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Jakarta Post

Java Jazz festival wraps up in colors

American R&B star Brian McKnight and British pop group Swing Out Sister proved to be worthy desserts, quenching the thirst at the last day of the fifth Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival on Sunday

Dian Kuswandini and Tony Hotland (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Tue, March 10, 2009 Published on Mar. 10, 2009 Published on 2009-03-10T14:44:53+07:00

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merican R&B star Brian McKnight and British pop group Swing Out Sister proved to be worthy desserts, quenching the thirst at the last day of the fifth Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival on Sunday.

Avid fans of McKnight - on his second trip to Jakarta after his 2004 concert - thronged the Jakarta Convention Center, all out to be swept off their feet by the Grammy Award nominee.

They sure got what they asked for. An hour-long performance full of vocal runs that sent the audience into a state of hopeless romanticism as they sang along to his biggest hits such as "Back At One" and "One Last Cry".

He came out an hour late, but the performance quickly made up for that with surprises like bringing on stage his two sons to perform (thank you, whoever invented "like father, like son"!) and inviting a female fan, carrying a bouquet of roses, up on stage.

"If I'm down on my knees, would you be my girl... and marry me?" he sang her those words, raising the temperature at the venue and drawing cheers from the audience.

Other notable performances Sunday included American pop singer Peabo Bryson, famous for his Aladdin theme song "A Whole New World" and "Tonight I Celebrate My Love For You", and local acts such as Tompi, bands Kla Project and Slank, guitarist Tohpati, and group Maliq and D'Essentials - all sending out diverse musical sounds and flavors.

Roy Ayers entertained for the second time, accompanied by the Ron King Big Band. The funk, soul and jazz composer and vibraphone player again brought the crowd together and showed how acid jazz truly sounded.

"We had a wonderful time yesterday, so let's make another one tonight!" Ayers told the audience.

Andy Connell and Corinne Drewery of Swing Out Sister capped the final night, leaving fans to shout out for more following a sing-along to their biggest hit "Breakout".

The three-day 2009 Java Jazz festival featured more than 200 shows by around 2,000 local and international musicians on 19 stages.

Unlike last year, there were no cigarette companies among the sponsors, thus allowing those under the age of 17 to come and enjoy jazz performances in an effort to embrace the younger generation.

Ticket prices were also much lower than last year's. They ranged from Rp 350,000 (US$32) for a daily pass, to Rp 850,000 for a three-day pass, excluding special shows - lower than last year's Rp 500,000 and Rp 1 million, respectively.

The organizers are now looking into moving from the current venue at the Jakarta Convention Center in Central Jakarta to the Jakarta International Expo in Kemayoran, North Jakarta, to accommodate more fans.

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