Jazz could appear in lots of forms and we can never able to describe them into words. That’s why it’s always interesting for us to see jazz events, since there will always be something new for us to see in each one. It’s great to see how Sunday Jazz keep moving on. Entering the month of August, the fifth Sunday Jazz served at Potluck Coffee Bar and Library will roll. Month after month we’ve seen different groups with different styles and formations poured their hearts on stage. Both locals and national artists joined hands together to bring our Sunday merrier with jazz. Potluck Coffee Bar and Library is a cozy place with delicious beverages and tasty foods, also provides library including a special jazz section in one corner. With the cooperation with Klab Jazz we have quality groups every months. The Sunday Jazz itself is growing nicely as we have seen more and more audiences who were not only came to eat but to enjoy the performances as well.

For this August edition, Sunday Jazz at Potluck V is featuring Tiwi Shakuhachi. The combination of the exoticism of Parahyangan Valley with the charm of jazz improvisations is something we always got through her gigs. We have seen that persona appeared at Jazz Break Revival XI and again at Jazz Break Revival XIX when she teamed up with the guitar maestro Agam Hamzah. Besides being known as a stylish pianist, Tiwi is also able to play accordeon just as great. It’s going to be wonderful to see her again performing at the cozy Potluck, this time bringing her team, Achmad Taufik and Taufik Fikeka both on drum and bass.

Not only Tiwi Shakuhachi, but there are three other groups will join her. Pineapple, the cool fusion group consists of the combination between the students and teachers of Ventje Music School (VMS) that was formed 5 years ago will be there. Vassagie, the jazz band from Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI) is back as well.And last but not least, we have a newly formed group named Tulus. Lead by the vocalist of Sikuai, Muhammad Tulus, this band will appear in form of trio with Tesla Manaf Effendi on guitar.

Join us and fill yourself up with jazz on this Sunday. See you there!

Sunday Jazz at Potluck Coffee Bar and Library V

Featuring:

PINEAPPLE
Ray Marts – electric piano
Welly Chandra – guitar
Sule Sulaeiman – drums

TIWI SHAKUHACHI
Tiwi Shakuhachi – vocal, piano
Achmad “Opik” Taufik – drums
Taufik “Ofik” Fikeka – bass

TULUS
Muhamad Tulus – vocal
Gega Nesywara – electric bass
Tesla Manaf Effendi – guitar

and

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

Date: Sunday, August 2, 2010
Time: 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Location: Potluck Coffee Bar and Library
Jl H Wasid 31  Bandung

FREE ENTRY

Artist : Shadow Puppets
Album : Extended Play
Released Date : July 3, 2010
Label : Shadow Puppets Music

The Indonesia’s jazz movement is marching on. It’s really interesting to see the rapid development of jazz in Indonesian music scene lately. We see more and more events and many young musicians with their fresh ideas in high energy and passion, and certainly we start getting more and more jazz albums that dare to go boldly against the trend. They go on to send what they feel inside straight from their hearts and hopefully everything will be delivered and felt by the listeners. For some, it’s like giving an alternative thing into the music choices, but for others it’s the chance to explore their every passion to what they really love and believe in. Whether it’s simple or complex, no matter which part of jazz they play, it’s something honest from their feelings. And as the result, we now have jazz albums that give something not only nice to listen to but also nice to be felt wholeheartedly.

In such case we have a group, Shadow Puppets, which was formed not long ago. Shadow Puppets is the English words for “Wayang Kulit”, the flat leather puppets came from the Javanese puppetry traditions which cast shadows on to a screen. It was a unique name to choose based on the personnel’s wish to have an easy to remember name internationally but still representing Indonesia. This group consists of four musicians with different backgrounds united with the same vision, to explore their passion in jazz. The personnel are Irsa Destiwi (piano), Robert Mulyarahardja (guitar), Indrawan Tjhin (bass), and Yusuf Shandy Satya (drum). Eversince they were formed, they have successfully performed in many stages, including at the Salihara several weeks ago when they also released a mini EP titled “Extended Play”.

It all began when they attended Henning Sieverts‘ workshop held by Serambi Jazz back in October 2009. Many musicians attended the workshop, but these four musicians soon connected to each other and a cool band was formed soon after. Irsa Destiwi, a cheerful lovely girl, came from classical background. Many achievements have colored up her career such as being the winner of YPM Award for most outstanding performance on piano and for theory, the 3rd winner of Jazzeed Djamin Award, a music rearrangement of Ismail Marzuki. She made a big leap by joining the multi-national group led by Lewis Pragasam, the Bali Lounge 2. Irsa made another turn by teaming up with Lea Simanjuntak in Bandanaira, a group that bring the heroic anthems of Indonesia during the war time in jazz. Irsa is still young, but no doubt she’s a promising pianist that will surely be big real soon.

Robert Mulyarahardja is the new generation guitarist who graduated from Berklee College of Music. He has a cool style reflected in his compositions. He’s a stylish guitarist with complete skills and also has the ability in making compositions. Robert is definitely one of the jazz musicians from the new generation that will be big in the near future if he keeps on pursuing his career consistently.

Indrawan Tjhin, one of the busiest newcomers in local jazz scene was graduated from Koninklijk Conservatory of Den Haag. He has the dream to refresh our awareness to see the beauty of the root, the traditional jazz standard. “Actually there are still many original jazz standard groups, but they are usually not as popular as fusion bands, especially to this generation.” Indrawan once said. “I hope they can see more of the root, the traditional jazz. Even if they have interest in straight ahead or modern jazz, at least the instrument settings and style could go more into acoustic oriented.” His passion in straight ahead jazz can also be clearly seen, and that goes with all the efforts he’s been giving ever since his return to Indonesia. Indrawan is a bassist that dares to bring his bass step in the front and also expressive in every gig he’s in. It’s always been wonderful to listening to his play as well as watching his action.

