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JJF makes vibrant return under overcast skies
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Multi mash-up: American singer-songwriter JoJo marked her first appearance at the Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival (JJF) with a show that spanned multiple genres. (Instagram/Java Jazz Festival) (Instagram/Java Jazz Festival)
The 17-year-old music festival has returned to relevance with help from some of its veteran staples, as well as fresh new acts.
The organizers of this year's Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival (JJF) had their work cut out for them.
Even though the festival was held over the final weekend in May, which is typically characterized by sunlit skies and summery conditions, all three days of the JJF were overcast with occasional tepid showers. To boot, the first day almost lost its fervor when rain forced festivalgoers to run for cover, as opposed to enjoying the music and food stalls in its outdoor venue at Jakarta International Expo (JIExpo) in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.
This year’s JJF was supposed to be a triumphant return after nearly two years of absence, a welcome gong signaling that the COVID-19 pandemic would no longer keep music lovers from enjoying the star-studded extravaganza. That said, it seems that another delay was never an option.
With a massive lineup of more than 92 acts spread across 10 different stages that included household names like JoJo, Candra Darusman and Maliq & D'essentials as well as first-timers like Daniel Dyonisius, Kaleb J and Tiara Andini, JJF 2022 seemed to be aiming for more than just a triumphant return.
As the festival enters the final half of its second decade, organizer Java Festival Production appears to have become more ambitious than ever to protect Java Jazz's reputation as not only one of the biggest music festivals in the Southern Hemisphere, but also the most relevant.
‘Like coming home’
The first day of the festival was a swinging, if soaked, affair that kicked off with ADORIA, the breakout act from the Season 1 of the MLD Jazz Project, and Palu-based jazz group Culture Project.
The day hit its stride once the major-league acts took to their respective stages. Maliq & D'essentials brought forth the power of early-2000 nostalgia with crowd-pullers like "Setapak Sriwedari" (Touch of charm) and "Senja Teduh" (Calm twilight), the latter is most likely the reason why jazz is now called “the music of anak senja (twilight kids)”.
Jazz-pop singer-songwriter Monita Tahalea, already a regular presence at Java Jazz since 2006, welcomed festivalgoers at JIExpo’s Brava Hall with a palpably cheerful smile before she took them on a journey through her discography, including her latest single "Berlalu" (Slip by), released just two days before the show.
"It feels like coming home. I'm one of the artists who, you could say, came of age at Java Jazz," Monita told The Jakarta Post after her set. She added that performing at the festival reminded her of “why I make music in the first place and also, pushes me to innovate and develop myself”.
Monita's return this year to Java Jazz was more than a homecoming, as she teased that her debut live performance of "Berlalu" was also a "hint" at the next chapter of her career. "There will be lots of other hints after this," she said, laughing.
Monita was not the only one gunning to make a memorable impression. Pop R&B trio RAN injected a high dose of energy into the festival with their signature bops "Selamat Pagi" (Good morning) and "Pandangan Pertama" (At first sight).
Jazz veteran Andien visibly held back tears as she celebrated the 22nd year of her career with her set, complemented with surprise guest star Adikara Fardy in a duet of a reimagined "Saat Bahagia" (Joyful moments). Meanwhile, Lea Simanjuntak showed off her scat singing as she joined composer Erwin Gutawa at BNI Hall.
American soul/R&B artist JoJo was one for Java Jazz's history book, her performance also marking her first live appearance in Indonesia. The artist held no prisoners as she served up the rowdy audience with a genre-spanning spectacle, from a flirty mash-up of "Baby It's You" and "Like That" to a cover of Anita Baker's 1986 soul ballad, "Caught Up in the Rapture".
"When I look on social media, for years my Indonesian fans have been asking me, 'When are you coming to Indonesia?' This [was] going to be my first time playing here, so when I got the opportunity, I was so excited because it's been in my heart to come to this part of the world for a long time," JoJo gushed before she took to the stage.
Did her Java Jazz gig also hint at an Asian tour in the future? "I mean, I would like that to be the case," she answered.
