“Simply heaven” is the reason why many of us are often sandwiched between earphones to listen to our favorite tracks, a process that offers us the perfect escape from the daily din of human chatter and unbearable traffic. In our private spaces — whether on the road, at home or at the workplace — we try to multitask, despite warnings not to, finding it hard to tear ourselves away from the soothing melodies that help to retain our sanity, day in and day out.

This weekend it will be simply heaven again for music fans, as the Java Jazz Festival is back for its ninth year. For many, beautiful music and voices will be all that matters during the festival, despite the “jazz” and “non-jazz” labels forever discussed by music critics.

Audiences will enjoy basking in hours of music, maybe wondering how older artists can keep belting it out and how very young voices can sound so powerful. Java Jazz, organized by Dewi Gontha, the daughter of festival founder Peter Gontha, will feature returning faces, regulars and newcomers to Indonesia.

Performers have also come to mingle with the audience — a loose group of people of many ages, including children — for a miasma of offerings, including soul, funk, fusion, R&B, jazz or pop. Some are bound to return home, perhaps in the wee hours of the morning, with their musical tastes broadened.

As we welcome some 1,500 international and local musicians for Java Jazz to the Kemayoran Fairgrounds in Central Jakarta, the question remains as to how Indonesia has been progressing in its support of the arts.

One sign of progress has been state recognition of the creative industries, which became part of the portfolio of Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Mari Elka Pangestu. Music is one of several creative industries to be facilitated by the government, Mari said, without “interfering” with already vibrant private initiatives.

How the government will “facilitate” performances remains a big question, as it phases out sponsorship by Big Tobacco in line with national health policies.

Java Jazz is supported by Djarum Super Mild, while the country’s jazz festival pioneer, JakJazz, managed to overcome its financial difficulties last year with the same sponsor — a clear reflection of the few options available to performing arts organizers, not to mention the less popular installation arts, for instance.

Mari has cited as a strength the nation’s young population as the producers and consumers of locally produced arts and creative industries. The minister has also stressed the need for domestic competitiveness before we can hope to secure an export market for our cultural products, but experience has shown that overseas appreciation sometimes comes first.

A number of local films have gained recognition at foreign film festivals while barely being able to gain a foothold in local cinemas.

Several local artists who will perform at Kemayoran this weekend are not new to the international stage. However, many others need the support of the private and the public to widen their audiences.

We hope to see the fruit of the ministry’s blueprints soon, so that local and foreign audiences can enjoy the riches produced by our creative artists.

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