Last but not least, we have Yusuf Shandy Satya. He’s still studying at Institut Musik Daya having the stylish drummer, Aksan Sjuman, as his major teacher. Shandy was originally from Yogyakarta and started as a pop/funk session player. Later he’s active in jazz community in Yogyakarta and started building his passion into jazz. Even when he started as a pop/funk drummer, his jazz pattern is authentic and sharp. Shandy is simply the perfect one to join the group.

Having diverse personnel background, the music style of Shadow Puppets appears to be different. They are united under the roof of jazz, but the presentation appears in many different forms. Shadow Puppets’ Extended Play features 4 songs in various tastes and nuances, but all rooted in the original jazz tradition in stunning play and total freedom. “We keep the ‘nothing to loose’ mentality from the beginning.” Indrawan said. “What’s important is that we want to try to play music as wide as possible and see what we can come out with that.” he continued. With the various tastes and characters embedded in this group, certainly they can bring many variations in their musicality. Just through four songs we can see how bold the group goes across the boundaries in stunning improvisations. What’s great about it is that the songs don’t sound difficult at all to enjoy. Shadow Puppets’ “Extended Play” is a worth album to have if you want to visit the original jazz tradition that we might have missed for a long time and to see what jazz can come out with.

The album starts with “Errands to Run”,written by Irsa Destiwi. This song is interesting since it’s a complex rhythmical composition, but it isn’t difficult at all to listen. Irsa seems to see the errands from the bright side as reflected in the composition. Again it’s complex, but it’s calm and joyful to listen to. No matter who we are, we still have errands to run. It’s a part of life that we must do to be better in life. Another interesting thing in this song is the “trading” that we don’t hear often anymore. The trading is like a question and answer session between the instruments, usually between drum and the rest. Shadow Puppets gives a “trading four” in this track. The 16-bar tune was split into dialogues of 4 bars each between the drums and the rest of the ensemble. How lovely it is to have this traditional style of jazz back again in an album. You will fall in love with this song right from the start.

The next one is “Monkisms”, composed by Robert Mulyarahardja. His “cool guy” character is reflected nicely in the song that heavily influenced by Thelonious Monk. It appears in the traditional bebop served with medium swing. It’s an 11-minute sheer pleasure in steady boppin’ and bluesy rhythm. The eclectic “Yusuf Hamdani” is a composition in more modern style in fast clock-ticking beat. Yusuf Hamdani is based on a character in Jalaludin Rumi’s book of poem and became the source of inspiration by Robert. The album ends with Irsa’s composition “Those 5 Days”. Her classical background can be felt in this melodious and landscapic composition. Irsa wrote it when she attended Florian Ross‘ workshop at GoetheHaus for 5 days. Irsa shows the beauty of melodies that she can bring with this song, and imagine how wonderful it is to listen for 11 minutes long.

It’s been a long time not to hear the traditional forms of jazz in original tradition, and Shadow Puppets brought the joy of it once again on the surface. As Indrawan said actually they already have 14 original compositions, hopefully there will be a longer album soon to come. We have to appreciate their efforts to produce this album all by themselves, that’s the spirit we have to praise. But one good thing of it is that they can go on in total freedom exploring their feelings, translating them into harmonious melodies and send it out for us to feel. As what we already mentioned before about the rapid growing of jazz movement in Indonesia, Shadow Puppets’ “Extended Play” proves it in the recording world. This is the mesmerizing scene of how fast jazz has been rising progressively in Indonesia. Shadow Puppets has opened up the door that we have been waiting for such a long time. Hopefully it will be followed by many other fresh jazz musicians soon.

Shadow Puppets are:
Irsa Destiwi (piano)
Robert Mulyarahardja (guitar)
Indrawan Tjhin (bass)
Yusuf Shandy Satya (drum)

Tracklisting:
Errands to Run
Monkisms
Yusuf Hamdani
Those Five Days

You can order the album at Jazzuality.com! Buy Shadow Puppets’ “Extended Play” only Rp 25.000 (exclude shipping price) and listen to the sample here: http://jazzuality.com/store/

Visit Shadow Puppets’ official myspace

Reviewed by: Riandy Kurniawan
Proofreader: Alhenri Wijaya

The connection between jazz and Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) has been going on for many decades. They both have been through ups and downs just like every other relationship, but even in the lowest periods ITB has always been a friendly and healthy environment for jazz to live. If you look at the history of jazz in Indonesia, you should never skip ITB’s contribution to the jazz development. Ever since jazz appeared in Indonesia more than 50 years ago, ITB had supported it ever since. Ask the senior jazz lovers, and they will remember the famous west wing of ITB, where many memorable events were held. Not only the west wing, but the east wing and the open veranda were also used to held many regular events that should always be listed as the milestones of Indonesian jazz history. The jazz icon like the late Jack Lesmana, Bubi Chen, Benny Likumahuwa, Riza Arshad, Indra Lesmana and many others used to perform at ITB and joined many discussions with the students. Because of this strong bond, we have seen many successful jazz artists came from ITB such as Riza Arshad, Donny Suhendra, Imam Pras, Ferina, Imelda Rosalin and many more. The freedom of  intelectual and academic expression might be the reason why jazz could be accepted as a trend back then. And that legacy is still carried until now. As jazz keeps getting better and stronger in Indonesia, many people wish to see the scene like yesteryears, when ITB was the frontliner of jazz events in Indonesia, particularly in Bandung. We can’t see why not, since now we have a solid jazz community of ITB under the flag of ITJazz.

