Open Fasting Jazzy Party at Padma Hotel Bandung
The more the merrier. I’m happy to see more jazz blossoms everywhere, especially when it appears in a nice place with cozy environment. Just like tonight, I attended the Open Fasting Party at soon-to-come Padma Hotel, Bandung.
Padma Hotel Bandung is an exclusive four star boutique hotel in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia, offering luxury and relaxation in a setting of natural beauty. This beautiful hotel is sited on a crest of a valley with spectacular views of the surrounding countryside and mountains beyond. Just when I entered the hotel I got a very comforting nuance. I spotted a lovely fire place in the waiting room on my way following the path leading to the restaurant. Padma Hotel is a brand new concept, a rebranding of Malya Hotel Bandung, that was closed for about one and a half year due to the renovation and creating a new concept. The piano was put right in the corner of the restaurant, and it was going to be used tonight for the first time after the rebranding. The hotel itself hasn’t opened yet. Tonight (August 28, 2009) Padma Hotel invited some of the loyal customers from the previous Malya Hotel to have a little taste of the new improved style. This little “family” party was set right at the sunset, so the moslem guests could open their fast by enjoying delicious set of meals that were provided by the hotel. Not only that, they all were entertained by three fabulous talents in a delightful formation. We’re going to talk about it later. First let’s dig more about the hotel. The soft opening of the restaurant will happen on September 5th, 2009 and the hotel itself will have its soft opening in about two weeks after, September 18th, 2009. Simply lovely hotel I must say. From where I seated, I could see very nice views around the open stage restaurant. The chilly wind breezed gently, I knew it was going to be better soon, when the music was on.
Let’s meet the musicians. They are all talented and have been working together for a very long time. Imelda Rosalin is a superb pianist, accordionist and vocalist from Indonesia that has been gracing the jazz stages everywhere, from hotels, restaurants, small to big events and many more for quite some times. (check out the interview with Imelda Rosalin through this link) Not only able to play, she’s also an entertainer that knows how to involve the audience to blend in the music she plays. Next we got Amy Kurniawan, one of the rare jazz violist gifted with spontaneous improvisation. And last but not least, there was Tina Ibrahim, a flutist (flute player) that actually base herself on classical music, also active as music teacher until today. The way she played reminds me of “the man with the golden flute”, Sir James Galway. Comforting and beautiful. They are not stranger to each other anymore, since they have been working together here and there for more than 10 years. Amy and Tina also played in Imelda Rosalin’s 2002 album called “Di Ladang Storberi” (At the Strawberry Field). Since they knew each other well, it wasn’t difficult at all for them to set the tone for tonight. “For Imel, playing with me is like relaxation”, Tina said. It’s been a long time for them not to play together, so tonight was meant to be a happy reunion for them as well.
It was at the restaurant, so they brought a cool easy listening lounge concept. No difficult chords, no complex arrangement, they just served lovely music to entertain the guests having their dinner. It was a trio with unique composition of player that you didn’t find everyday. A piano, a violin and a flute. The music appeared as a crossover between easy listening pop, a little touch of jazz standards and some delightful classical style. This presented the lounge music concept very well. 
What about the songs? All songs played were the timeles, familiar and evergreen songs. They started with “Alfie”, one of the classic Burt Bacharach song from 1966. After that some other ever-romantic standards were delivered. George and Ira Gershwin‘s “S’Wonderful”, John Lennon/Paul McCartney‘s “If I Feel”, Michael Jackson‘s “Ben”, Barry Manilow‘s “Can’t Smile Without You”, and also the jazz standard “The Way You Look Tonight”, a very well known song taken from the movie “Swing Time” starring Fred Astaire in 1936. The Carpenters‘ “Close To You” came after The Beatles‘ “Michelle”, then one of my all time favorite, “Looking Through The Eyes of Love”, a song popularized by Melissa Manchester that was used as the theme song of “Ice Castles” and again two years later by Nikka Costa. Another classic instrumental recital was the evergreen “Somewhere In Time”, taken from the soundrack of a movie with the same name starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. The sentimental ballad Sarah Brightman and Cliff Richards‘ “All I Ask Of You” was also brought, and they closed their session with Antonio Carlos Jobim‘s “Dindi”.
When asked about how the music concept would be at the restaurant, The Restaurant Manager Johnny Ticualu answered that it was up to demand. But they will give live music every night. “It may appear like this: Sunday to Tuesday will be the solo piano night, then we’ll have duet piano and another instrument on Wednesday and Thursday, it could be trio for Friday and Saturday might be the time for quartet.. but we’ll see how we make it real later.” he explained. Imelda Rosalin will be in charge to arrange it, and from what I see based on her role as music director in other venues, I’m sure it will work well. There might be some interesting events as well in the near future, such as Wine and Jazz. When the hotel was still named Malya, they did a wine testing event that served with jazz, and this might come again later. Wine works fine with jazz, I know it for sure, so it will be great to see it.
Lovely restaurant, lovely music. Delicious meal, breathtaking view. If you come to Bandung, you should try Padma Hotel to have the most wonderful relaxing time. Hope to see more jazz events at Padma Hotel, because surely the place is perfect for lounge jazz. We look forward to it!
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Reporter and photographer: Riandy Kurniawan
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