THE SOUNDS OF JAZZ: Singer Sara Gazarek (left) and guitarist Lee Ritenour perform Friday on the opening day of the Java Jazz Festival at the Jakarta Convention Center (JP/J. Adiguna)

The Java Jazz Festival kicked off Friday to a full house of music fans pleased that the first day of the annual event coincided with a public holiday.

The party started nearly on time as fans crowded into the venue early, causing a traffic jam on the roads surrounding the Jakarta Convention Center, where the three-day festival is taking place.

Because Friday was a public holiday, concertgoers were able to get to the event early, instead of having to wait for the close of office hours.

"This is beyond our expectations. Fans came early and the shows started early, too, so this is perfect," the festival's program director, Eki Puradireja, The Jakarta Post.

As in past years, a contingent of ticket scalpers was spotted around the venue from the afternoon, making a tidy profit from fans unable to secure tickets through legal channels.

Scalpers were selling tickets at twice the official price.

The Gita Teladan Marching Band, with their raucous trumpets and drums, was present to welcome concertgoers as they entered the venue. On stage, the Kirana Big Band drew a crowd with its distinctive American jazz music.

On another stage, Syaharani and the Queen Fireworks and Parkdrive amused the audience some of their hit numbers.

It was a distinctly younger audience on Friday, with a lot of couples holding hands and dancing to the groove.

Andhini Putri said she could not wait to see Lee Ritenour and Renee Olstead.

"I like Renee Olstead and I have her album," said Andhini, who was at the show with her boyfriend.

"But the festival has a lot of similar artists as previous years, which makes it a bit boring," she said.

That did not stop people from lining up to see Incognito perform, although the band has performed several times in the country before.

Sindy Sutoro, also there with her boyfriend, said the Incognito show wasn't great, but it was good.

"The reason I'm here is because I want to see Bobby Caldwell," she said.

Besides music, the audience can explore the convention center, where numerous booths have been set up offering food, drinks and Java Jazz merchandise, such as T-shirts and caps.

Organizers have said the festival is not meant for jazz fans only, as it features other musical genres such as R&B, pop, electronic, soul, funk and more.

Malaysian singer Atilia, for example, adds jazz elements to her pop music. Some of Atilia's tunes are reminiscent of Sheila Madjid, another Malaysian singer who is popular here.

Manhattan Transfer will perform on Saturday along with George Clinton "Funkadelic", Joe Sample & the Crusaders and the Ron King Big Band. For local performers, the young jazz trio RAN is worth a listen.

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