ITJazz was founded in 2007 by some jazz lovers from ITB in cooperation with many units that have the same vision. ITJazz consists nont only the students but also the alumnis, lectures and post-graduates (magister and doctoral). The future of ITB jazz is now in their hands. The 6th Live Music of ITJazz was held last Friday (July 23, 2010) with the event called “A Giant Step”. The event took place at the basketball court, West Campus Center with no less than 5 participating groups, each representing the different color of jazz. Rigids represented the ever-cool bebop, Straightline for fusion funk, Rotund’Jere brought the ehtnic nuance in jazz, Jammin’ Jazzy Jam and Imelda Rosalin Trio with high quality jazz as usual.

We had jazz under the moonlight. The first band was Straightline with a formation of five, including a saxophonist who mostly stood in front. They gave Glenn Fredly‘s “You’re My Everything” as their first song, followed by Dave Koz‘ “You Make Me Smile”. Another Glenn Fredly‘s song “Kisah Romantis” was the third one, and then closed with Fourplay‘s famous song “101 Eastbound”. Straightline was simply a perfect choice to start the special ITB event especially by their cool song picks to set the mood.

Then it went a little bit deeper with Rigids by their boppin’ presentation. Performing in quartet featuring Giri (bass), Dito (guitar), Rino (drums) and Sandra (keyboard) the gave 3 songs, including a song from Bob James‘ collection.

Next was a visit to the magical ethnic touch in jazz. It was Rotund’Jere that surprisingly appeared not only with musicians but also a beautiful dancer. The 1001 night nuance of Arabian music was brought including a lovely belly dance. For the second song was brought in straight ahead, and it was delivered successfully with quality skills. Then for the last one they embedded the mystical Balinese nuance in fusion. The dancer appeared again in Balinese traditional outfit and a red fan. Not everybody can deliver jazz with thick ethnical nuance in perfect blends, but Rotund’Jere showed they were capable for it. A really interesting performance indeed. Then came the moment when ITJazz was officially established as a new unit at ITB. The coordinator was also changed hands from Mika to Dito. As the official unit hopefully ITJazz can do more things to put jazz more forward in many presentations in the future.

The music continued on. This time Jammin’ Jazzy Jam got their chance. It wasn’t difficult for them to grab the attention especially with the beautiful and attractive vocalist with good voice. Two keyboards were used together with bass and drum in this group as they played Indra Lesmana‘s “My Other Half” taken from “Rumah Ketujuh” OST. They continued with the classic nursery rhymes “ABCD” and the evergreen “Aku Ini Punya Siapa” which were brought popular by January Christy and also Dian Pramana Putra. A surprise came when they bravely played the famous nursery rhymes “Old McDonald” and the theme of Doraemon! It was a nice move and the crowds gave huge pops for that.

And the night reached climax with Imelda Rosalin Trio appeared on stage. The stylish jazz/blues pianist Imelda brought her usual “compatriots” Rudy Zulkarnaen on bass and Arifandi “Ari Aru” Reynaldi on drums. They were the most senior band that has been doing their gigs in quality for many years. Antonio Jobim‘s “Meditation” opened up their session followed by “Straight” and Imelda’s own written song “Stroberi”. This stunning trio went on giving Cole Porter‘s “Night and Day”, “Giant Step” and closed their session as well as the event with “Home Sweet Home.”

A cool night were brought at the basketball court through ITJazz Live Music VI: A Giant Step. All the performers did their job done very well. We got the chance to see some of the delightful colors of jazz last night. To get jazz back on its feet again at ITB, consistency is really needed. Riza Arshad as the alumni of ITB agreed with it. “Don’t think too much about bringing popular artists first, and also don’t force yourself to have long lineups. What important is to make this event appears regularly. And the rest will follow.” We agree with him, because when the event rolls in regular schedule it will surely grow bigger. ITB has been a comfortable home for jazz, and now it’s time to take it further. We know ITJazz can do it with all the passion and effort they have within. May the legendary west wing of ITB lives again soon, and may there will be many events to come. Well done ITJazz! We look forward to see more from you. Let’s bring jazz back alive again at ITB!

See more pictures:

Reporter: Adott Jumbo
Photographer: Eghi Gabred
Editor: Riandy Kurniawan

Artist : W/H/A/T
Album : No Words
Released Date : July, 2010
Label : Ragadi

What I love about jazz is that the freedom of expression often appears more than you can imagine. Some musicians know how to stretch their concept so widely. It can be really wild until you even forget where you are at present and fall down into a mind journey instantly. They can go exploring their wild minds freely that it can surprise you when knowing what they produce.

Riza Arshad is one of the wildest brains and the masterminds in the Indonesian jazz scene or even in the world. It’s always interesting to see what he comes up with. Not only he is a brilliant pianist but also his visions, passion and ideas are beyond measures as well. He’s persistent and consistent. He’s been digging every core of jazz for more than 20 years yet he never stops delivering something new. Appearing in several groups with different concepts seems to be no problem at all for him. The subtle funk “Trioscapes” and the cross ethno-progressive jazz “simakDialog” are some of Riza’s brainchild. What a surprise it was for us when he announced a new group teaming with young but highly talented musicians. The group is called W/H/A/T taken from the initials of the personnel, Sandy Winarta, Sri Hanuraga, Riza Arshad and Indrawan Tjhin.

