2 Mar 2011 22:41
The Remarkable Jazz Nation
"Jazz has found a 'home' in one of the world’s big cities (*Jakarta)," according to Paxton Baker in his foreword published in the official magazine fo AXIS Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival 2011, MUSIC. Paxton Baker is Executive Vice President & General Manager CENTRIC and President of BET Event Productions, which also organizes jazz festivals in parts of the world.
Jakarta plays host to people of various races, ethnic groups, countries, backgrounds, cultures, religions and political views, all who gather in the name of jazz. The language that unites them is jazz.
Jazz was born and bred by the amalgamation of musical elements of various nations, ranging from the beauty and uniqueness of tribal music in Africa, combined with the marching band music and liturgy music of Europe, concocted with a mixture of Latin and Carribean music. The similarity it shares with Indonesia is the presence of diverse tribes of equally diverse art and culture also living in harmony as a nation.
If we refer to the natural and cultural marvels of Indonesia as "Remarkable Indonesia", then in a smaller scale, AXIS Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival 2011 is "The Remarkable Jazz Nation", a nation inhabited by (jazz) music enthusiasts.
A Remarkable Festival
AXIS Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival 2011, scheduled for 4, 5, 6 March 2011, is a “remarkable” festival due to the participation of 40 international bands (hailing from 14 countries) featuring more than 280 people and 110 Indoensian bands with approximately 1,400 musicians, presenting various styles of jazz by blending musical forms from various cultures of the world.
173 shows (and 4 Special Shows) are due to occur on the 16 stages during the three-day stretch of AXIS Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival 2011. In addition, there will be 7 music clinics and a photography workshop.
Musician who will be a part of the Remarkable Jazz Nation include Santana, George Benson, Corrine Bailey Rae, Sandhy Sondoro, Fourplay, Los Amigos (India), LLW (Lesmana-Likumahuwa-Winarta), The Jongens Jazz Quartet, RAN, Bauchklang (supported by the Austrian Embassy), Roy Hargrove Quintet, Maurice Brown, Nairobi Trio feat. Jonas Julio (supported by the New Zealand Embassy), Fareed Haque & Mathgames, Chamber Jazz feat. Iwan Hasan, Andien, Enggar & Mery Kasiman, The Groove, Ruben Hein (supported by Erasmus Huis & the Dutch Embassy), Joey DeFrancesco Trio, DREW and many more.
That’s the beauty of the festival, said to be one of the largest. Whoever is at JIExpo Kemayoran on 4, 5, 6 March 2011 will experience a marvelous musical journey. From the mainstream, retro, electronic to the kinds of tunes influenced by African, Latin, Cuban, Brazillian, classic European music, Italian folk tune and Middle Eastern flavors to Indonesia’s own Sundanese, Minang, Bataknese, Acehnese, Palunese, Moluccan and Javanese musical flavors that will delight your palate.
To further emphasize the diversity and caliber of the event, due to be presented are these special projects: Fariz RM, feat. Barry Likumahuwa and Friends and Erwin Gutawa Big Band; Gigi who's due to perform with the Ron King Big Band; Indonesia Nu Progressive, Tribute to Harry Roesli; The Husbands & Wives feat. Otti Djamalus-Yance Manusama-Endah-Rhesa; Elfa Secioria "His Legacy Lives On"; George Benson and Magenta Orchestra, Tribute to Nat King Cole; Nial Djuliarso – The Jazz Soul of Ismail Marzuki; Angklung Jazz Ensemble by Dwiki Dharmawan.
At AXIS Jakarta Interantional Java Jazz Festival 2011, Dira Sugandi plans to release her UK-produced debut album which was released in the UK and Japan. DREW and Tohpati Bertiga also plans to introduce their album at the event.
Three groups originally from Bandung will ‘resurface’ this year after a long hiatus. Java Jive, The Groove and KSP will perform and delight the audience of the festival.
For the third year in a row, AXIS supports the Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival. As AXIS continues to be the fastest growing GSM and 3G mobile operator in Indonesia, AXIS also continues to support the development of the largest jazz festival that Indonesia has to offer. Since being involved for the first time in 2009, AXIS has opened the festival to a wider audience, captured the interest of music lovers of all ages, and has also promoted the development of music talents in Indonesia. This year, AXIS spreads the festival’s wings further to offer an opportunity to music lovers, to come together in “Harmony under One Nation” offering “Hands for Humanity”. These are the themes and activities at the event that depicts AXIS’ commitment in always giving more to its customers embodied in GSM yang Baik
AXIS Chief Marketing Officer, Eric Mallia, expressed his excitement towards the festival, "We are very excited and proud to once again present the biggest annual Jazz Festival in South East Asia, showing off a rich array of local and international talents. We also look forward to the performances of great local talents we have discovered from 31 cities across the country as part of the AXIS Road to Java Jazz and AXIS Road to Java Jazz Goes to School talent hunts."
