-tech stuffs that can change our perception of enjoying a concert. The selection of artists have been phenomenal by featuring many great ones outside the jazz world. From rock, rock n roll, disco, RnB, ethnic/world musics to dangdut, all have been served grand inside a colorful jazz outfits. Put it simple, this is the show to see if you want to see how far can jazz go in the wonderful crossover world or if you want to add up your musical experience. You can see our coverages of this event for the past 3 years by clicking each links: 2009, 2010 and 2011.

A press conference was held yesterday (May 15,2012) to announce the return of Urban Jazz Crossover in 2012. For this 5th edition they are ready to bring back the unique and sensational concert as the result of collaborative cross-genre which is representing the urban’s high taste. “This year we’ll present a classy cross genre concert by holding on to the ‘surprise’ factor, shining lineup of talents, brilliant arrangements and high-end stage concept,” said the Magnum Filter’s Brand Manager Andre Muljadi. Hologram, video mapping, 150.000 watt of lightings and 60.000 watt of sounds will surely bring something spectacular to your eyes and ears.

Viky Sianipar is back again on the music director’s seat. After his first experience last year, he promises to bring richer, more colorful and more interactive music in creating a new taste of crossover. “One of the things that delight me is to see the musicians playing all-new rearrangements by making up a little change in their singing style, but yet you’ll notice that their specific characters are still there.”

Now let’s see this year’s lineup. Representing the legend corner are Harvey Malaiholo and Indra Lesmana. Harvey’s world acclaimed rich and specific voice tone have been loved by many at least since the early 80′s. He’s won lots of competitions in Indonesia and abroad and has many evergreens that we still remember dearly until today. One of his classics is “Dia”, which Harvey sang in the press conference under a cool, new rearrangement. As for Indra Lesmana, he continues his participation after a memorable one in 2010. Speaking of crossover, Indra Lesmana has been doing it for many years. His passion to modern jazz is enormous, but still he can give his signature over other musical styles. Lately he’s digging more jazz with urban sound like the way he does in LLW, JazzTronika and in many other occasions. So, if we look for someone who can serve jazz at its best and also highly experienced in crossover, Indra Lesmana will always be one of the most important names to mention.

Andien and Rieka Roslan are in the lineup too for this year. Who doesn’t know these jazz divas with uncountable number of fans? Both have remarkable vocal quality that are easy to notice and always appear attractive on stage. The ladies line continues on with a new, rising vocalist Millane Fernandez, following the path of Dira Sugandi and Lala Karmela (2009) and Raisa (2011). She has such a tone that would fit in soul, RnB and jazz at any time. At the press conference she pinned Creed’s “My Sacrifice” beautifully in a totally different way.

Then here’s a surprise, joining them is Intan Soekotjo. For us in Indonesia, the name Soekotjo will remind us of a keroncong legend, Sundari Soekotjo, and that’s no surprise since Intan is actually her daughter. She shines as a keroncong singer too just like her mother and has performed in many countries, reaching as far as Netherlands and Malaysia. One of her memorable moment was when she sang the classic theme of Wizard of Oz “Over the Rainbow” in keroncong style. Having said that, she never closes her ears from any other genres like jazz, rock, pop and so on. So, does that mean we’ll have keroncong too this year? You bet! Prepare to hear when our own keroncong melts with jazz at the 5th Urban Jazz Crossover!  

The famous bassist Barry Likumahuwa, the singer we knew from Pasto but later got success in his solo career Bayu Risa and the highly popular Tompi are listed too. From the land of rock/metal, Yukie of PAS Band will appear energetic and wild just like Ipang in last year’s edition. Last but not least, Kyriz Boogiemen is ready to continue his involvement along with DJ Odotto. Their appearance will surely thicken the urban ornament throughout the shows.

Just like the previous years, Magnum Filter Urban Jazz Crossover 2012 will land on 5 big cities: Medan (25/5), Bandung (9/6), Surabaya (22/6), Semarang (30/6) and Jakarta (13/7). There are three ways to buy the ticket. You can buy it much cheaper (half price) from DjiSamSoe’s website , get the low price from pre-sale ticket outlets in each cities or full price on the spot. But based on our experience, the ticket will be sold out sooner than you think. So, the best thing to do is secure your ticket as soon as possible before you regret it. (Ticket can only be purchased by anyone aged 18 and up). Check out the complete info about ticketing in the tables below.

“Every year, we are challanged to bring something new and give a quality musical experience to the Indonesian musicians who want to pour out their creativity in order to give one classy audio-visual experience to the adult music listeners.” That’s what Andre Muljadi said in the end. At the press conference Andien, Harvey Malaiholo, Yukie PAS Band and Millane Fernandez invite us all to join them in another remarkable edition of Urban Jazz Crossover. Some samples were given, and all we can say is, this year is going to be interesting. Richer, more colorful musical creations in crossovers is promised by the music director Viky Sianipar. Get ready to join the party. Find the nearest city and enjoy the grand cross-genre presentation in jazz taste!

URBAN JAZZ CROSSOVER 2012

MEDAN           : May 25,  2012 – JW Marriott
BANDUNG     : June 9,  2012 – The Trans Luxury Hotel
SURABAYA : June 22, 2012 – Grand City
SEMARANG : June 30, 2012 – Gumaya Hotel
JAKARTA      : July 13, 2012 – Fairground

(click to enlarge)

For more info, log on to Dji Sam Soe’s official website: http://djisamsoe.com

* Special thanks to Irma Kustia of Marcom X

If you live in Surabaya and nearby, you must still remember one of the big blasts that turned Surabaya full in jazz near the end of 2011. Yes, it’s first installment of Just Jazz Festival which was made as the climax after three smaller events held during that year (Read our coverage from it here: http://jazzuality.com/jazz-event-report/just-jazz-festival-2011-surabaya-the-report/). Looking at the huge success of this festival, we knew Think Tank! Production would surely be excited to continue their mission for 2012. We have informed you last February that the Just Jazz Festival 2012 is coming in June, and since we are approaching that month, here’s the complete info of Just Jazz Festival 2012 along with the final lineup! This big fest will be held on June 2nd, 2012 starting at 3:00pm, taking place still at the same venue, Driving Range Ciputra Golf-CitraRaya, Surabaya. Presenting it earlier in June has a reason, that is to make it as a wonderful gift for Surabaya’s 719th anniversary which is celebrated every 31st of May. As usual, tribute holds a special meaning to this annual event. If last year the event paid a tribute to Gombloh, this year they continue the concept by tributing another music legend from Surabaya, Franky Sahilatua.

First of all, let’s see why Just Jazz really concerns of tributing some of the legendary artists. “What we think is actually simple, we just want to re-introduce the masterpieces of some legendary artists to the society. We want to bring them back alive, musically speaking.” That’s how they explain. The late Franky Sahilatua (16 May 1953 – 20 April 2011)  was originally came from Surabaya and started to gain public attention since mid 70s when he formed Franky & Jane with his sister. Some of their songs became classics such as “Musim Bunga”, Balada Ali Topan”, “Siti Julaika” and “Lelaki dan Rembulan.” Besides his collaboration with Jane, Franky also had big success in solo career. His catchy folk tunes and down to earth lyrics were some of his winning formulas that made him popular across the nation. After struggling with bone marrow cancer for quite a long time, we had to let him go on April 20, 2011 at the age of 57 years old. What we respect and learn from him is not just the way he entertained us with lovely songs, but also his strong spirit and passion to carry on his calling that lasted until his last breath. During battling with this deadly disease he was still active in writing songs in between rounds of chemotherapy.

Shining selections of artists are ready to create one lovely package in full respect to the late Franky Sahilatua. Each group will take one song from Franky’s collection and place their signature over those songs. Keys-wiz Riza Arshad continues his participation with a newly formed group, Riza Arshad Trioan with his simakDialog team mate Cucu Kurnia (kendang and metal toys), young contrabassist Chaka Priambudi plus the leader of Pitoelas Big Band and member of Twilite Orchestra, saxophonist/flutist Dony Koeswinarno. If you think the formation is unique, we agree with you. Something unexpected will surely come from their play. Just prepare for that.

