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LIFESTYLE | Mar 09, 2010

Java Jazz: The Best Show in Town

The Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival wrapped up on Sunday night with electric performances by Brian Lynch, Gugun Blues Shelter and Arturo O’Farrill. The festival featured dynamic performances, music workshops and even a surprise visit from the Yudhoyonos, who were spotted with their entourage grooving to Diane Warren’s set on Saturday night. Here are some of the festival’s most notable highlights.

Many people don’t know that Aerosmith’s hit “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” was written by Diane Warren. So when Warren opened with this song, there was an immediate sense of familiarity for a whole generation that perhaps knew little about the songstress herself. The song was a stripped-back performance of the well-known hit with raw, soulful vocals.

Warren sat so naturally at the piano it seemed an extension of herself. Her modest performance reminded fans that she is first and foremost a songwriter. While her performance was not bold, it was moving and intimate — she managed to make the large hall feel warm and cozy, her facial expressions somehow visible from afar.

Hearing Warren songs such as Celine Dion’s “Because You Loved Me,” highlights why she was and still is such a sought-after producer. She played more dynamically than the musicians who have voiced her songs, going from the softest yearning verses to majestic powerful choruses. Her set revealed the talent that lies behind the world’s most famous musicians.

Toni Braxton Steals Saturday

Saturday night belonged to Toni Braxton, who was met with applause and cheers by thousands as she took her place on the stage.

While Braxton has been out of the limelight for a few years, her singles “Breathe Again” and “Un-Break My Heart” were major hits here during the mid-’90s, when she had a heavy presence on Indonesian airwaves. Braxton plans a comeback in May with “Pulse,” her first album since “Libra” in 2005.

Her two trademark hits raised the biggest cheers from the predominately 30-something crowd, but she also scored with a slew of other soulful tracks, including two singles from “Pulse” titled “Yesterday” and “Make My Heart.”

Braxton was clearly at home on stage, wearing a provocative dress and strutting confidently. Some cliched sing-alongs and patter (a few too many “thank yous” and “great to be heres” were handed out) betrayed her Vegas background, but to hear her belting out the huge choruses of “How Could an Angel Break my Heart” and “How Many Ways” was truly mesmerizing.

Maurice Brown Harnesses Chaos

Jazz trumpeter Maurice Brown showcased his talents at Femina Hall on Saturday evening. Brown has not only been featured on albums by Aretha Franklin and rapper Talib Kweli, he has also won the esteemed National Miles Davis Trumpet Competition.

Brown’s skills are remarkable — his energetic rhythmic melodies made the crowds of people who passed his stage stop in their tracks. A major part of Brown’s style is rooted in jazz improvisation and old-school be-bop, giving his set a gloriously unpredictable rhythmic feel. An audience member was overheard comparing his groove to that of legendary funkster George Clinton. Brown’s tunes have a heavy old-school Motown feel, but they are improvisational and excitingly chaotic.

Maliq and D’Essentials Play to the Crowd

Maliq and D’Essentials performed at around the same time as Maurice Brown at the large BNI Hall. A commercially successful group that fuses soul, funk and pop, the outfit easily won over the large crowd that had gathered almost half an hour before the set. Professional crowd-pleasers, the group performed its best-known hits, including “Dia” (“Her”) and “Pilihanku” (“My Choice”), and constantly interacted with the audience. Their stage presence was electric and their solos engaging. The two main vocalists traded off in a call-and-response style and later sang impressive harmonies that lifted their songs’ well-known choruses.

Lee Ritenour Travels Time

Legendary jazz guitarist and Java Jazz regular Lee “Captain Fingers” Ritenour turned in his third festival performance at the Tebs Hall stage on Friday to an attentive crowd. Ritenour’s perpetually smooth, funk-infused guitar lines were a delight to listen to. Shades of Wes Montgomery popped up here and there, with Ritenour strumming out even the rougher parts of his numbers with grace. Ritenour performed a mix of his old band Fourplay’s tunes along with his solo songs.

Ritenour closed his set with a wild piece full of odd and changing time signatures. The fast-paced grooves in 7/4 time showcased Ritenour’s exceptionally agile finger-work.

Manhattan Transfer Double Dips

The Manhattan Transfer, or at least some version of it, has been around since 1969. And it shows. The vocal foursome can take any song, divide it into four parts and deliver it like an old-school barbershop group. The ensemble performed classics from the Chick Corea songbook at Femina Hall on Saturday. On Sunday they were joined by the Ron King Big Band.

The foursome’s takes on Corea’s songs softened the pianist’s rhythmic, funk-based jazz, magnificently drawing out his driving tunes with majestic harmonies.

The group is a Java Jazz stalwart, always attracting a huge crowd with its mix of show tunes, jazz standards and the occasional Latin number. No doubt they’ll be back next year.

Tika N The Dissidents Keep It Focused

Eclectic Jakarta-based songstress Tika and her band, the Dissidents, played a mix of songs from her debut album and her latest release, “The Headless Songstress.” It is a wonder that Tika attracted such a small crowd, considering her bold stage presence, diva-like vocals and tight band.

The Dissidents opened the show with an impressive instrumental jam that was heavy with psychedelic, spacey guitar chords and manic percussion. Not much improvisation was going on, but it didn’t matter — the songs themselves were executed perfectly.

“Polpot,” “Venus Envy” and “Under Their Feet” stood out as the most powerful songs, each sounding larger and more intense than their recorded versions.

Babyface Croons to the Crowd

The set to catch on Sunday was that of Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, which attracted Vice President Boediono. The tight security measures that came with Boediono’s presence meant that some of the crowd ended up stuck at a checkpoint and missed the first two songs.

The performer buttered up the crowd, saying how much he enjoyed playing in Jakarta and how much love he felt in the air. Babyface entertained the throng of fans with “When Can I See You,” which he said was about a love he had when he was 17. He then covered the Eric Clapton hit “Wonderful Tonight.” He closed the show with the acoustic hit “Change the World,” a song he originally sang as a duet with Clapton for the soundtrack to the film “Phenomenon.”

/rif Gets Raw for the Devoted

Performing a set of electronica-fused rock, /rif was joined by jazz organist Tony Monaco, nu-jazz band State of Monc and DJ Cream from Berlin. By the third day of the festival the crowd had dissipated, so playing in the cavernous BNI Hall must have been a little depressing for the band. This was a shame because /rif gave one of the festival’s most frenetic performances.

But this didn’t stop the enthusiastic band. Thankfully, the small crowd they attracted was thoroughly into the outfit’s grooves, bobbing their heads and cheering loudly throughout. Guitarists Jikun and Ovy traded wild solos along with a contributing violinist, making for a visually stunning performance.

The set included their hit singles, such as “Radja” (“King”) and “Bunga” (“Flower”).

Maya Hasan Harps on Melodies

Indonesian harpist Maya Hasan performed at the Acoustic Hall and wowed the crowd with her extraordinary gliding and plucking. She shared the stage with some of the country’s best musicians, including legendary local pop producer Fariz RM, whose synthesizers contributed an ambient, spacey sound, and international musicians like American saxophonist Michael Paulo, whose blue melodies complimented Maya’s song-lines. The collaborations were virtuosic, with each player showcasing their best abilities through impressive solos.

Although the festival encountered the same annual problems — scalping, insufficient parking and bad sound — it offered some of the best musicians the country has ever hosted. The Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival can only get bigger and better, so bring on the program for 2011.

Source: JG

Indonesian Lifestyle 2008