The album was actually made when some of the personnel were still studying abroad 2 years ago. Even so, it’s like listening to a quartet that has been doing it for many, many years. Bringing the joy of straight ahead back to life again, this group offers a sensational freedom of expression. They go boldly exploring the world that not many people dare to enter, experimenting with everything they found along the way, having fun totally with it and as the result, we get an outstanding music that is difficult to put into words.
Spontaneous, explorative, wild and unpredictable are just some of the words to describe their music. They can play real smooth and tender like a cotton clouds, but on the other hand they can be fully provocative with their musicality. W/H/A/T has successfully opens up both the heart and mind of the music listeners that there’s a certain room of jazz we seldom notice.

Riza Arshad brought 3 amazing young jazz talents to form this daring group. Sandy Winarta (drums), Indrawan Tjhin (bass) and Sri Hanuraga (piano) are the ones to join Riza on synthesizer. They are highly capable young musicians with bright future, full of passion and energy. “I think it’s common for us to play together with these potential young players.” Riza said. “We have the experience and they have energy. Together we make a perfect team.” he continued. That’s one of the ways to explain the album. You can feel the nuance of experience with full splash of fresh energy inside it.  The album itself was made spontaneously. “It was actually a coincidence”, Indrawan explained. “At that time Aga (Hanuraga) and I just went back to Indonesia. Riza asked us to play with him, and then it went into recording.” The process took 2 years until it’s finally released. “There’s nothing to be rushed to finish the album. “It went through each process slowly until it was done.” Indrawan continued.

Let’s see the process of these young talents brought by Riza Arshad.

Sandy Winarta
Sandy Winarta now has emerged as a versatile drummer, one of the busiest jazz drummers in today’s jazz circuit. This native Balinese talent is active as a member in several different bands, including Sarimanouk Quartet, Pitoelas Big Band, and joining Indra Lesmana and Barry Likumahuwa in Mostly Jazz, the event that marked the birth of Indonesia’s Jazz movement. Recently he formed his new group, Sandy Winarta Quartet. Sandy is still young, but he’s an all-round player that is capable to play in every shape of jazz. He is active not only as a player but also as a lecturer at Institut Musik Daya Indonesia.

Sri Hanuraga
Sri Hanuraga or simply called Aga is one of the most promising young pianists. Riza Arshad even predicted him to become an important jazz musician in the world. Aga started with classical piano lesson at the age of eleven. Inspired by an ELP (Emerson, Lake and Palmer) video, he decided to concentrate more on piano. He emerged quickly by playing in several progressive rock and fusion groups and played at several big festivals and AMI Sharp Awards 2002. He continued studying jazz piano with the living legend Indra Lesmana at the age of seventeen. He was the winner of JGTC (Jazz Goes to Campus) competition and got a shot to play in some more big festivals, including the international Java Jazz Festival 2005. He moved to Amsterdam to complete his study at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. There he won the soloist prize in East of Eastern Jazz Festival in Nijmegen (2006) and became the runner up in YPF Jazz Piano Competition (2009). He scored big in both classical and jazz music at the conservatorium, because of that, both sides wanted him to join with them. Aga is simply one of the talents to look for.

Indrawan Tjhin
“He’s idealist”. Riza Arshad said. If I may add, he’s expressive and explosive too. His mimicry is always like a mirror to see what he feels while playing. Due to his hobby, he went on digging his bass ability at Koninklijk Conservatorium of Hague in Holland, learning from the legendary Hein Van de Geyn, the former bassist of Chet Baker. Geyn quickly noticed Tjhin’s potential, taking him as one of his favorite and shaped him to be what he is today. It didn’t take long at all for Tjhin to appear as a standout bassist in the Indonesian jazz world. Recently he is active in another stunning quartet named “Shadow Puppets“. As how he’s been busy appearing on many stages recently, now we have the chance to see what Geyn saw in him before.

Having “No Words” as the title of W/H/A/T‘s debut album surely means something. And the reason behind the decision of having no vocal in this album was explained by Riza Arshad. “That’s because we want the listeners to absorb our musical exploration fully.” he said. W/H/A/T’s “No Words” contains 7 complex action-packed compositions that will stun you in no time. It might not be easy for some to listen, but it will surely give you new experience in enjoying jazz. The more you listen to the tracks, the more you get into their concept. You can feel their explanative wild minds right from the start. This album was produced by Riza Arshad and Reny H.A Arshad as the Executive Producer. Digital mastering was done by Indra Lesmana at his Inline Audioworks, and distributed by DeMajors Independendent Music Industry.

Prepare yourself to be dragged into their spectacular imaginary world right when you play the CD. “Diundang” was the first playground to see the action brought by them. The pattern would feel simple at first before Riza’s fingers start to go scrambling his synthesizer. Everyone has their own roles to shape this song as one of the most intense composition in this album. In “Spyros the Dragon”, Aga shows his brilliant composition as well as his playing. He goes speeding up and down the piano keys and keeps rising up the intensity to the max. You can feel the spreading fire coming out from the dragon through Aga’s piano playing. “Say W/H/A/T” is the song that will give the complete introduction of each player’s ability. There’s enough room for each of them to improvise in this 11-minute long track. The next song “1 2 Another” is highly provocative and mysterious in some parts. This song captures the dangerous mind of Riza Arshad with some experimental style attached here and there. It’s time to catch our breath with “Minor Blues” which give some blues pattern to fill up their styles. It goes smoother with the ballad “Get Well Soon”. The song was dedicated to Indrawan’s mom who was sick while he was still in Netherland. The emotion and love can be felt through this track. The landscapic piano sound opens up the last song, “Hollow Hartland”. The 3-minute track is enough to complete the album to express their minds fully.