Franky’s song played in cool atmospheric funky blues? That may be the case, since Gugun Blues Shelter has also confirmed. Gugun (guitar), Bowie (drums) and Jono (bass) are ready to show that they can paint their attractive music into Franky’s folk tune. Shadow Puppets will be there too, this time with a new formation including Irsa Destiwi (piano), Robert Mulyarahardja (guitar), Widiyekso Supramono (trombone), Indra Artie Dauna (trumpet), Donna Koeswinarso (saxophone), Kevin Yosua (upright bass), Elfa Zulhamsyah Warongan (drum). Other than playing in Shadow Puppets, Irsa Destiwi also works in rearranging the final song that will be played by the whole participants.

Some other interesting artists will be featured at the Just Jazz Festival 2012 such as the highly talented DJ/bassist who graduated from Berklee College of Music majoring Jazz Composition, Andezzz with his project called Andezzz Live D’Jazz Set and the famous group popular with its delightful acoustic touch, DREW. Last  year’s Music Director Nikita Dompas now stands as the Music Consultant for this edition.

Another surprise is the participation of US big band Orient Express, consists of 12 navies who are also pursue their activities as professional musicians to entertain guests of big cruise ships. In cooperation with US Consulate Surabaya, Orient Express will dock at the festival to bring selections of popular songs from the likes of Stevie Wonder, Bruno Mars and also Michael Jackson besides covering some smooth jazz and dixieland in combo formation.

For this year’s edition Just Jazz Festival has held Just Jazz Goes to School in cooperation with JTrax JTV. 3 bands will join the lineup, including Six Flat (SMKN 9 Surabaya), Canopy (St. Louis 1 Surabaya), and In Major 7 (SMKN 9 Surabaya). These bands were selected from the auditions held at Alkafellaz Studio since last April. Besides getting the honor to play at the main stage, they all rewarded with coaching clinic on June 1st, 2012.

Hang on, we still have more infos to share. Unlike the first edition which placed the talents only on one stage, this time Think Tank! also provides another stage called Community Stage. Located at Palimanan Resto, this stage will feature bands from jazz communities in Surabaya and beyond such as Rompok Bolong Community from Malang, CTwoSix Jazz Club, Goci Fusion Jazz Community and Korek Jazz from Surabaya, Breaktime Blues Community from Jakarta and Gubuk Jazz from Riau. As the closing, the committe will invite everyone to fly 2000 Balloons of Hope which intends to rise our hopes for a better future up high to the sky.

All the joy of jazz in assorted flavors will be there, along with holding up a special tribute to Franky Sahilatua. If you are in Surabaya and nearby, or if you want to spend your holiday to the eastern side of Java and enjoy one nice package of jazz at the same time, come to Just Jazz Festival. We’ve said it all. Hope to see you there.

Watch the Just Jazz Festival 2012 teaser:

Just Jazz Festival 2012
Date: June 2, 2012
Time: 3:00 pm – onwards
Location: Driving Range Ciputra Golf, Surabaya

Ticket Price:
Presale II: May 1 – May 25, 2012 : IDR 150.000
On Spot: IDR 200.000

See the list of ticket box here: http://justjazzfestival.com/ticket-ticketbox.html
Get more info about ticketing here: http://justjazzfestival.com/ticket-howtobuy.html

For more info please contact:
Gema Swaratyagita – Media Relation Officer : +62 8179319262
Kika Dhersy Putri – Event Director : +62 81330509897
or get connected through:
Website: http://justjazzfestival.com
Facebook: Surabaya Just Jazz
Twitter: @thejustjazz

Blending classical and jazz together might sound a little bit unfamiliar to the ears. Many people consider that classical and jazz are two separate kinds of music that would be difficult to combine into one. We often think that classical music is the kind of music which is often played with an ensemble and strictly relies on the music sheets while jazz always roots in total freedom and full of improvisation. But if you watched Trio Chicago and Friends held by the US Consulate Surabaya several days ago on May 9, 2012 you’d find out that chances are you might just be wrong. Classical and jazz really can get along together because it enriches each other and is even able to open up a new harmonious dimension like we have never heard before.

Trio Chicago and Friends came to Jakarta and Surabaya under the US government’s sponsorship as the cultural ambassadors, representing the nation. Along with their journey since 1996, they have been combining these two styles of music perfectly which have resulted to impressive performances around the globe. It was a pleasure to finally be able to see the show held at Ciputra University Auditorium in Surabaya. These programs were a part of the US Department of State cultural envoy program which seeks to build relationships across nations and share the American culture. The idea came from US President Barrack Obama and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s bilateral meeting in 2010 which established the framework of sharing ideas and cultures between two great nations. Not only did they come to Indonesia to share the American culture and music, but also to learn about Indonesian culture and music to share with the Americans as well.

The group has been consistently recognized for its stylistic versatility in concerts and for its master classes and teaching interchanges with local students. In their performance in Surabaya, this fully experienced ensemble played American music from the legendary composers’ collections such as the works of George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and Pat Metheny. The band leader Elliott Golub (violin), co-founder Marlou Johnston (viola), Kay Kim (piano), Laura Hamm (flute) and soprano Suna Avci  came to give one lovely performance that we all will remember for a long, long time.

A couple of classic numbers at the beginning of the show were all played beautifully before they presented “Overture to Candide” by Leonard Berstein, Gershwin’s “Selections from Porgy and Bess” and the classic ragtime from the early years “Maple Leaf Rag” by Scott Joplin in such a grand and elegant way.

The famous intro of  “Spain” miraculously worked through flutist, Laura Hamm and became the start of Chick Corea’s medley. The song that was popularized once again in the 80′s by Al Jarreau was able to create such a strong jazz-realm atmosphere. Old American songs “I Bought Me a Cat”, “Simple Gifts” and “Ching a Ring Chaw” were served in top-form vocal and dynamic play and also some selections from Duke Ellington’s songbook which now reappeared in chamber-like jazz. Elliot Gloub commented on the flute section in the song which he believed to clearly show an example of how improvisation in classic could be done.

Trio Chicago and Friends gave out a tremendous style of music not only by playing their instruments but also through the amazing soprano Suna Avci. “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, one of Cole Porter’s most popular songs from 1936 which has been sung by leading pop artists and jazz musicians for many decades now appeared unique by Avci’s interpretation. Clearly she’s added a new version that we’ve never heard before.

Throughout the show this band successfully hypnotized the audience, especially by looking at another stunning moment when the pianist Kay Kim did a duet with Elliott Golub’s violin in Ástor Piazzola’s “Notturno Oblivion”. The sound of bandoneón in the original was brilliantly replaced by the fiddles of the violin strings. Piazzola himself is known as an Argentinian tango composer and bandoneón player who successfully revolutionized the traditional tango into nuevo tango by incorporating elements from jazz and classical music. In Chicago Trio and Friends’ hands, this song gained a new breeze.

According to Elliot Golub speaking on behalf of the group, he stated that crossover is the key to how classical and jazz are able to blend together. He also stated that currently there are a lot of different music streams that combine into one. “Classical is no exception”, he added. The best way to integrate those kinds of music is by feeling what it really is and then finding their own new shapes.

Furthermore, describing the blending of classical and jazz, Golub explained that improvisation originally filled the early Baroque era. After that came the time when great composers like Beethoven and Brahms dominated the scene and they all just played what was written by the composers, which was mainly used for church purposes. But today there are many schools and music streams that develop classical music which allows improvisation to take place and new discoveries to be applied.

It’s certainly interesting and amusing to have this royal musical treat. If you still think classical can never walk side by side with jazz and it is just about music sheets, well here they are now holding hands. Trio Chicago and Friends proved that classical can be improvised just like jazz, or on the other hand, jazz can also be played in a chamber music, seamlessly. But step aside from all this jazz-classical thingy, Trio Chicago and Friends prefer their music as a representation of all kinds of American music that come from the 20th century. That’s exactly what was shown in their performance with some reminiscence to the classical era where improvisation can take part in classical music. While the example might be very rare, but Trio Chicago & Friends has proven that it does exist. Both of them are art music, generally recognized by all time great composers (and performers) and no matter what or how, we are talking about music that can always find the way out in creating harmonies with one another or even creating something new by the combinations created. In the hands of experienced experts like this group, this combination can turn out outstanding. Salute to Trio Chicago and Friends, thank you for giving us a new experience in enjoying music. May the idea and culture exchanges between US and Indonesia continue on. It was such a delight and we hope to see you again someday.

