I

n August, I visited Yogyakarta. During the week I really enjoyed the peaceful city and friendly smiles of its citizens. Yogyakarta, when I heard the name of that beautiful city, just peace and art came to my mind, this is the reason I wanted to visit there. Yogyakarta is a city that is known in all corners of this country as a city full of culture and a wide variety of art, everyone is free to express their artistic style.

I really love art, especially the art of music and I really love jazz music.

On one Monday, I visited Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta, Jl. Suroto No. 2 Kotabaru, in which my friend said a jazz event was held known as '€œJazz Mben Senen'€. Jazz Mben Senen is an event staged by the Yogyakarta Jazz Music Community and an open space for gathering jazz musicians and music lovers. Held every Monday, it managed to eliminate the saying '€œI don'€™t like Mondays'€ from my mind and those of other jazz lovers.

There one can jam together with anyone who wants to show his talent.

Jazz music events like this cannot be found in my hometown of Jakarta. The Jazz Festival in Jakarta usually consists of major musicians and is certainly expensive. There are jazz shows in the cafes, but it still presents famous musicians or bands, there is no room for jamming together or exchanging ideas among other jazz lovers.

In Jazz Mben Senen I can get the difference. Eits, a bassist there, said Jazz Mben Senen was not only for jazz lovers but also aims to introduce and make familiar jazz music to the people, for the event is free and open to the public.

Many people believe that jazz is luxurious and expensive because there are many events that are only commercial events. But from its roots jazz music is an expression of art in the form of music. Jazz traditions evolved from the lifestyle of the black community in America.

Although jazz is not from Indonesia, jazz music is one element of art that can be enjoyed by anyone. Jazz Mben Senen in Yogyakarta is one example of artistic expression that can be enjoyed by all people, and hopefully there will be many more events like that; cool, relaxed, not expensive and certainly very arty.