W/H/A/T – No Words has many surprising elements in one package. If you want to have a different experience of jazz territory that has been rarely visited, let this group be your guide. If you want to raise your jazz collection up to the next level, this is also the album to pick. Finally this is the album for you to enjoy the delightful straight ahead jazz with some stunning experimental style in it. It might not be easy to absorb for some, but surely this nonstop action-pack album will grab your mind instantly.

W/H/A/T are:

Sandy Winarta (drum)
Sri Hanuraga (ac piano)
Riza Arshad (keyboard/synth)
Indrawan Tjhin (bass)

Tracklist:

Diundang
Spyros the Dragon
Say W/H/A/T
1 2 Another
Minor Blues
Get Well Soon
Hollow Hartland

Get the CD at the CD stores near you, or order it from DeMajors Independent Music Industry
You can also contact Riza Arshad through this email: r_arsy@yahoo.com

Reviewed by: Riandy Kurniawan & Febrian Dirga
Proofreader: Alhenri Wijaya

Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) will always have a place whenever we talk about jazz in Indonesia. Jazz has appeared in Indonesia since more than half a century ago and ITB has supported the growth of jazz ever since. Many successful jazz musicians graduated from this university. Riza Arshad, Imam Pras, Ferina, Donny Suhendra are just a few examples of jazz greats graduated from ITB. From time to time we see the connection between the students and jazz. Not only enjoying the music but they also care about its life and development. That’s why ITB is always known as one of the important home of jazz in Indonesia. Many jazz movements have started from ITB through the events or the community and successfully spread the hype nationally. Several decades ago the students of ITB used to hold many events at their West, East Wing and the open Veranda. Jazz legends like Jack Lesmana, Bubi Chen and many more were often participated in various events and series of discussions with the students. With all the ups and downs, it’s glad to know that jazz is still alive well in ITB, one of the best university in Indonesia.

At present the student movement for jazz development is still pulsing on strong. We have ITJazz as the solid student’s jazz community at ITB. It was formed in 2007 by some of the jazz lovers from ITB together with many units that also have the same vision. ITJazz is a community that holds many elements inside it. It consists not only the students, but also the alumnis, lecturers and post-graduates (magister and doctoral). ITJazz Live Music is a part of the series of regular events made by the ITB Jazz Community. This week the 6th Live Music of ITJazz is coming. By using “A Giant Step” as the theme, ITJazz is looking to make a big leap due to their official establishment this year.

This time “A Giant Step” is told to give a different concept. Several groups are ready to present their styles in variety. The bebop band Rigids, the fusion-funk Straightline, the ethnic jazz Rotund’Jere, feel jam’s Jammin’ Jazzy Jam, the smooth jazz’ Jamset and special performance by the top jazz trio in Bandung, Imelda Rosalin Trio.

The future of ITB Jazz lies in their hands. Hopefully through ITJazz we can see the new dawn of jazz in this university that can bring the lovely scene of jazz in West Java from the old days back again. If you’re one of the jazz fans, this is the movement we should all support.

ITJazz Live Music VI: A Giant Step

Featuring:

Imelda Rosalin Trio
Rigids
Straightline
Rotund’Jere
Jammin’ Jazzy Jam
Jamset

Date: Friday, July 23,2010
Time: 6:30 pm – onwards
Location: Basketball court, West Campus Center, ITB

We’re putting fun in FUNd Raising!

“SAVE THE PLANET QUIZ NIGHT!” is a Fund Raising Event to support GREENPEACE in their noble endeavor to help make the planet a greener place. The concept of Quiz Night is simple. People can come in and join any group or come in with their own group. Each group is given a whiteboard and marker and the host will ask 10 questions per topic. The topic is very diverse and fun at the same time. This affair shall also feature upcoming Japanese Jazz / OPM Artist AISAKU YOKOGAWA.

The event will be held on July 21, 2010, 9 pm onwards at 121 Restaurant, 2nd Floor Allegro Center, 2284, Pasong Tamo Ext., Makati (Across Dasmarinas Lumbang Gate, not Don Bosco). Entrance Fee is at Php 200, inclusive of 2 bottles of beer.

RSVP at hmdaswani@gmail.com or 0917 5003433, look for HASH.

The event is presented by JCI Global CT in cooperation with Greenpeace.org, 121 Restaurant, Manhattan Green Solutions and TangerineSkies Entertainment Gateway.

Music aficionados: watch out for a triple treat of live music come Friday night at 8 pm, July 23, 2010 at The Oxford Suites Makati (Durban corner P. Burgos St., Makati Avenue). Aptly titled “BEBOP, BOSSA, ATBP.”, the show features a rare mix of artists bringing their brand of music into one exciting collaboration.

There’s SITTI NAVARRO, undisputedly the Philippines’ Queen of Bossa Nova. She could very well be the “Girl from Ipanema” just as described in the song as “tall and tan, and young and lovely”. When her first album of bossa classics and originals titled “Cafe Bossa” hit the charts, numerous artists and record labels followed suit, thus reviving the bossa nova trend. Through the years and after several hit albums, Sitti has stood above the rest and has distinguished herself as the artist who started it all.