Trio Chicago and Friends are:
Elliot Golub, Violin
Marlou Johnston, Viola
Suna Avci, Soprano
Laura Hamm, Flute/Piccolo
Kay Kim, Piano

Special thanks to Ms Emily Norris Yasmin of US Consulate Embassy Surabaya

See more pictures:

Reporter: Apey Idris
Photographer: Arifitra Ekomukti
Editor: Riandy Kurniawan, Khairiyah Sartika Syofian

Toes tapping and heads swaying with beats and enthusiasm, Sunday Jazz presents another Jazz Feast for everyone to enjoy. Having ‘In The Mood’ as this third edition event’s tagline surely lit up the jazzy atmosphere and put a pinch of smiles on everyone’s faces. Everyone was surely ‘in the mood’ having the chance to feast their ears on such amazing local delights at one of Bandung’s cozy places with yummy bites, Plate for Me (Palette of Flavours). As a favor to the owner of the place, Sunday Jazz will have its own theme, starting from the third visit at Plate For Me where the owner of the place asked the event to have a tagline. Curious to find out what they have in store? Buckle up and prepare yourselves for more upcoming events because at the first event, which will later continue in the second week of the upcoming months, will be filled with stunning music by those from Bandung. Whilst in every last week of the month, musicians from out of town will keep you amazingly entertained. So let’s check out what we had for Sunday Jazz’s second week round.

Opening performance were three young fresh talented musicians, Ginda Bestari (Vocalist and Guitarist), Gega Gageh (Bassist) and Riyandi Andaputra (Drummer) which form Ginda and the White Flowers. So why “The White Flowers”? Because the songs that they create, refer to white philosophy they believe to be fresh, clean and full of spirit like wild flowers that can grow anywhere. They amazed the audience with high capability of jammin’ smokin’ rock blues on stage with their song “Sophisticated Lady” bringing up a really good vibe to start the show. As they say “Age doesn’t matter” and this band proved that saying right with their young spirits and fresh skills in their performance. This Indonesian blues band, influenced by Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Cream, BB King and many more gave a shot at a really wicked performance with “Madman” as the second song introduced by the beats of the drums.  They also hypnotized the audience with”Always on My Mind” where Ginda Bestari, also the band’s leader, dazzled us with her beyond fantastic blues guitar scene as he slithered his fingers down the chords as they went on to their next track “Happiness” where you could feel that little tingle of Hendrix resounding with their own style in a heart-wrenching stream of melody. The uplifting blues which took the scene of 70’s was next, “Why Baby” and closing their performance with “F-3″ featuring Ivan Jonathan a.k.a AJ The Real on the keyboards. Looking up at their to-do-list for May 25th-27th May, they will be performing and competing against eleven other international bands at The Venetian International Blues and Jazz Competition in Macao. By this performance as their warm up before the big day, they seem more than ready to compete and will surely do superb there. Fingers crossed for them and hope they bring good news back home.

Next up were Mr. Bean & The Teddy Bear. Who doesn’t love these two characters? Well, they made it a band gathering Sarita Rahmi Listya (vocals), Aries Ismail (guitar), Kemal Yudha Prawira (bass), Ceceng Juniar (percussion) call themselves with a very cute earmark, swing bossanova, classical to pop as well, will served by them in a fuzzy indie music tone. This time, no silent Mr. Bean, it was all about expressing with words and music. They delivered “Jhony De Branco”. The next song started with an excerpt of the Godfather’s theme “Speak Softly Love”, they brought a classic from Antonio Carlos Jobim, “How Insensitive”.  With a flick of cabaret in their “Mr. Standman”, the audience swayed to the groove. “We want to make people happy” they say, and they surely did because smiles proved it right. Also as the lead vocals for acoustic band Teman Sebangku, Sarita Rahmi Listya swayed her voice in the last song “Lonely and Pathetic” with a relaxing vibe from the music and calming clarinet. If you were on the spot watching, you’d see their uniqueness in sound and performance.

Question. What do you get when you have three down-to-earth and talented men, Abang Sulaiman Kramadibrata (Guitarist and Vocalist), Ade Sulaiman Kramadibrata (Drums) and Dionny ‘Ayonk’ (Bassist)? Yep, good vibes and awesomeness. Oh and yes, Iman Brata Trio of course. This amazing ‘trio’ loves to bring challenging jazz-rock patterns in their repertoires. They have been absent for several months but are yet to be back with more playfully remarkable performances, and surprising as well. Ade without his drum set this time, sat down with his Kendang (Sundanese traditional double headed drum) which gave an interesting attraction for the audience. Opening with a catchy ear treat  for everyone with a cover of Mike Stern’s “Tipatina’s”. The audience were surprised to see  a different nuance due to the ethnic involvement whereas their new bassist still maintained his rock background which made it sound amazingly unique. The blues and jazz in an experimental pattern which they gave, felt as if they had opened a gate to a new dimension. Still with Stern’s “Play” they showed the latter and mesmerized our eyes and ears continued with “Brighter Day” which they created in 2010 bringing up a  rhythmic funk with a typical Sundanese beat. This band was foundered by the guitarist Iman Kramadibrata who studied jazz to well known local teacher Venche Manuhutu for 3 years. He decided to take a go and spice up things and deliver the love for music for people to enjoy. For their last line up they spellbinded us with a 2009 original “Hey You”, seducing us to move with the music.

The musically creative effects that Kramadibrata loves to include in his rock-blues characteristics of guitar-playing naturally catches the audiences’ attention. So as Iman Brata likes it, not to strict in jazz but able to make the listeners dance and wiggle a finger, and yes they made that mission possible. So, who says a guitar with effect panels don’t go with a Kendang, because they made it such a beautiful mixture. So like sipping on a real good smoothie, you could taste that blend of both flavors tingling in your ear buds. Splendid it was.

After a short break, LIZ  went on stage with their irresistible performance starting with a pop bop “Summer Time” followed up by Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie” and jamming the night out with a smooth jazzy track “Through the Fire” originally sung by Chaka Khan. It was a really eye-catching performance with the vocalist dancing to the beat, the calm and soothing bassist, the non-stop smiling guitarist finger-picking his chords away, the sexy saxophone and blending drumbeats.  This group was discovered at least six month ago and usually play roles in jazz standard songs including mild mixture nudge. The vocal color and music blended really well to an enchanting feel especially in their version of Sandy Sandhoro’s “End of the Rainbow”. Another Winehouse’s classics “Rehab” lit up the ambiance and closed their performance with applause. KlabJazz’s coordinator, Dwi Cahya Yuniman had an eye out for these guys, Aditya Nugraha (clarinet, saxophone), Reinhard Woran (bass), Cakra K. P. (vocals), Errick Prayuda (guitar), and Berry Andhika (percussion) in their previous performances and we’re sure he wasn’t disappointed with what they all brought up on stage tonight.

Satisfaction were on the audience’s smiles, as they enjoyed comfy seats and tummy yummy goodies to go along with their serve of what you call music with two thumbs and toes up and having continuing the night with thick fusions, KPH (Kruisnode Piano House) All Stars.  Familiar with the name? They were on the list at Sunday Jazz Dago Plaza and also took part in Kampung Jazz Band Audition. Unable to perform with the usual team, a new team consisting of Leonel Barrera (Keyboard), Andre Mangunsong (Keyboards & Synthesizer), Maulana Hadiansyah (Drummer), Pradnya Pranidhana (Bass) still captivated those watching. They presented a fusion of songs rearranged from way back to 100 years ago such as “La bikina”. Including such a piano duel, it was a wow moment seeing it in “Malaguena Salerosa”. Originally from Mexico, in Bahasa Leonel introduced the members and their next song “Jurame” making yourself imagine this song while having a cocktail and chilling with friends. Donna Lee’s “El Chumbanchero” had the audiences get off their seats and watch them from a closer view. Last song “Besame Mucho” and the fantastic and energetic tune wrapped up this wonderful night continued by jam sessions and let people leave the place feeling in such a great mood.