JoJo left on an emotional note when she performed "Say Love" to a backdrop of the names of the victims of the tragic school shooting on May 24 in Uvalde, Texas. "We can love harder than we have ever loved," JoJo told the crowd.
Young blood
Java Jazz’s second and third days were dominated by younger, up-and-coming acts.
Jazz guitarist Daniel Dyonisius made his JJF debut by performing his 2021 debut album, Miles to Go, while R&B upstart Kaleb J and rap rookie Basboi served up one of the most unexpected team-ups with their groovy take on Glass Animals' viral hit, "Heat Waves".
As part of the Yamaha Music Project, pop R&B artist Ziva Magnolya took to the stage at MLDSpot Hall to perform her latest hit, "Peri Cintaku" (My love fairy).
Rizky Febian invited his girlfriend, pop upstart Mahalini, to the stage for a brief, romantic exchange before proceeding with "Terlukis Indah" (Beautifully painted). Making his inaugural Java Jazz appearance as a solo act, TheOvertunes frontman Mikha Angelo put on a live band interpretation of a few tracks from his solo albums, 2020’s Amateur and its 2021 follow-up EP (extended play), Lover.
"Not everyone can say they performed their first albums for the first time on a Java Jazz stage," Mikha quipped after his performance.
Another up-and-coming act that helped rejuvenate the 17-year-old festival was the pairing of Arsy Widianto and Tiara Andini, with renowned songwriter-producer Yovie Widianto accompanying them on the piano on the open-air BonCabe Stage. The crowd was mostly packed with adoring fans and couples as the duo churned out one romantic ballad after another, including "Dengan Caraku" (With my way) and "Bahaya" (Danger). Their Java Jazz set came hot on the heels of the first stop on their Bahaya Mantan Terindah Live Tour 2022, which kicked off on May 27.
"If a lot of people want to watch us perform, that would be an extraordinary kind of love," 22-year-old Arsy said minutes before the duo took to the stage.
"They must have made many sacrifices to come here for us, their time or their [money] and stuff. I feel like our music has received tremendous appreciation," 20-year-old Tiara added.
Notwithstanding the Gen Z musicians making a splash, veteran acts also proved that they could still generate the same, if not more, rapturous crowd. Jazz icon Candra Darusman took to a full-house venue, wooing the audience with his swoon-worthy "Perjumpaan Kita" (Our encounter) and "Waktuku Hampa" (My time is empty).
On the other stage, Afgan was greeted by screaming fans, mostly female, and proved he was still the country's heartthrob with his signature ballad "Bawalah Cintaku" (Take my love away) and rock band Dewa 19's classic "Takkan Ada Cinta yang Lain" (There’s no other love).
While Java Jazz has evolved beyond strictly jazz, several acts still offered their respects to the festival's initial spirit. Pop outfit D'MASIV put a jazzy twist on the band's torch ballad, "Apa Salahku" (What did I do wrong), while Dewa 19 frontman Ahmad Dhani shared a stage with Ron King Big Band as he sang Frank Sinatra standards "The Best is Yet to Come" and "I Get a Kick Out of You".
"Are you guys fans of jazz, or fans of Dewa 19?" he asked the crowd.
Regeneration
Mikha Angelo, 24, praised how the festival had embraced a larger number of young musicians in its lineup. "I feel like this is the first time that we young, fresh musicians who come from different genres were allowed to perform on the Java Jazz stage. It's exhilarating, seeing this platform open up even more," he said.
Luthfi Suryanda, a journalist with music blog Creative Disc, ultimately concluded that the abundance of millennial and Gen Z artists at this year's JJF might be the festival's attempt to “rebrand itself”.
"Jazz is always equated to music for an older audience. Now, Java Jazz wants to rebrand itself so [more] people can get to know jazz music as well,” he said, adding that it was also “aiming for audience regeneration”.
“The older audience will most likely feel discouraged about attending the festival because they are tired or they no longer have the energy to watch live gigs of this scale," he opined.
