Musician Azfansadra “Adra” Karim has a lot under his belt to prove that genre-labeling shall not be the next frontier.

Adra carries many labels. He is a jazz musician, lecturer, composer, arranger, music director, producer and the keyboardist in a number of bands. And he has green thumbs.

His ability to bring out the rich sounds in music - besides his friendly personality - got him involved in numerous productions and music projects that made him an all-round musician. But he preferred to be a “sideman”.

“I’m not a musician who would be at ease playing on stage as the frontman,” he said during an online workshop titled Alur Bunyi held by the Goethe-Institut on July 8, in which he talked about work ethic and versatility in music. 

This mentality to become a supporting musician he also picked up from his own experience. 

During a tour with New York musical all-stars Kennedy Administration, keyboardist Ondřej Pivec - a Hammond organ player just like Adra - told him that a good sideman would have a longer career than a soloist.

When he was in a jazz quartet along with Indonesian guitarist Johanes Radianto, their tutor jazz drummer Owen Hart Jr. would improvise more when the sax player was not performing his best.

“I asked him out of curiosity and he said he did what was needed by the music. From then on I think I have to do my best to contribute to the music and make it whole for the listeners to enjoy,” he said.

Born on May 27, 1981, the son of actress Niniek L. Karim started playing classical piano at five years old and got exposed to various genres of music from pop and rock to acid jazz during his teen years playing in various bands.

One of them, called Susu, had members who now dominate the Indonesian music scene such as guitarist Nikita Dompas, drummer Brian Kresno Putro, music sequencer Rifka Rahman, trumpeter Amar Ibrahim and operatic singer Lea Simanjuntak.

While embracing rock music, Adra also sought a music genre other than the guitar-oriented music of the 1990s. He was hooked onto the intro of Sony’s driving simulation game Gran Turismo, which adopted jazz piano music.

In the early 2000s he joined jazz band Tomorrow People Ensemble and made his name in the local jazz community. His exploration into the genre and its ramifications also got him to know about American jazz organist Larry Young - the Coltrane of the organ - who redefined the use of the Hammond organ, an electric instrument with two manuals and a set of pedals.

Adra finished his studies at the University of Indonesia majoring in law and was admitted to the Netherland’s ArtEZ Academy of Music in Enschede for a bachelor's degree in jazz piano and Hammond organ and later to the Prince Claus Conservatorium in Groningen for a master of arts degree, during which he got the chance to tour around Europe alongside various jazz groups.

“At that time there were many great pianists in Indonesia so I needed to expand my skill to survive in the industry. My mother also said it was better to be the head of an ant than the tail of an elephant,” he said.

The accomplished musician has collaborated with many artists and musicians — both jazz and non-jazz —  and handled big bands and orchestras for their stage performance.

“Whatever the music genre is, I’m in,” he said in a follow-up interview with The Jakarta Post.

“There shouldn’t be exclusivity in music where we put musicians into different boxes. Genre distinctions should not stop us from creating and enjoying music.”

A member of easy-listening pop band Zatua, jazz groups Tuslah and Her Coat of Arms, he was also the keyboardist for rock band Getah. Recently, he joined Sic Mynded, an electro-rock band that had been on hiatus for 15 years.

Originally a duo of Oddie Octaviadi and Rudi Soedjarwo formed in San Diego in 1993, Sic Mynded's new members include drummer Marcell Siahaan, sound designer and guitarist Gatot Alindo, and bassist Aldi Pagaruyung.

The group released its digital album Jelaga 2020 in early July, a reformatting of its second album in 1999.

“We’re thinking about making music for games, because why not?” he said, adding that music for games was “serious” music.

And so are jingles for commercials.

Adra was commissioned to create music for a collaborative project between China smartphone brand OPPO and British perfume and scented candle brand Jo Malone London, and was granted the freedom to reinterpret the ad's storyboard.

The Tale of Two Oranges (For OPPO Find X2 Series) which was released in mid-July on digital music platforms was Adra’s first solo album.

He presented an eclectic sound of funk, pop and swing jazz across the album that consisted of six compositions, only one number titled “Sweet Orange” came with lyrics.

Adra said that to be able to ride on the music open market today, musicians were expected to have knowledge about other music genres as well. 

“As long as we have the mindset that one kind of music is tacky and another is not, we would be stopped from exploring the music itself. On the other side of the coin, when the prejudice is no longer there, there would be mutual respect between musicians and their listeners.”

Again, he was talking from his own experience. 

Adra has been working on blending traditional Balinese music and jazz - a continuation of his thesis - to find a new sound that could represent Indonesian music.

He showcased the music at a Hammond organ jazz concerto in Spain with composer Andreas Arianto and found the audience thrilled by it.

“When I was working on my thesis, the only reference available was written by a non-Indonesian. The distance we have with our folk and traditional music is also shown in how rarely traditional music-inspired songs become popular in our country. And this situation has to change.”

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