Letter: I lost the jazz vibe at the festival

I've been coming to the Java Jazz Festival since it was first held four years ago. I was amazed at my first experience at the festival. With so many artists to see, it was so exciting, as jazz artists were somewhat hard to find in this country. For a jazz lover, Java Jazz Festival was like an oasis in the desert.

So I kept coming back to this oasis to quench my thirst. The festival itself always had a great artist lineup each year - from Incognito to Jamie Cullum; from D'Sound to Bob James. I was delighted to see Jason Mraz at last Friday's event, although people may say the festival has lost its jazz energy with pop musicians like Mraz on the menu.

But Mraz is something else. He made young people come to the festival, which is great news for me. It is so unfortunate that (lots of) young people didn't really realize there was a big event with bold artists from around the world held in their country once a year. Though some of Mraz' fans went straight home after the one-hour show, some stayed at the festival and tried their luck at the other stages. Some would find Ledisi, other would try Humania.

But, the bad news is that the festival is now overcrowded. It has always been crowded at the festival, but now it is getting worse. Not that I don't like more people coming. It's a celebration for everyone, so nobody would have the right to prohibit people coming. But it was annoying to see those who came and filled (only) the main lobby and food hall, which made it hard to get from one stage to another, those who just came to chat, while others are on a tight schedule to see musicians performing on different stages.

What I lost is not the jazz energy or the jazz vibe in the air, but the jazz festival nuance itself. I enjoyed the performers; I was just not so fond of the festivity. It was just like coming to a concert; you came, watched the performance, survived the massive audience exit, went to another hall, watched another performer etc.

I remember the first Java Jazz Festival, where the crowd was not yet this crazy. I enjoyed the intimacy with the artists on each stage. The next two Java Jazz festivals, I remember how an artist who just had performed could, the next minute, join the audience. That is the thing that keeps me coming back for more - the interaction between performers and audience - an intimate one. More interaction than you find at a concert, where the artist performs and then immediately goes backstage; interaction that I found (only) during Ledisi and New York Voices' performances at Friday's event.

Muthia Soebagjo
Jakarta