TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Java Jazz kicks off with 'vintage' theme
In what is a confusing move in terms of their connection with jazz, soul or funk, the festival booked this year rock bands Relish and headliner the Goo Goo Dolls. One thing is for sure, both bands can draw in big crowds.
Change Size
A music performance at the 2017 Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta on March 5, 2017. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)
T
he country’s premiere international music festival, the Jakarta International BNI Java Jazz Festival, returns in 2018 for its 14th edition with a mix of talent from home and abroad, and one of the youngest lineups the festival has ever seen.
One of the largest jazz festivals in the world, Java Jazz 2018 will be held at the JIExpo Kemayoran complex from Friday to Sunday, serving up music across 11 stages decorated under the festival’s theme for the year, “vintage”.
“Vintage” is an interesting theme, considering that the lineup boasts a lot of younger, current talent, more so than many of its previous incarnations.
This year’s lineup is a slight improvement from the 2017 lineup, which included international acts Sergio Mendes, Chick Corea, Bebel Gilberto and Ne-Yo.
The international soul and R&B lineup for this year’s festival includes Daniel Caesar, Jhene Aiko, LAUV and BJ The Chicago Kid, with Daniel Caesar headlining the Saturday date.
Vanessa Williams, Tony Monaco, Dionne Warwick, Lee Ritenour and Incognito are part of a relatively diverse lineup of older, more legendary acts, with Williams headlining the Friday date.
Williams apparently had arrived in Jakarta a couple of days before the concert. She posted a selfie showing her with skincare patches on her Instagram account on Wednesday, saying that she “put the patches everywhere after 31 hours of travel to Jakarta”. The “Save the Best for Last” singer said in another post that she pampered herself with a spa treatment in the capital city, revealing no details about the spa, except for a picture of a room decorated with golden bamboo.
In what is a confusing move in terms of their connection with jazz, soul or funk, the festival booked this year rock bands Relish and headliner the Goo Goo Dolls. One thing is for sure, both bands can draw in big crowds.
The Goo Goo Dolls are a widely successful American alternative rock band whose songs have been staples of rock and adult contemporary radio since the late 1990s, led by their global 1998 hit “Iris”. Those wanting to catch the bona fide live band playing the Indonesian shores for the first time can catch them on Sunday.
Additional “special show” tickets are required to attend the sets of Daniel Caesar, LAUV, the Goo Goo Dolls and Vanessa Williams.
On the local side, it seems to be the usual cavalcade of the same old artists, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. Java Jazz mainstays Glenn Fredly, Maliq & D’Essentials, Andien, the Aksan Sjuman Trio and Gugun Blues Shelter will return, proving that they are always able to draw crowds with their great music.
Some of the local artists will apparently play special, collaborative sets with their international counterparts — Gugun Blues Shelter will work with Tony Monaco, while Incognito is set to collaborate with Tompi, Rega Dauna, Dira Sugandi and Petra Sihombing.
Java Festival Production chief director Dewi Gontha said that, with the festival’s tagline of “Celebrating Jazz in Diversity”, this year’s event would also exhibit art installations and a newer, more innovative stage to showcase the country’s creative talent.
“We always wanted this festival to become a platform for creativity of all ages and backgrounds, be them music lovers or those who are just tagging along to revel in the commotion with their friends and family,” she said in a statement.