Providing the “Bebop” flavor is Manila Jazz Diva SANDRA LIM-VIRAY. A singer of Ella-like pathos and range, Sandra has earned the recognition of jazz artists and enthusiasts, having been president of the Jazz Society of the Philippines, and now President and Chairman of the Philippine International Jazz and Arts Festival. Considered THE premier jazz singer in the country today, Sandra is known for a vast repertoire that she consistently renders with her impeccable voice, mastery of scat, and soulful interpretation.

Jazz with a “Pinoy twist” will be provided by AISAKU YOKOGAWA, Japanese Jazz and OPM artist. Born to and raised by Japanese parents, Aisaku is an amazing multi-lingual performer. Aside from singing in his native tongue, he never fails to surprise the audience by dishing out OPM favorites in flawless Tagalog. Aisaku’s talent is evident in his repertoire of Latin ditties translated into Tagalog known as “Salinawit“, by no less than award-winning poet and journalist Pete Lacaba, and Japanese songs popularized by Ted Ito.

Accompanying these brilliant artists are Joel Galang on keyboards, Edgar Avenir on guitar, Jessie Jodloman Jr. on bass, Jun Viray on drums, and Louie Boogie on percussions.

Tickets will be available at The Oxford Suites Makati (02) 899-7888 / (02) 897-0548 for Php 500. You may also contact mJ at 0917.271.4829 or email at tangerineskies.inc@gmail.com if you would like to buy your tickets in advance.

The event is presented by Xquisite Artist International Productions, TangerineSkies Entertainment Gateway, JFK Music and The Oxford Suites Makati in partnership with Sindikato Productions, White Box Studio Rental, Chi Romano-Dulce, SATB, VerJube Photographics, The Heirloom Manila, ClicktheCity.com, Jazzuality.com, ICON Online Magazine, Daigdig Pinoy, Women’s Journal and People’s Journal.

Just before the end of March 2010, Syaharani and the Queenfireworks (ESQI:EF) launched the long-waited album called “Anytime”. It was the second album that was released after their debut “Buat Kamu” 4 years ago. Immidiately after “Anytime” went to the market the album got hyped among the fans. Their first hit single “Sayang Sayang Sayang” that has the retro nuance of disco was soon popular, with the catchy tune and easy to remember reffrain. But “Sayang Sayang Sayang” is not the only likeable song in the album. You will love it from the beginning to the end. Full of variety taking on many genres blend together, We take “Anytime” as a rainbow-like album across the genres, like a tasty box of candies in different delicious flavors, made by a set of creative brains. Have some spare time to read our review of the album here: http://jazzuality.com/album-reviews/esqief-syaharani-and-the-queenfireworks-anytime-2010

ESQI:EF appears as a whole different ball game for each main personnel who actually came from different backgrounds. And it’s fascinating to see how these creative brains merged as one, producing unique concept as the result. The iconic Syaharani, the senior guitarist Donny Suhendra and highly creative guitarist/programmer Didit Saad are the ones who made this group came to reality. With the additional musicians that often share their ideas, the multi-flavored tracks in one album packed wonderfully for us to enjoy.

This phenomenal album that can touch the hearts of music lovers from different tastes and likes is sold with a very reasonable price, and you can even get it cheaper with some packages offered by the ESQI:EF management. (check out the package here at ESQI:EF’s official website). But in case you are too busy to go hunting the album on stores, why don’t let us ship it for free for you? Yes, we have FOUR FREE CDs to give away! Just simply answer these questions below.

1. ESQI:EF stands for:
A. Syaharani and Queenfireworks
B. Syaharani and Queenpowerworks
C. Syaharani and Queenwaferworks

2. Name the ESQI:EF’s newest album which was released on May 26,2010:
A. Anywhere
B. Anytime
C. Anyplace

3. “Sayang Sayang Sayang” is the first single taken from the newest ESQI:EF album. The reffrain goes like this: “Jangan lagi kau bilang sayang, sayang, sayang, jangan kau bilan cinta, cinta, ….. …. …… sayang, sayang, sayang..” What are the missing words?
A. Bosan aku mendengar
B. Jangan lagi kudengar
C. Lelah aku mendengar

Follow this form to answer:

Name:
Address:
Birth Date:
Valid ID Number (KTP/SIM):
Phone Number:
Answers:

Send it through this email address: quiz@jazzuality.com
Please use “ESQI:EF ANYTIME QUIZ” as the subject/title.

Terms & Conditions:
The answer should be mailed no longer than August 13, 2010.
The winner will be decided by lucky draw.
Shipping will only be accepted in Indonesia.
Send only once.

Follow our twitter for keeping up the updates: http://twitter.com/Jazzuality

We always believe that a single picture can speak a thousand words. We’ve been in business for more than 2 years now, and as you can see, we always try to provide quality pictures along with the articles. That’s because we realize the importance of pictures to support our writings and how crucial it is for documentations. Through the lenses of photographers we could track the history back, making us able to imagine or feel the situation without having to be there in person. I always enjoy the photography collections of jazz from the past. There are many brilliant photos that have successfully captured some jazz golden moments before I was born, and I got to admit I learned a lot from looking at them. No matter how good you write an article, it will never be enough if you don’t have photos to support it.