From once a month now it’s become twice. We’re happy to see this event came back in action and even happier to see its fast progress. Just like the previous two editions we really enjoyed this one. Once again delicatessen jazz was served well on stage by each of the bands. Thank you KlabJazz, Plate for Me, all the participants and soundman for making up another lovely edition, and of course to everyone who came to the venue and supporting the event. Who will have the chance to fill up the next edition? We’ll find out soon, but prepare yourself for it at the last Sunday of this month. Hope to see you all again soon.

Hang on, we’ve got good news for you! Don’t forget to keep an eye out on Klab Jams which this month will be held on the 31st of May and every last Thursday of the month. This event which is usually held at Beat N Bite and Green Cafe will move to a new place at 25 Swarga Jalan Diponegoro No. 25 Bandung from 8 pm till 12 pm. Opening and closing performances will be from Christ Stanley and it surely must be marked on your calendars. Be there and feel the atmosphere!

See more pictures:

Reporter: Khairiyah Sartika & Tassia Loisha Putri Tarigan
Photographer: Dwi Ratri Utomo, Umanbott
Editor: Riandy Kurniawan

On the last Friday in this month, another musical event with a special concept will be held and it is ready to put on your list. This Bandung-based artist makes headway to scratch in history by having a big single concert in the capital city of Indonesia, Jakarta. Muhammad Tulus or better known as just TULUS, a very talented guy whose gifted voice always come in flawless tone once again will carry out a solo performance called “Beyond Sincere” at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta presented by TRUSTGroup on May 25th, 2012.

Started his early career as vocalist of Sikuai, Tulus is fastest-rising now on his own as solo artist. He is also supported by Klabjazz from the beginning until his hit songs successfully entered some major radio stations in Indonesia and his top-notched self-titled album got its climax as it listed as The Best Music Album 2011 on a famous local music magazine. From the big boom of first single “Sewindu”, now he makes another homerun by the second one, “Teman Hidup”. This song is currently doing very well in major stations in Jakarta, Bandung and other big cities and already topped the charts in some of them. The debut album selling is magnificent both in physical and online stores. It is such a big achievement towards his breakthrough in the scene Indonesia music Industry which is currently being invaded with various kind of so-called mainstream pop. He shows the undeniable force of the independent music industry today.

His fame now worth all the effort he has done and also the way he uses his talent in singing and writing lyrics. In this moment, he really wants to share what he has to the loyal audience and maybe the new ones who want to listen to his music, or “Musik Tulus”, the way he calls it. “Many peole said that I sing jazz, but the fact is, I never plan to do it that way. If you find some jazz tunes inside my music, it should come spontaneously from my inner self.” he said when he was featured on a TV program last week. Maybe he never he intended to sing specifically in jazz, yet some kind of broadway, jazz, pop, soul, RnB and of course some indie atmosphere can be traced easily inside his songs. He can do it just as good whether with full band, ensemble or in minimalist acoustic. His soft silk tender voice carries delightful and chilling tunes to his listeners without neglecting the essence of enjoyable and wealthy melodious of jazz background.

At the Press Conference held at The Amaron Cafe, Grand Kemang Hotel, South Jakarta last Wednesday (May 9th, 2012), Tulus and the event organizer shared all the backgrounds behind this project, the aims and goals. With “Beyond Sincere” as his concert’s primary line, something unique will represent to differ this concert with another one. Align with the English word for the name Tulus that means “sincere”, this musical event will set fourth the prominent idea towards an intimate and modest package of full band concert. With the exclusive price tickets, the guest will directly participate in lend a hand to other people need towards the non-profit organization that concern in social responsibility to the society. TRUSTGroup, as the Event Organizer, has a concept to form this solo performance as a charity event within its precious mission to help Rumah Pintar Dadap, an initiated program conducted by Yayasan Tunggadewi and Yayasan Pansophia Indonesia that has vision and mission to expand and help more children in need of education. The dedication will be in a form to share part of the ticket selling revenue to support the program and it is hoped to bring it to better level and better encouragement.

The concert will be one and a half hour epic performance which shows the other side of Tulus on stage as a singer and a song writer. It will be great to see such a wonderful talent from him as we also experienced from his first self-title album. With more and more stages to perform, Tulus always creates new concept in his acts, as we will see some different things that he serves for us at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta. This is a very distinctive in choosing the venue, knowing that this building mainly used to hold theatrical performance so that it can add the artistic influence for Tulus’ performance. In point of fact, an affected objective he tries to achieve; to boost up people’s appreciation and consciousness concerning about historical building. “We’re going to play at the GKJ to bring awareness to the youngsters, making them realize that Jakarta has such a beautiful building like this which has been committed to art and culture for a very long time.” he said.

This time he will play with full band consists of string and brass sections and it’s surely more attractive than the album launching concert if we look back on September 2011. As a matter of course, the perspective of maturity in musical journey will be visible inside this configuration. Many fellows will be brought along and the band will consist of Fuad Rudyan as drummer, Anto Arief as guitarist, Sindhu Banyusekti as bassist, Yonathan Godjali and Ferry Nurhayat on keys plus 3 backing vocals and 1 percussionist. Needless to say, the full band formation will include 8 musicians in Brass Sections and 4 musicians in String Sections on the main day. 13 tracks both in Bahasa and English will be extraordinary served in dispersing the contour in the middle of storytelling and singing. Other than that, you can expect cool stage concept along with some artistic design in it. Cannot highly wait to see and listen into the fresh format of his songs and some legendary hit songs works in Tulus’ way.

Tulus hopes that this Beyond Sincere concert will be fulfilled with intimacy among the players and the listeners. It will be fun to see people who already heard him from the very first time coming and having good times there, also the new listeners who probably know nothing about Tulus can join the crowd and enjoy their play. Trust Group promised this one to be a sharp packaged concert, and with everything said, we invite you all to attend the concert.

TULUS BEYOND SINCERE CONCERT
Date: Friday, 25 May 2012
Time: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm (Open gate at 6:00 pm)
Venue: Gedung Kesenian Jakarta – Jalan Kesenian No.1  Jakarta Pusat

TICKET PRICE:
Gold: IDR 300,000 (Sold Out)
Silver: IDR 200,000
Buy the ticket at Jazzuality online store: http://store.jazzuality.com/products/ticket/jual-tiket-konser-tulus-beyond-sincere/

Written by: Mellysa Anastasya and Ghea Sagita
Editor: Riandy Kurniawan
Photographer: Kurnia Bayu Aji (at the press conference) and Omar Arif Maulana (stage photos)

After have done the Sunday Jazz event at Plate for Me once a month since March, from this May on, KlabJazz and Plate for Me (Palette Of Flavours) challenged themselves to hold the event this time twice every month at the same place – a tradition that once went on from October 2010 until February 2011. In the middle of the year 2011, Sunday Jazz was held twice a month in two different places.

At such an opportunity, we started to work on getting in touch with the talents that the musicians we meet each time. The first event, which will later continue in the second week of the upcoming months, will be filled with stunning music by those from Bandung, while in every last week of the months, music will come from outside the town.

As a favor to the owner of the place at which Sunday Jazz will be held, starting from the third visit at Plate For Me, the owner of the place will be the one to choose the “taglines”. This third edition in May will have “In The Mood” as its theme. By the way, the upgrade feels even more special since KlabJazz is celebrating its 8th anniversary this month.

