Jazz in Full Swing on the Island - by Laetitia Knight
The jazz scene in Bali is alive and kicking. It has excellent venues, an active Bali Jazz Community (BJC) and above all, many talented musicians who have high expectations and concrete plans to take jazz from Bali to an international level. It all happens in the South of the island, specifically in Ubud, Sanur, Seminyak and Kuta. Several home bands such as Balawan and Ito Jazz Trio have already achieved national fame and have also been acclaimed internationally. You can listen to various types of jazz from swing, traditional, fusion, ethnic, hip-hop jazz, acoustic, Latin jazz and pure creation.
The Bali Jazz Community (BJC) is central to all this musical activity. Formed by Ito Kurdhi (jazz musician), Grace Jeanie (the events manager of Sector Golf Club) and Denny Surya (Radio FBI, Menara FM) in May 2009, it is fully supported by local jazz musicians and jazz lovers. Their goal is to form a community of musicians and jazz lovers, dispatch information and increase the number of jazz venues on the island. They organize concerts and jam sessions every Wednesday at Sector Golf Sanur from 8 pm till 11.30 pm featuring Ito Kurdhi Jazz Trio, with Ito Kurdi at the bass, Jeko Fauzi at the guitar and Sonny R. at the drums. BJC also organizes monthly events at Sector, some of which have had tremendous success. Back in May, Ito Kurdhi Jazz Trio, featuring Rio Sidik (trumpet) from Bali and Marcus William (trumpet) from USA gave an impressive “Tribute to Miles Davis”.
In June it was a “Tribute to John Coltrane” from Ito Kurdhi Jazz Trio, with guest saxophonist David Ades from Australia. Later in July they received the Yokohama Artist Association Orchestra from Japan and in August Ito Kurdhi Jazz Trio with special guest Dian Karran (vocal) from Germany, gave a memorable “Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald”. In September Ito Kurdhi (bass), Rio Sidik (trumpet) provided an excellent evening of “All About Jazz” with two acclaimed musicians from Jakarta: Erik Sondhy (piano) and Sandy Winarta (drums). The latest gig in October featured the Bali renowned Balawan and Batuan Ethnic Fusion. On October 28 they present Hip hop jazz with guest jammer and singer Day (US) and Marcus William at the trumpet (US). It is well worth keeping an eye on future events at Sector by checking their website: www.sectorbarrestaurant.com.
Besides Sector, another popular venue is the well established Ubud Jazz Café, created in 1996 by Agung Wiryawan, a musician himself, and his wife Nina. The atmosphere is stylish and intimate and they host many jam sessions. Modern jazz is played on Tuesdays, Wednesdays are devoted to Latin Grooves, Thursdays are Blues’d Outl, Fridays is Rhythm & Blues and Saturdays are dedicated to acoustic jazz. They are open from 5pm to midnight and live performances take place from 7.30pm to 10.30pm. A cover charge of Rp 25,000 per adult helps them support the musicians.
Back to Sanur, the Jazz Bar & Grill along the by-pass features excellent Monday night Jazz sessions from 9.30pm. In Seminyak area, Mannekepis, the Belgian bar and bistro, hosts live jazz and blues music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The Seminyak branch of the well- known Japanese restaurant Ryoshi also invites established jazz musicians such as Erik Sondhy, Balawan and Rio Jazz Quartet. JP’s Warung Club in Jalan Dyana Pura 6 is also a good venue and this is the place to see Saharadja in the coming month. Hu’u bar also hosts jazz bands on Thursdays.
As for talented musicians, Bali cannot envy its neighboring islands. It would be unfair and somehow unjustified to put a ranking order to the jazz performers but it can’t be denied that some bands have come a long way over the years and are offering a quality of jazz that is well worth a detour. Perhaps the most original is Balawan and Batuan Gamelan Ensemble. Jazz meets Balinese gamelan and the outcome is unique. They combine patterns from traditional Balinese gamelan, jazz and rock to develop contemporary songs about Balinese lifestyle. They continue a tradition of storytelling through music. You’ve never heard anything like this before! Balawan, at the age of 20 went from Bali to Sydney and got a scholarship to study jazz at the Australian Institute Of Music and gained popularity there. In 1997, he returned to Bali and formed Batuan Ethnic Fusion, releasing one album in 1999. He is a specialist of the so-called touch tapping style (like Stanley Jordan) whereby with the fingers of his left and right hand tapping on the guitar neck he plays simultaneously bass, chords and melody, as if he were playing a piano. As if that weren’t enough he is able to play 2 guitars at the same time with great agility. He is also the patron of Bali Guitar Club, which is a Balinese guitarist community in Bali. Trisum and See You Soon (CD DVD) Universal Music Indonesia (2009) are his two most recent albums.
