J

azz lovers get ready: The 11th Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival (JJF) is about to get underway.

While the three-day event begins on Friday, the groove has been felt since Wednesday, when the Ron King Big Band, American Idol winner Joshua Ledet, trumpeter Jumaane Smith and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Kenny Lattimore warmed up a press conference with mini-performances.

Fifty-five international and 87 local acts are slated to perform during the festival on 16 stages at the JIExpo in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

Java Festival Productions program director Paul Dankmeyer said several prominent musicians, such as Lettimore, US singer-songwriter Meshell Ndegeocello and Grammy winner Chris Botti, would make debuts at the festival, joining returning acts such as Chaka Khan, Bobby '€œDon'€™t Worry Be Happy'€ McFerrin and Incognito.

Dankmeyer said that Khan and Incognito would perform together for the first time this year.

'€œWe will also have a special show from Jessie J on Sunday; she'€™s not a jazz legend but is definitely somebody who can attract young crowds to the festival,'€ Dankmeyer told journalists.

Eki Puradiredja, the festival'€™s program coordinator, said the 11th edition would give more stage time to new acts to present jazz fusion sounds.

'€œSheila on 7 and Reza Artamevia have not been heard in the local music scene for a while and they will make their debut at the Java Jazz now,'€ he said.

He added that Sheila on 7 would collaborate with the Ron King Horn Section, while Reza Artamevia would perform a duet with young soul and R&B singer Teza Sumendra.

The local lineup includes Benny Likumahuwa, Gilang Ramadhan, Afgan, Kahitna, Lea Simanjuntak, Mocca, the Oele Patiselano Quintet, Petra Sihombing, Tohpati, Tulus, the Idang Rasjidi Quintet, Dewa Budjana, Benny Mustafa and Kahitna.

JJF will also see collaborations between Dwiki Dharmawan and Austrian quartet Violet Spin, Tulus and Grammy-winner Maurice Brown and Polish musician Dominik Bukowski with Sri Hanuraga and Elfa Zulham.

A special focus on women is in the works, with performances from legendary singers Ermy Kulit, Rien Djamain and Margie Siegers in '€œThe Ladies in Jazz'€ project; Ruth Sahanaya in the '€œLove Songs'€ project; while a '€œTribute to Michael Jackson'€ will present a collaboration of Indonesia'€™s best male singers, including Glenn Fredly, Bams and Sandhy Sondoro.

'€œYoung maestro Ananda Sukarlan will also play a set of traditional songs which have been rearranged to add classic jazz sounds,'€ Eki said.

Organizers expect to attract 130,000 people to this year'€™s festival, which would be up from 120,000 in 2014.

Jakarta Culture and Tourism Agency head Purba Hutapea, who also spoke at the press conference, said that the JFF was essential in bringing local and foreign tourists to visit the capital.

'€œWe'€™re targeting to net 3 million foreign tourists this year, and I believe Java Jazz can give significant contribution to it,'€ he said.

For more information, visitjavajazzfestival.com.