What an outright time to peek a little bit of the line up. There will be Ginda and the White Flowers. This band consists of three young talented musicians, Ginda Bestari as vocalist, Gega Gageh as bassist, and Riyandi Andaputra as drummer. Despite the fact that they are young, you will be surprised at how they are highly capable to play smokin’ rock blues with the right attitude, especially their guitarist/band leader Ginda Bestari whose blues performace is simply beyond fantastic. Just to give more information, the band will perform in the Venetian International Blues & Jazz Competition in Macao on the 25th-27th May, competing against eleven other international bands. Playing their music in this time’s Sunday Jazz event will be as a fun warm-up for their upcoming big competition.

Iman Brata Trio. This amazing ‘trio’ loves to bring challenging jazz-rock patterns in their repotoires. The musically creative effects that Kramadibrata loves to include in his rock-blues characteristics of guitar-playing naturally catches the audiences’ attention. They have been absent for several months but are yet to be back with more playfully remarkable performances. The band is flexible to go into a more pop kind of style, but to us, the real Iman Brata Trio is when they come up with their hardcore side in delivering the fine blend of rock and jazz with a main touch of blues. Simply super!

Thirdly third. Most of you perhaps already had seen this exclusive fusion jazz group. Well, this group obviously has played role in Sunday Jazz Dago Plaza last year and one of Kampung Jazz Band Audition successful product. Yup, KPH All Stars is here! In addition, these Kruisnode Piano House (KPH) dazzling teachers will arrange your feeling in fusion of their own arrangement one more time. Get ready to play the beat of your heart on next Sunday with the clamor double guitar action from Aditya and Irman Soeramihardja, the rhythm of Andre Mangunsong’s and Leon Barerra’s piano, the hit of snare, tom, trash, and cymbals’ Maulana Hadi drum, and bass role from Pradnya Pranidhana. They will pleasantly serve you a plate of jazz with KPH masters flavor, which is spontant and perfectly cool assembly.

Sarita Rahmi Listya (vocals), Aries Ismail (guitar), Anggie Prakasa Gustiar and Kemal (bass), Ceceng Juniar (percussion) call themselves with a very cute earmark, Mr. Bean & The Teddy Bear. Swing, bossanova, classical to pop as well, will served by them in a fuzzy indie music tone tastes like a hot choco caliente. They  may be one of the representative for jazz in the indonesia’s independent scene. More than that, they already have many songs which is seems legit enough for their fans, like a medium swing “”Jhonny de Branco” and “Lonely and Pathetic” sounds like Basia’s smooth bossa groove. Mr. Bean & The Teddy Bear once said, “We want to make people happy with our music by making our music simple.”, what an alluring statement! If you want something like lite jazz plus unique vocal in it wooed your ears, just simply gaze the performance of Mr. Bean and The Teddy Bear next Sunday.

Last but not least, LIZ. This group was founded at least six month ago and usually play role in jazz standard songs including mild mixture nudge. Dwi Cahya Yuniman, KlabJazz’s coordinator, had seen LIZ and loved the way their music played. Therefore, Aditya Nugraha (clarinet, saxophone), Reinhard Woran (bass), Cakra K. P. (vocals), Errick Prayuda (guitar), and Berry Andhika (percussions) officially will participate to cheery Sunday Jazz party.

Thus, if you are “In The Mood” to enjoy the charming composition of unique, adorable, easy listening in jazz, no doubt KlabJazz extremely will coddle jazz addict as always in Sunday Jazz, May 13. No need charge, just find your own comfort corner at Plate For Me and then make a good relationship with the meal and the music. Your attendance will unfortunately merrier the event!

Sunday Jazz @ Plate for Me: In The Mood

Date: Sunday, May 13, 2012
Time: 03:30 pm – 07:30 pm
Location: Plate For Me
Jl. L.L.R.E. Martadinata / Jl. Riau no. 172, Bandung

FREE OF CHARGE

Featuring (in alphabetical order):

GINDA AND THE WHITE FLOWERS
Ginda Bestari – guitars, vocals
Gega Gageh – bass
Riyandi Andaputra – drums

IMAN BRATA TRIO
Abang Sulaiman Kramadibrata – guitar/vocals
Ade Sulaiman Kramadibrata – drums
Gabriel Surya – bass

KPH ALL STARS
Andre Mangunsong – piano, synthesizer
Leon Barrera – piano
Maulana Hadi – drums
Pradnya Pranidhana – bass

LIZ
Aditya Nugraha – clarinet, saxophone
Reinhard Woran – bass
Cakra K. P. – vocals
Errick Prayuda – guitar
Berry Andhika – percussions

MR. BEAN & THE TEDDY BEAR
Sarita Rahmi Listya – vocals
Aries Ismail – guitar
Anggie Prakasa Gustiar – bass
Ceceng Juniar – percussion
Kemal – bass

Written by: Noviana Safitri and Sharon Patrice Kandou

Gloomy and cloudy, grey Sunday, that’s the scene in Jakarta last Sunday. The cold weather made many Jakarta residents chose to stay inside their comfy and warm home. But for us, being at Red White Lounge brought the same feeling. In fact it was even better since we were going to celebrate something very special for us all, the jazz enthusiasts. Starting this year, the date April 30 will always be remembered as the International Jazz Day. It’s a day that’s intended to raise awareness in the international community of the virtues of jazz as an educational tool as well as a force for peace, unity, and dialogue. Jazz as an educational tool, a force for peace, unity and dialogue? Can jazz be that powerful? Why not, since music (including jazz) is a universal language that can unite people from different backgrounds, cultures, ages and so on in one lovely harmony. At least that’s what Herbie Hancock, the initator of the International Jazz Day together with UNESCO in partnership with the Thelonious Monk Institute has been having in mind.

In our exclusive interview with Herbie Hancock, he shared some lines about it. “When people of various cultures can get along, they can have ideas that can only be through that kind of collaborations. You know, the people in the world is like a big orchestra. and so, we have to be a part of the building of this orchestra. And even if the orchestra is gonna play in tune or completely out of tune, and if we dont tune it up, it’s gonna be out of tunes.” What’s good is that Herbie didn’t stop only in the idea. He chose to be a part of it by doing something real to raise our awareness. And globalization, a word that some people are afraid to hear, is actually opens up a great opportunity for all human beings, “if we get into the process of creating the kind of globalized world that we actually want to live in.” he furthermore said. He urges us all to be a part of it, like what he’s been trying to be until now. (Read our full exclusive interview with Herbie Hancock here: http://jazzuality.com/interview/exclusive-interview-with-herbie-hancock/ ). So for campaigning the peace, unity and dialogue, living in harmony, jazz can always be the vehicle for that. Even if you think the message is too heavy, at least we can hope for peace and unity in the name of jazz. How lovely is that.

In accordance with Herbie Hancock and the official International Jazz Day, here we have Peter F Gontha, the founder of Java Festival Production who has proved that having Indonesia as the peaceful home of jazz is no longer a mission but is already an actualization through the annual Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival. Other than being the frontman of this grand concept, let’s not forget that he’s also a great jazz pianist. Having him and the Red White Jazz Lounge’s host Indra Lesmana who’s been standing as the role model and icon of jazz in our country for celebrating this big occasion was certainly perfect.

“It all began in Egypt”, said Mr Gontha, “when some jazz musicians who came from different religions and backgrounds wanted to have one special momement where jazz can unite all the differences in harmony.” Speaking of unity in harmony, that’s clearly something that he’s dreamed for so long. Now it already happened through the Java Jazz Festival. “So when the jazz and UNESCO Goodwill ambassador Herbie Hancock managed to ask the UNESCO to state the date April 30 as the International Jazz Day, for me that’s really something.” he said to all the guests and musicians who appeared at the Red White Lounge last week. Many jazz artists attended this special celebration. Other than the hosts, there were many other cross-generation artists including Margie Segers, Benny Likumahuwa, Oele Pattiselano, Jeffrey Tahalele, Yance Manusama, Barry Likumahuwa, Glen Dauna, Indra Dauna, Endah N Rhesa, Sandy Winarta, Rafi, Ian Ingram, Chaka Priambudi and Fanny Kuncoro among others. They all came to celebrate the most special day for them as jazz artists, and all of them showed good spirit on it.