Eric further shared his delight in the event and how well it has represented AXIS, saying, "We believe it to be the one of the widest and most inclusive sponsorship activations by any brand ever. It reflects AXIS' commitment to offer Indonesians refreshing and affordable mobile services. AXIS, as the fastest growing telecommunications provider in the country, is always ready to do the best to support such great events that reflect the same commitment we bring to our customers."
AXIS Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival 2011 is bringing in people of all ages, race and religion to bring in elements of Collaboration, Responsibility and Strength under the theme "Harmony under One Nation" which will be visualized by pieces of a puzzle that build a unity of Indonesian people that show how togetherness and compassion can offer a piece of goodness to others. Festival goers will be offered the opportunity to participate in “Hands for Humanity”, which is a call to make donations to the Indonesian Red Cross, and symbolize this gathering of compassion by leaving hand prints on a giant puzzle to symbolize the coming together of different people in Harmony under One Nation for Hands for Humanity.
As in the previous year, but bigger and better, AXIS Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival 2011 also includes a talent scouting activity conducted by AXIS prior to the festival. The activities, named AXIS Road to Java Jazz Festival 2011 and AXIS Road to Java Jazz Festival 2011 Goes to School, was held in 31 cities throughout Indonesia, and was each open to different category of participants : the general public and students. The lucky winners stand a chance to perform at the world-class Festival in Jakarta. Three winners with the most SMS polling support is also being invited to come to the festival as a guest of AXIS.
From more than 1,400 participants who auditioned, the lucky winners that will perform at the AXIS Jakarta Java Jazz Festival 2011 are:
1. From the General Public Category (to perform on stage and collaborate with other festival performers):
a. Holiday (from Yogyakarta)
b. East Project (from Bandung)
c. D’friends (from Makassar)
2. From the student category (to perform oat the AXIS lounge at the festival):
a. Svarakama (from Jakarta)
a. Buzztard (from Yogyakarta)
b. Zero Six Park (from Pontianak)
c. Cleo (from Medan)
d. Puzzle (from Bandung)
e. Young Generation Project (from Palembang)
f. Androgin (from Surabaya)
g. Schon (from Makassar)
As always, AXIS customers will be given special privileges at the festival which would not be available to all festival goers. AXIS customers will have a special queue line, a special express gate to enter the festival and the AXIS main stage. They will also be equipped with a festival kit that has a map of the festival grounds, access to the AXIS lounge with free refreshments, internet access and mobile phone charging outlets, and many more special offers for AXIS products. Lucky winners may also go home with a mobile phone, a BlackBerry or an AXIS Java Jazz special edition fixie bike.
BNI's support for Java Jazz Festival for the last 7 years in a row is a form of BNI’s commitment in its efforts to show appreciation towards its clients by providing a banking service that suits the lifestyle of the modern society. The Java jazz Festival BNI pre-paid card, used as a method of payment for merchandise, food & beverage and many more during the event.
By providing the program, BNI hopes to educate and socialize visitors in utilizing card as replacement of cash. It uses a Tap & Go mechanism, just by putting the card to the reader provided at the merchants' station.
With Santana’s picture on the card, the card is a collectible item.
AXIS Road to Java Jazz
To scout new talents, AXIS held a competition called AXIS Road to Java Jazz, which was initiated in 2010. One of the talents scouted during the event (last year) was talented pianist Ade Irawan. A number of senior jazz musicians complimented Ade Irawan’s skillful piano playing. His talent is remarkable, he is a self-taught pianist, who happened to have sight deficiency. When he still lived in Chicago, Ade Irawan had the opportunity jam with the jazz community.
This year, the final chapter of AXIS Road to Java Jazz for the year are done in 8 cities (Medan, Palembang, Makassar, Pontianak, Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta and Surabaya). The participants are divided into two categories: general and students. The first winner of the student category will have the opportunity to perform at AXIS Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival 2011. For the general category, three of the best contestants will be chosen to perform at Indonesia’s pride of a jazz festival.
AXIS and Java Jazz Festival open such opportunities for young talented musicians from all over Indonesia, the kind of opportunity utilized by Ade Irawan and Brothers.
The Jazz Nation
On 4, 5, 6 March 2011, JIExpo Kemayoran will be filled by people from various corners of the world in the name of jazz. Everyone who will be there will unite to create harmony, a harmony longed by various nations of the world.
There will be no discrimination of ethnic groups, races, religions, political views – with jazz as the language that unite the nation, the Jazz Nation. Let’s hope that the harmony that is created during the three day of AXIS Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival 2011 continues to resonate, may it convey the message of peace to the world.
AXIS Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival 2011
4, 5, 6 Maret
JIExpo Kemayoran
"Remarkable Indonesia, Harmony Under One Nation"
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