Klab Jazz seems to have the same perspective. In every event they held, they always had at least one photographer with and they will continue to do so. One of the official photographer is Mia Damayanti Sjahir. This lovely lady  has been consistantly and faithfully work with Klab Jazz in capturing the magic moments, and amazingly it’s all for free. We have been working side by side with her for almost two years now in many events from small sizes to big ones. she’s a great friend of ours, very energic, cheerful, full of spirit and always positive. She can always enlight the atmosphere with her presence anytime. Even with her busy activity as an event and wedding organizer, she still manage to follow her passion in the photography field. As a result, there are many great photos capturing the golden moments came from her camera. Some of these amazing photos can now be seen here at Potluck Coffee Bar and Library through a photography exhibition called “JAZZ | Poster and Post It”.

Potluck Coffee Bar and Library had just celebrated their fresh come back party after going under a renovation for some times. It was made big by featuring Shadow Puppet, Dira J Sugandi and many other cool performers. Not only fully back in service but they also decided to go back to their first concept, serving jazz as the main menu besides their tasty snacks and beverages. It was simply a good choice to bring Klab Jazz in collaboration. Soon after they established the connection we got regular jazz events called “Sunday Jazz” on the first week of each month. Sunday Jazz is not the only live jazz music at Potluck  though, there are also Afternoon Jazz on every Wednesday and Thursday starting from 5:00 pm and Sunday Jazz Brunch, every Sunday starting from 11:00 am. If live jazz concerts are not enough, they also provide a special jazz corner in their library, again supported by Klab Jazz called “Klab Jazz Corner @ Potluck Library”. Now they even strengthen their concept by holding a photography exhibition which will be available for us to see for about a month. According to Lucille G Husaen, the General Manager of Potluck, this is the realization of their jazz concept. “Not only with stage performance, there are other things related to jazz that we should have.” she said. So here at Potluck we have several jazz-related things. Jazz performance, jazz library, jazz gallery and jazz gathering. “By having all these jazz stuffs provided here, all the jazz lovers would gathered together automatically.” she continued. And that’s really cool to know, since now we have a cozy place with strong jazz atmosphere to hang out.

It’s about time of course to have this jazz photography exhibition. We tend to think that jazz is all about music and the musicians, all about concerts or stage performances. We seems to forget the necessity of these photos that are actually able to  “freeze” all the golden moments  which we can pass to the next generations. This kind of event can remind us of how important it is to respect the “heroes” that use camera as their weapons. They are just as important as any other elements of jazz. As for Klab Jazz, besides it’s still relating to their mission,this is also a perfect time to return the favor to Mia after all her contributions to make this jazz community as colorful as it is today.

Mia’s works can already be listed in some categories. What we have at Potluck this time is focused on two areas, Stage Photography and Journalistic Photography. Maybe next time we can also see her works in Still Life and Essay Photography segments. The photos are presented in various sizes such as the poster size (A0 and A1), post-it (5 x 7.5 cm) and some standard 16Rs. The pictures are taken from various events from Jazz Break Revival series, Halaman Monthly Jazz, Ngayogjazz Festival, ITJazz, Jazz Goes to Campus to the prestigious international sized festival, the Java Jazz Festival.

Potluck looks even more colorful with these jazz photographies spread all over the place. It was even almost like searching for easter eggs, since some of the “post it” types with the size as small as a note you stick on the refrigerator were placed randomly everywhere. We saw “Indra Lesmana” in a glass vase on the rack right in front of the entrance, and a picture of JavaJazz’s poster when they held a concert at the Atmosphere Resto was placed right in front of the cashier. Many other small post-it sized pictures spread everywhere around the cafe. All these photographies can be enjoyed for a month, from July 11 to August 7, 2010.

To make the opening ceremony merrier, Klab Jazz and Potluck presented some bands and musicians to entertain the guests, including Fastcom, Hot Chocolate, Iman Rahman & Friends and Ryan V.

The opening ceremony was done by the curator of Klab Jazz Dwi Cahya Yuniman with Imelda Rosalin, Rudy Zulkarnaen and Arifandi Renaldi. Imelda expressed how she enjoyed the pictures all these time. “Artists can only be recognized by their works, and therefore I’d like to express my grattitude for all your works” she said to Mia. To Imelda, Mia and the rest of photographers have contributed a lot to provide a “silent” music through their pictures. We couldn’t agree more with her. Some musicians and the Klab Jazz community were also attended the ceremony including Imam Pras, Tesla, Ferry Nurhayat and many more.

Live performance started at 5 pm, started with Iman Rahman Trio. After some tunings on the instruments, they rolled the delicious groove from the stage. As we have reported several times, Iman Rahman Trio is a group that knows hot to blend groove with some ethnic touches here and there. Even with these blends, they still managed to make it easy to listen. As the leader, Iman also knows how to bring the bass more forward, and they gave a great groovin’ ethnic just like they used to.

After a break, a group named Fastcom came on stage. If before they appeared by trio at the last Jazz Break Revival edition, this time they appeared in quartet. Three personnels were still the same, Chirst Stanley (piano), Ilham Setia (bass) and Albert Shadrach (drums), but now they had Attar on guitar. They brought “Israel” for the first song, followed by 3 more songs including John coltrane’s song.

Ryan V was next. It’s a pop jazz group using the name of the vocalist, Ryan Valentinus. Featuring Fikri on percussions and Anugerah on piano, Ryan V is one of the group who played for Klab Jazz at their first attempt in Java Jazz Festival 2006. Ryan V was expressive in singing the song. By smartly brought Radiohead‘s “High and Dry” he quickly grabbed the attention of every attendances. The Killers‘ “Mr Brightside” was next, brilliantly mixed with “No One No Cry” in a very different style. Again the show a very creative re-arrangement on another Bob Marley classic,  “Waiting in Vain”. After several other songs including their own song “Selalu Hadir Untukmu”, they brought “Leaving on the Jet Plane” in a bit darker version.