This special concert started with Indra Dauna, Fanny Kuncoro, Chaka Priambudi, Cendy Luntungan and Indra Lesmana took up the stage. “It Could Happen to You” was chosen to be the first presentation. The euphoria was well kept with Charlie Parker’s “Confirmation”, in which they showed themselves as the ‘Jedi‘ Jazz Masters, ‘Star Wars’-ically speaking. “In jazz you express yourself in your notes, expressing yourselves in harmony. You don’t need rehearsal in jazz. Just get on the stage and let your feeling do the talking”. Very well said Mr Gontha!

After that quick speech, he invited and introduced two little lions that really grabbed his attention. If you happen to be our regular reader, you should notice a young 8 years old boy that we mentioned as the “Harry Potter” of jazz by the name of Joe Saya in our Red White Jazz Lounge: Christmas Jazz Special coverage (read it here: http://jazzuality.com/jazz-event-report/red-white-jazz-lounge-christmas-jazz-special-the-report/). He wasn’t alone, because there was also Nathan Gulo whom Mr Gontha said to be the next Harvey Mason. They both put their hands magically over the instruments (piano and drums), stunning every audiences and musicians. Simply wicked!

Peter Gontha himself sat behind the grand piano and played with Indra Lesmana, Sandy Winarta, Barry Likumahuwa and Ian Ingram. Margie Segers took the mike and started singing. Then we suddenly heard the unique, mature and beautiful tone of Margie’s voice which we always said like wine, gets better with age. Fanny Kuncoro, Oele Pattiselano and Benny Likumahuwa came along right after. Together with Indra Lesmana and Sandy Winarta they played “I’ll Remember April” followed by Herbie Hancock’s classic, “Dolphin Dance”. What a joyful feeling they brought from the center of the lounge.

The party being carried on all the way to the end. But the whole program didn’t stop only in live music, because after they were done with playing, a special moment occured when the attending musicians placed their signatures on Honhon’s masterpiece photo shot of 80 Indonesia’s jazz musicians from 4 generations which took place on March 31, 2011.

What a night, what a moment to remember. We believe jazz can be the perfect vehicle to unite all the differences. Like what Mr Gontha said, “No matter what your religion, background or culture is, it’s the spirit of peace and unity that matters.” Yes it’s already a week from that special day, but on behalf of the whole Jazzuality team, let us once again wish you a Happy International Jazz Day. God jazz you all!

PS: Please spend some times to read our special article on the International Jazz Day: http://jazzuality.com/jazz-news/international-jazz-day-bringing-all-good-spirit/

See more pictures:

Reporter: Novan Yahya Renatal
Photographer: Bayu P Warjiyo
Translator/editor: Riandy Kurniawan
(the signatured photo of 80 cross-generation jazz artists  was taken by Honhon Lesmana)

Jazz is still getting good demand in Bandung, the capital of West Java. Luckily the access for that is not difficult since Bandung has a well-established jazz community named KlabJazz which has many potential jazz bands and musicians in it. As we are now entering the fifth month in 2012, the high demand has kept this community busy. The regular Sunday Jazz now has become a two-monthly event, and their landing on Starbucks last month at the Rest Area 97 for 5 times during the odd hours (from 1:00 am to 4:00 am) has opened up another invitation. Still in accordance with Komunitas Jazz Kemayoran (KJK), starting this month, KlabJazz will present “Starbucks Jazz Area” in some of the Starbucks outlets in Bandung: every Tuesday at Starbucks BIP (Bandung Indah Plaza) and every Wednesday at Starbucks BSM (Bandung Supermal). The live jazz show will start at 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm in both venues. This cooperation will give benefit to both side. KlabJazz can certainly expand their mission to spread jazz in their hometown while Starbucks can have quality jazz gigs to spoil their guests.

Let’s see the artists for both outlets. Playing at Starbucks BIP are the trio who previously performed at Rest Area 97. They are guitarist Kanggep Kusuma, pianist/keyboardist AJ The Real and vocalist Puspallia Panggabean. Their 5 appearances during the early morning hours have given some impacts. The crowds were quite the same from time to time, but AJ told us that they managed to grab the attention of some guests. “They asked whether we play again or not next week so they could come.” he said. That’s no surprise, since they also had special theme for each week besides being capable in playing some good jazz. For us who reside in Bandung, reaching the Rest Area 97 on the highway during that early hours might be a problem, but now you can see them in a better time. 6:00 pm is the time when most of the workers leave their offices and also the perfect time to hangout for youngsters. As usually we all deal with traffic jam during those hours, having some good coffee moment with live jazz performance can be a good deal. You can expect some special theme for each week too from them in this occasion. Will they bring more mellow tunes by playing at the resting hours or upbeats to recharge the guests’ energy after a whole tiredful day at work? Find out the answer yourself by coming to BIP.

For Starbucks BSM, three ladies will surely freshen you up more than just from one or two sip of coffee. Pianist/teacher/singer Dyah Sekar is ready to team up once again with two members of SHE band, Adisty Zulkarnaen (drums) and Arnie Christanty (bass). They are all actually the members of a newly formed group Jazzy Juice which performed at the first Sunday Jazz @ Plate For Me last March (See our coverage here), but now they come down to just three. As Jazzy Juice they presented variety of jazz, from Latins all the way to funk and modern jazz. What kind of music will they bring this time? Will Adisty shows her great brush sticks playing or even with cajon? Will samba and bossa appear again like how Dyah Sekar often bring in her gig? Most probably, but that’s something you should find out yourself as well in every Wednesday evening at Starbucks BSM.

How cool it is to listen and watch live jazz show while enjoying the relaxing hours at a favorite coffee store. One thing for sure, the combination of jazz and coffee can always create a fine blend for those who are looking for the best relaxing time. Since now the access for that is wide open, why don’t you spend some times and try it? Presenting it free in easy to reach spots should make it even harder to resist. Hope to see you there.

STARBUCKS JAZZ AREAS

Tuesdays:
Location: Starbucks  BIP
Time: 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Featuring:
Kanggep Kusuma – bass
AJ The Real – electric piano
Puspallia Panggabean – vocals

Wednesdays:
Location: Starbucks BSM
Time: 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Featuring:
Dyah Sekar el. piano/vocals
Adisty – drums
Arnie Christanty bass

Free Entrance

Many music fans often wonder if jazz can be played in harmony with classical. This question may appear since both of these musical forms have different approaches or even basic principals, not to mention both were originated from two different continents and born in different eras. But let’s not forget that jazz and classical are art musics, generally recognized by all time great composers (and performers) and no matter what or how, we are talking about music that can always find the way out in creating harmonies to one another or even creating something new by the combinations.

Now let us bring you to another questions. What kind of jazz will appear when it’s brought by an ensemble consisting of violin, flute and piano and how nice will it be when played by the experts?  Is there any such thing as chamber jazz? The answer can be found no longer than next week, especially for you who live in Jakarta and Surabaya. A highly experienced American music ensemble who have been active as cultural ambassadors for many years will land on Indonesia, Trio Chicago & Friends.

Trio Chicago and Friends is a nonprofit corporation which has been consistently recognized for its stylistic versatility in concerts, and for its master classes and teaching interchanges with local students. During their visit to any country, they always gladly share the American music by legendary composers such as George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and Pat Metheny. Since 1996 they have performed and hosted many workshops in all continents. As cultural ambassadors, Trio Chicago & Friends often works through and enhances the activities of United States Embassies. All their efforts have been deeply appreciated by the US goverments and brought them many achievements.In 2006 Trio Chicago & Friends was honored “for sustained and exceptional contributions and services to cultural diplomacy in Africa” by the US State Department, including an appreciation letter from Barack Obama (still a US Senator at that time) and again received an award at the US State Department in Washington D.C “for sustained excellence in promoting cultural diplomacy and mutual understanding through music in the East Asian and Pacific region.”

The group is led by Chicago’s excellent violinist, Elliott Golub who served as concertmaster of Chicago’s Music of the Baroque from 1972 to 2006. Then there’s co-founder Marlou Johnston who plays viola and violin, teacher/pianist Kay Kim, flutist Laura Hamm and soprano Katherine Keberlein. In Indonesia they will hold concerts and happily open up workshops in two cities, Jakarta and Surabaya. So both entertainment and education will be well covered by them in these occasions.