Ito Kurdhi is another talent of today’s Balinese jazz. Born in Central Java, he graduated from the music department of IKIP (Universitas Negeri) Jogjakarta.In Bali he started playing jazz music in several 5 stars hotels such as the Grand Hyatt, the Four Seasons, the Chedi and more. He can play all sorts of genres of music but jazz gives him the freedom that suits his sensitivity and personality. In 1995, he formed the crossover band called Batuan Ethnic Fusion with Balawan. From 2001 till 2005 he left Indonesia to join several bands in the USA. Nowadays he has established his skills and talent and has become a leading figure of jazz on the island. The man has get-up-and-go and listening to him playing bass live is always a thrill. Don’t miss him with his Trio at Sector whether they play standard tunes, swing or more modern jazz. Ito is passionate about his work and it’s worth talking to him about the vision of the Bali Jazz Community. He can make things move, not only his audience. Mondays he performs with Rio Quartet at the Ryoshi Seminyak, Tuesday at Jazz Café in Ubud with Rio Quartet, Wednesday at Sector Bar Sanur with his trio and Diah Gayatri and Thursday at Hu’u bar in Petitenget with Rio Quartet. His latest album will soon be on sale at jazz venues around Bali.
Diah Gayatri is one of the warmest jazz voices in Bali and she will put a shiver down your spine. Her repertoire is vast but her version of “Besame mucho” brings all the nostalgia of Latin romance in a faultless Spanish accent. On stage, she has charisma and keeps the tempo high.
Rio Sidik is yet another pillar of jazz over here. Born and bred in Surabaya, music was always a big part of his life. At the age of 10, with his brothers and sister, he used to appear in his grandfather’s big band. Since, Sidik has appeared as a soloist with most of Indonesia’s top musicians including Indra Lesmana, Buby Chen and Erwin Gutawa Orchestra. In 2002 he married violinist Sally Jo and together they formed Saharadja – now one of Indonesia’s most renowned world music bands. They have performed in many Asian countries and South Africa. His icons are Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Sandoval and Freddy Hubbard.The ‘Rio Sidik Jazz Quartet’ is currently one of Bali’s top groups and they perform all over the island. Their choice of instruments makes them unique: trumpet, didgeridoo, electric violin, Indian tabla and other unexpected instruments. Their creations are a mixture of musical styles from Balinese traditional to Irish tunes, Latin rhythms and African beat, all within the jazz realm, and the sound is fresh and new. Rio uses both his trumpet and his throat as instruments. It is worth discovering their latest album Abracadabra.
The list of great jazz musicians in Bali continues and to name just a few, Koko Harsoe (fusion and swing), Erik Sondy (modern jazz) and Yuri Mahatma (guitarist) are not to be missed. Jazz players in Bali are keen to gather more musicians from Indonesia and all over the world to share their love for jazz. If you are a musician, you will always be welcome to the jamming sessions. If you enjoy jazz or own a venue that would be suitable, you might want to support the Bali Jazz Community by becoming a member and keep jazz alive and kicking in Bali.
At this time, BJC is putting a lot of effort into the preparation of the 3 day Bali Jazz Festival in July 2010. It is still in its early stages of planning but it promises to have national and international players from Singapore, Australia, America, Europe and Japan. BJC is currently looking for extra sponsors and venues. Keep your ears tuned to the sound of jazz!
You can become a member for Rp.100 000 a year to keep up to date with the best jazz in Bali. Contact the Bali Jazz community by phone: 0361 411139 or on: http://www.balijazzcommunity.com/ Jazz Merah Putih is a reliable source of information about jazz in Indonesia: http://www.jazzuality.com