Ryan V wasn’t a new band. They have started several years ago in Jakarta, but now they made a fresh return in Bandung. “The enviroment and climate are just much better here to explore ourselves” Ryan said. Now they play regularly at Sobbers Bar and Resto in Bandung every Sunday Night. For you who like this cool band, just come and see them there.

Hot Chocolate was the last band to perform at Jazz | Poster and Post It. Consists of young personnels they gave groovy pop jazz to satisfy the crowds. With songs such as Dian PP‘s “Aku Ini Punya Siapa”, The Carpenters‘ “Close to You” Edie Brickell‘s “Good Times Bad Times” and Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel‘s “Killing Me Softly With His Song” which brought popular most notably by Roberta Flack and later by the Fugees, they gave a sweet ending to the opening ceremony of this photography exhibition.

A picture can speak a thousand words. We have heard that lines, now we have seen the prove. Mia’s spectacular works have told us about many things that we missed to see or feel. These moments are precious, and thanks to Mia we now can enjoy them very well. If you come to Bandung from July 11 to August 7, make sure you spend some times to visit Potluck Coffee Bar and Library. These pictures are just too good to be missed. Thank you Klab Jazz and Potluck Coffee Bar and Library to expose the importance of these “silent music” through photographies. But most of all, congratulation Mia. keep the spirit up and keep providing us with more photos.

See more pictures:

Reporter: Riandy Kurniawan
Photographer: Eghi Gabred

A photo can speak a thousand words. Yes, we believe so too. No matter how good you make an article, it won’t be enough if you don’t include some pictures to strengthen your point. Photos as a part of documentation can capture many important moments that might never happen again. Through these photos we can leave a legacy  to the next generations, just like how we learned from the previous ones through many documentations. No matter what, photography is simply one of the most important part of it. That’s the reason why you always see tons of pictures at jazzuality.com along with the reports.

Jazz is not only about concerts, songs and albums. Jazz is not only about the musicians. We should never forget the photographers who sometimes have to fight their ways against the crowds in order to capture the golden moment. Thanks to them we can feel the tense, the nuance even the magic of an event even without being there. For me, these jazz photographers are also noted as heroes, for without them jazz won’t become as big as it is today.

Klab Jazz in cooperation with Potluck Coffee Bar and Library presents a special event called “Jazz Poster and Post It”, a jazz photography exhibition taken from some local and international scale events by Mia Damayanti Sjahir, the official photographer of Klab Jazz. Jazz concerts are important, but we shouldn’t forget the importance of jazz photographies as well. This kind of events are just as important as the concerts, for that we should give our best to support it too. There are many photos available to spoil your eyes and feelings.

You might wonder who Mia Damayanti is. For us, this cheerful and energic lovely lady is special. She’s been a great friends who we used to “rumble” with together in many events, such as at many editions of Jazz Break Revival, Halaman Monthly Jazz, Jazz Goes to Campus, Ngayogjazz Festival and Java Jazz Festival to name a few.  Besides her work as an enterpreneur in event and wedding organizer, her passion in the photography field is very strong too. She always know how to grab the moment using her camera and the results  appeared as fantastic. We have known her at least two years, we met often in various occassions, concerts and events, working together, and we really feel her spirit. she has colored the Klab Jazz community with her stunning photographs, all for free, and now it’s time for Klab Jazz to return the favor.

There will be some categories from Mia’s works to see at the cozy Potluck Coffee Bar and Library for almost a month including stage photography and journalistic photography, just some among the other categories like still life and essay photography. The photos will be presented in various sizes such as the poster size (A0 and A1), post it (5 x 7.5 cm) and some standard 16R size. As the Potluck keeps strengthen their positioning in jazz through series of live concerts and jazz library, this photography exhibition will give more power to their efforts.

Some of Mia Damayanti’s photographs

The official opening ceremony will be held on Saturday, July 10, 2010 at 4:00 pm by Klab Jazz’ curator Dwi Cahya Yuniman and Imelda RosalinTrio, with Rudy Zulkarnaen and Arifandi Renaldi. The opening ceremony will also include live stage performance featuring many musicians such as Aldhiella, Boyke Priyo Utomo, Imam Pras, Tesla Manaf Effendi, Fastcom groups, Hot Chocolate, Iman Rahman & Friends and Ryan V.

Along with this event, there will be a talk show too called “Artist Talk”. It will be held on Monday, July 12, 2010. Mia will share some of her ideas in this session. Syaharani will join this talk to share the point of view from the artist or object’s side. Besides Mia and Syaharani, Galih Sedayu, a photographer/founder of Air Photography will be there as well.

If you’re already get used to see the concert events, this is the time for you to taste jazz in a different way. We invite you to spend some time and enjoy jazz with your eyes.

JAZZ | Poster and Post It
Klab Jazz Photography Exhibition

Presenting the works of Mia Damayanti Sjahir

The opening ceremony:
Date: Saturday, July 10, 2010
Time: 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm

The exhibition will be available from July 11 – August 7, 2010

Artist Talk:
Date: Monday, July 12, 2010
Time: 4:00 pm – onwards
featuring: Mia Damayanti, Syaharani and Galih Sedayu

Location: Potluck Coffee Bar and Libarary
Jl. H. Wasid no 31, Bandung