In Jakarta the Trio Chicago & Friends is brought by the US Embassy in coorporation with Farabi Music Education Center where Dwiki Dharmawan is in charge as the director. The Jakarta workshop and concert will be held on Monday, May 7, 2012 from 3:00pm to 5:00 pm at LPM Farabi Darmawangsa. It’s free of charge but limited seats, so kindly reserve it first (see the RSVP below).

From Jakarta the group will visit Surabaya under the cooperation between US Consulate General Surabaya and Ciputra University on May 9, 2012 starting at 6:30pm. “It’s a huge venue, can contain up to 500 audience, so lots of people are free to come” said the Regional Pubilc Affairs Officer of US Consulate General Surabaya, Emily Y Norris. The Surabaya show is located at Ciputra University Auditorium, 7th Floor, UC Town Citraland, Surabaya. You can reserve first by contacting the Surabaya’s contact number listed below.

You can visit Trio Chicago & Friends’ official website http://triochicago.com/ or simply listen/download some samples of their works http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7188316/Trio2006/pages/AudioPage.html before watching their stylistic versatility and attending their workshops. All free, so don’t miss it!

Trio Chicago & Friends : US Cultural Envoy Music Group

Jakarta (presented by US Embassy and Faraby Music Education Center):

Date: Monday, May 7, 2012
Time: 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Location: LPM Farabi Darmawangsa, Jl Darmawangsa XI/5 Kebayoran Baru
Host: Dwiki Dharmawan

Surabaya (presented by US Consulate General Surabaya and Ciputra University)

Date: Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Time: 6:30 pm – onwards
Location: Ciputra University Auditorium – 7th Floor, UC Town Citraland, Surabaya

FREE OF CHARGE

RSVP:
Jakarta: Dina Khamil +62 21 7224407/7226270 , email: farabimusic2010@gmail.com
Surabaya: +62 31 2975300 ext 5304, email: passurabaya@state.gov

By consistently presenting jazz live event 5 times a week featuring nothing but the best artists/groups with various flavors, Red white Lounge and Inline‘s Red White Jazz Lounge has now become a popular hangout place for all the jazz aficionados in Jakarta and beyond and also the fellow artists. From legends, today’s top stars, the great ones from the independent circuit, surprising collaborations to interesting projects/themes that you may not find elsewhere can be found in the program. The efforts of Indra Lesmana, Honhon Lesmana, the venue Red White Lounge and of course all the musicians who join regularly are enormous in providing good quality live jazz show this frequent. Thanks to them, now we don’t have to wonder where to find jazz during the resting hours.

The last edition of April was spectacular by featuring Peter F Gontha and the host Indra Lesmana. Both of them led the all stars cast to celebrate the very first International Jazz Day. As we are already entered the month of May, many fans of this show have been asking for the schedule. Today we received the full program for this month, so allow us to guide you through it.

Mian Tiara

The fans have surely known that she’s capable to make a great show either by full band or with minimalistic group. She has a really nice vocal tone. Her facial expression and body language suport her ‘stories’, from the simplest thing she feels to the most painful ones to scream out in poetic lyrics, heartfelt melodies and expressive singing style. Having lots of experiences in wide scope made her as an all-rounder artist. Listen to what Riza Arshad said about her: “With all her experience, she’s simply can’t be put into a particular box.” One successful solo album and lots of album she involved should be able to show where she stands today. We have seen/listened to her recordings with full band, appeared in just a trio (with only guitar and bass) or doing her thing alone, all are simply amazing. As now she appears again in Red White Jazz Lounge under the formation of  three (with Andrie Jonathan – keys and Dimas Pradipta – drums), something cool will come again for sure.
Mian Tiara will perform on Wednesday, May 2, 2012
First Drink Charge: IDR 50.000

Krishna Balagita “Light of 7 Dreams”

This keyboardist/composer/arranger seems to reach success in anything he touches, build or create. He’s famous with his bands including Ada Band, De Spectrum and 6nam 9embilan. The youngsters may think that he’s not familiar to jazz, but the fact is he actually has a jazz background. He had even learned from Jack Lesmana before he went to Australia to master the technique of composition. He had played with some of the all time top jazz cats such as Maryono, Ireng Maulana, Indra Lesmana, Tohpati and so on. Some of you maybe remember his jazz project in 2002 which resulted an album entitled “Sign of Eight” featuring lots of guest stars. We believe it’s time for him to go back to his root, having his fingers dance above the keys in jazz again. Light of 7 Dreams is the name of his new project. How’s it going to be? Will it be an album? Anyone miss Krishna Balagita’s jazz touch? If you have these questions in your mind, why don’t you come and see yourself?
Krishna Balagita will perform on Thursdays, May 3 and 10, 2012
First Drink Charge: IDR 50.000

Sandhy Sondoro (SPECIAL SHOW)

He was born in Indonesia but later moved to California before leaving for Germany to continue his study. There he built his music career by singing and playing guitar. From playing in clubs, bars and metros, his rising career made him able to release an album “Why Don’t We”. Then came the golden moment of his career. We still clearly remember when Sandhy Sondoro was all over the news when he won New Wave, an International constest of Young Pop singer in Latvia with perfect score in 2009. After that luckily he chose to return to his homeland to continue his path. It’s not a bad choice at all, since he now stands a very popular artist today in Indonesia. His unique 5 stars bluesy voice can be enjoyed in his solo album, also now in Trio Lestari, a widely popular group that he does together with Tompi and Glenn Fredly. Step aside from this collaborative project, this is the chance to focus on Sandhy Sondoro himself in this show. Either you love his “Malam Biru” or wishing to hear his golden rendition of Percy Sledge’s classic, “When a Man Loves A Woman”, just ask him to sing it. So all of you his fans, be there.
Sandhy Sondoro will perform on May 4, 2012
First Drink Charge: IDR 100.000

Mian Meuthia: Swing of the 90′s

If Mian Tiara opens up this month’s calendar, here’s her twin sister who also shares the same gifts from God. Her mid-tone voice is always a highlight, but more than that she can always reach the high tone with no difficulties. Since both of them rose in a family who often played music in wide spectrum from rock, blues, country to jazz, from classical to pop to disco, that shaped Meuthia’s musical experience wide as well. You can expect a nice blend of folk, rock and jazz with soul. She has tried playing with MIDI and some other stuff, but she loves to describe herself more acoustic. She was on scene several years ago with his band Nayamul (with Nikita Dompas on guitar and voice, Indra Perkasa on contra bass, Philippe Ciminato on percussions and Ali Akbar Sugiri on keys). For this time this singer/song and music writer/teacher will bring her group, the Mian Meuthia Quintet. Joining her are Fanny Kuncoro (keys), Dezca Anugrah Samudra (drums), Donna Koeswinarso (sax/flute) and Yudha Himawan (guitar). Together they will bring the 90′s hits in swing. Interesting isn’t it? Come on this date and enjoy their play yourself.
Mian Meuthia Quintet will perform on May 5, 2012
First Drink Charge: IDR 60.000

Sandy Winarta Trio (Open Jam Session)

We don’t know how he manages his time, but the fact of the matter is he stands as one of the busiest drummers  by his involvement in many groups both as a leader, member and sideman. One of the example of his busy activity reflected at Java Jazz Festival 2012 where he played several times under different groups. While he always gives his best in every group he’s in, he always uses his own group to express his true-self in playing jazz. “I like to use my own group to play standards, using them as the template and then play it the way we like, as far as our creativities go.” he once said to us regarding to his own band. For this month at Red White Lounge he brings his trio consists of Johanes Radianto (guitar) and Chaka Priambudi (bass) for open jam sessions.
Sandy Winarta Trio will perform on Sundays, May 6 and 13, 2012
First Drink Charge: IDR 60.000

