Jazz—Infinite Freedom
EIGHT decades ago, jazz music was heard in the Malay palaces of Siak, Deli and Kutai. For instance, Riau at the time was a cosmopolitan area: a coastal region which accepted influences of many cultures. Jazz was nothing new. But it is only recently that jazz received the attention of Indonesian youth. Moreover, they are not simply passive beings that accept cultural spillovers brought by African-Americans.
At the 2008 Malacca Strait Jazz Festival in Pekanbaru on 5-7 June, a number of jazz groups gathered and demonstrated their music creativity. Amongst them was Zarro n the Vega which expressed the rich harmony of Brazilian jazz. Geliga, a group from Riau, succeeded in incorporating Malay elements into jazz music. Jazz can mean just about anything. The following is Tempo's coverage of the festival.
June 24, 2008
The city of Pekanbaru, was holding a small event, the annual jazz festival on 5-7 June 2008. A giant billboard stood on each side of the main entrance of the performance arena; a number of utility vehicles were busy transporting instruments and sound systems; banners of sponsors competed with those of candidates campaigning for political office; local newspapers carried front page news and photographs of the musicians, as if shifting the most dra
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