Bubu Giri

The dynamic acoustic-soulful duo Bubu Giri is back again on the lineup for the third month in a row. Contra Indigo’s vocalist Bubu and Giri the guitarist of Stonation is scheduled for 2 shows this month.
Bubu Giri will perform on Wednesdays, May 9 and 16, 2012
First Drink Charge: IDR 50.000

Emerald (SPECIAL SHOW)

If you’re a jazz fusion fans especially during its hey-day in Indonesia around the late 80′s to early 90′s, you should be familiar with the band called Emerald. This band was formed back in 1986 with the formation of Iwang Noorsaid(keyboard), Morgan Sigarlaki (gitar), Roedyanto (bass) and Inang Noorsaid (Drums), plus Ricky Yohannes (Ricky Jo)’s delightful voice on compositions with vocal. You will also recall the stunningly action-packed “Karapan Sapi” in Madura’s ethnic nuance that brought them to the top at Light Music Contest in Jakarta, Band Explosion Asia-Oceania in Hongkong and finally World Final Band Explosion in Japan. The band was in hiatus for so many years, but surprise, surprise, now they are back! We have seen the comeback of Emerald-BEX since last year, this time they are going to bring the super fusion group Emerald! Either you want to have one lovely nostalgic moment, you want to see what Emerald’s new path, or simply you just want to taste uplifting fusion with lots of action, this show is a must for you!
Emerald will perform on Friday, May 11, 2012
First Drink Charge: IDR 100.000

Matthew Sayersz

From his part as the vocalist of Barry Likumahuwa Project, this young man who has a lovely soulful voice has been riding his career going up in the fast lane. Later he joined Martin Denev too, substituting Colonel Red in Denev’s show in Indonesia. Then he made a breakthrough by going solo. Lots of performance and one successful debut album are the result, and here he is now, standing as one of the top-notch artists especially among the teenagers/youngsters. If you’re one of his fans, it’s time to watch him in a very close range under an intimate show, something that surely you won’t dare to miss.
Matthew Sayersz will perform on Saturday, May 12, 2012
First Drink Charge: IDR 60.000

Endah & Rhesa

Two dynamic duos are ready to blast this month’s program. Besides Bubu Giri, the real-life/stage couple Endah & Rhesa is also on the list. Once again they will bring one romantic mood to us all. Endah’s lovely vocal tone, his crunchy guitar playing and Rhesa’s essential bass part are always entertaining to watch and listen. Standing as one of the top acoustic groups in the independent scene, humble and friendly stage act and also very interactive, story-telling approach in making up the songs are just some of their strength. Now they are back in Red White Jazz Lounge. Let’s share the love through lovely acoustic ambience with them.
Endah n Rhesa will perform on Thursday, May 17, 2012
First Drink Charge: IDR 50.000

Titi DJ & Indra Lesmana Group (SPECIAL SHOW)

With all their past both in real life and recordings, we can’t deny the strong chemistry between them. Look at how popular some of the songs which came from their collaborations such as “Dunia Boleh Tertawa” or “Ekspresi”, also some of the albums which appeared during the late 80′s to the early 90′s. Later they also worked together on the jury desk of Indonesian Idol (from 2004-2008). This is another big surprise of May edition of Red White Jazz Lounge! Titi DJ and Indra Lesmana team up again after a long years. A golden moment like this is surely not to be missed.
Titi DJ and Indra Lesmana Group will perform on Friday, May 18, 2012
First Drink Charge: IDR 100.000

Bonita ‘n the Hus-Band

The distinctive, powerful and expressive vocal character of Bonita is always a catch everytime this group is on. Let’s not forget the role of the whole band in supporting her soulful voice. The group is back in this May edition, so we have another chance to find out why Oddie Agam once mentioned Bonita as the Indonesian Aretha Franklin.
Bonita ‘n the Hus-Band will perform on Saturday, May 19, 2012
First Drink Charge: IDR 60.000

Indra Dauna Middle C (Open Jam Session)

For two Sundays the emerging young trumpeter Indra Dauna will bring his group Middle C to host the open jam session. His ‘deep’ playing style often reminds us of the way Chet Baker or Chris Botti blew their trumpet. Speaking of the Middle C, this is the group he played on his first gigs which usually played at Au Lait Cafe. As now he becomes more mature and steady as a jazz trumpeter, let’s see what he and the Middle C will bring during the open jam session.
Indra Dauna Middle C will perform on Sundays, May 20 and 27, 2012
First Drink Charge: IDR 60.000

Everette Harp and Indra Lesmana Quartet (SPECIAL SHOW)

Indra Lesmana, Barry Likumahuwa and Sandy Winarta’s LLW had a tremendous breakthrough when they performed in Blue Note Tokyo last year. Following that step, this year Indra Lesmana is scheduled again to perform at the same venue with a famous American saxophonist, Everette Harp on May 28 and 29, 2012. But that’s not the only schedule to see the collaboration between Indra Lesmana and Everette Harp , since during their Asian tour they will also visit KL Jazz Fest (May 20) and also give a very, very special performance at Red White Jazz Lounge. As you can see in the flyer above, this show’s labeled “Special Collaboration Performance”, made as the prelude to their Japan Tour at Blue Note Tokyo. Standing in Indra Lesmana Quartet are Denny TR (guitar), Barry Likumahuwa (bass) and Sandy Winarta (drums).

With these two shows provided at Red White Lounge, you don’t have to go far to Tokyo to see this magical collaboration. We call it magical because we have seen how great they were together back at the Java Jazz Festival 2012 when both of them involved in Tribute to Herbie Hancock show. Make sure to catch this rare opportunity and watch the moment when two great cats (along with Indra Lesmana’s Quartet) deliver their spontaneous improvisations in stunning world-class skill.
Everette Harp and Indra Lesmana Quartet will perform on Wednesday and Thursday (May 23 and 24, 2012)
First Drink Charge: IDR 100.000

Yance Manusama Funky Thumb

If you usually watch Yance Manusama play calm, wait until you see him in his Funky Thumb. Here he often acts expressive while pouring the heavy dose of funk in a way that only he can do. Yance Manusama has been famous as a jazz bassist with authentic, pure and magical funkline for over three decades. We can feel it in so many recordings, in his role as a part of Riza3scapes (formerly known as Trioscapes) and of course in the Funky Thumb where he acts as the band leader. Be there and get high with funk!
Yance Manusama Funky Thumb will perform on Friday, May 25, 2012
First Drink Charge: IDR 60.000

Tohpati and Friends

Tohpati is, without a doubt, one of the guitar maestros of Indonesia. He’s been famous for over 20 years and famously known as an all-round guitarist that can play just as great in every style. Other than playing jazz, he’s also great in doing pop and of course rock, just like how he shows lately with Tohpati Bertiga and Supersonic. He’s also great in writing/composing song even capable to stand as the music director for big band. Three of the group where he’s in, Tohpati Bertiga, simakDialog and Tohpati Ethnomission are distributed in the international market by MoonJune and gained many praises from medias all over the world. This time this ever-cool artist will have his session under Tohpati and Friends.
Tohpati and Friends will perform on Saturday, May 26, 2012
First Drink Charge: IDR 60.000

Balawan Bifan Trio (SPECIAL SHOW)

Balawan Bifan Trio will sealed up the May program of Red White Jazz Lounge. If last month they only played once, this month they will serve two special shows. So if you missed their gig in April, now you can have two more chances to see them. This newly shaped trio consists of the guitarist with magical finger I Wayan Balawan, the outstanding young bassist Fajar Adi Nugroho and drummer Dion Subyakto. What’s unique about this group is they have two formations that are ready to play according to the needs. In Java Jazz Festival 2012 they played in duo, but later on Dion comes in whenever the trio is in demand. We saw their great action at Java Jazz Festival 2012, so now we can say that this one is recommended.
Balawan Bifan Trio will perform on Wednesday and Thursday, May 30 and 31, 2012
First Drink Charge: IDR 100.000

All shows start at 9 pm, the door open at 7pm.

Location: Red White Lounge
Jl. Kemang Raya 16B, Jakarta 12730

RSVP: +62 82123751943 or add BB pin: 325DDAE0

Log on to Red White Lounge’s website or follow their twitter: @RWLounge