Wuihhh.. 3 hari lagi menuju festival jazz terbesar di Indonesia, Jakarta International JavaJazz Festival. Ini tahun keempat saya menonton festival ini, dan seperti tahun-tahun sebelumnya, untuk tahun ini saya kembali berkesempatan menonton 3 hari penuh beserta special show-nya. Tetapi tidak hanya menonton, di tahun ini saya berkesempatan mengurusi 3 band sekaligus. Pada penyelenggaraan-nya tahun ini, JavaJazz tetap menampilkan musisi-musisi jazz terbaik dalam dan luar negeri.

Berikut list musisi dan band yg saya ingin saksikan di JavaJazz nanti :

Jumat :
International Artists :

- Matt Bianco
- James Ingram
- Bobby Caldwell
- Lee Ritenour & Friends
- Renee Olstead & Ron King Big Band
- Joe Sample & The Crusaders
- Kurt Elling
- Earth Wind & Fire Experience
- Michiel Borstlap `Eldorado`
- Sara Gazarek
- Gabriel Grossi & Daniel Santiago

Local Artists :
- Notturno
- Andezzz : [departure people]
- HIP HOP JAZZ COLLABORATION
- Phinisi
- Sol Project Guest Star Kaka Abdi Slank
- Abdul
- Barry Likumahuwa Project

Sabtu :
International Artists :
- The Manhattan Transfer
- D’Sound
- Maysa Leak
- George Clinton Funkadelic
- West Coast All Stars feat. Greg Adams, Jeff Kashiwa, Gregg Karukas
- Raul Midon
- Terumasa Hino
- The Harvey Mason Trio with very special guests Pat Martino & Tony Monaco
- Omar Sosa
- Steve Oliver & Humberto Valas
- Tineke Postma

Local Artists :
- Dwiki Dharmawan`World Peace Project` feat. W. Reyes, R. Burn, Tollak, S. Thornton.
- Sister Duke
- RAN
- Nial Djuliarso feat. Benny Mustafa Van Diest
- Radhini & Renita
- Souleh & Soulehah
- Endah & Rhesa

Minggu
International Artists :
- Babyface
- Najee
- Jody Watley
- Incognito
- Ray Parker Jr.
- Dhafer Youssef
- Latin Funk Encounter feat. Marc Antoine & Brian Simpson
- Frank Sinatra' Show by Gary Anthony & Ron King Big Band
- Coda
- Katalyst
- Franco D'Andrea Quartet

Local Artists :
- Soulvibe
- CRAVE
- Tri Sum Guest Star Tetsuo Sakurai & Roger Burn
- Dian Pramana Poetra
- Benny Likumahuwa & The Salamander Big Band
- Iwan Wiradz & Tri Budiman feat. Elfa Secioria
- Canizzaro

List diatas adalah daftar kasar untuk rencana menonton siapa-siapa saja, tetapi pada kenyataan-nya di lapangan nanti, daftar yg kita sudah buat itu suka hancur berantakan karena jadwal yg ngaret, ada musisi yg mencuri perhatian tetapi tidak ada di list, bertemu teman-teman dan break makan atau sholat. Sehingga waktu 9 jam menonton JavaJazz setiap hari-nya bisa saja hanya dihabiskan menonton segilintir artis saja. Sehingga saya yakin pada list diatas, ada artis yg luput saya tonton pada penyelenggaran JavaJazz nanti.

Tapi apapun kendala-nya, mudah-mudahan JavaJazz Festival 2008 ini mampu membuat saya kembali gegap gempita dan ketika tiba hari Minggu malam setelah festival ini selesai, saya akan kembali mengalami suatu syndrom tahunan yg bernama  : JAZZLAG.

Hehehe..

So guys, till we meet at JavaJazz. Hope we enjoy the festival !

Wah ini dia yg ditunggu-tunggu sejak lama !
Live at The Jakarta International JavaJazz Festival DVD !

Di taun 2005 ada :
- EWF Experience
- Incognito
- Lizz Wright
- Laura Fygi
- Tania Maria
and many more..

Di taun 2006 :
- Bob James
- Tetsuo Sakurai feat. Filo Machado
- Tortured Soul
- Dave Koz
- Kool & The Gang
- Mezzoforte
- Tower of Power
and many more..

Di taun 2007 :
- Jamie Cullum
- Chaka Khan
- Sergio Mendes
- Level 42
- Richard Bona
- Marcus Miller
- Lisa Ono
and many more..

Yg jadi pertanyaan gue, kenapa baru dikeluarinnya taun ini ? Padahal udah rencana dari taun 2005 sehabis nyelenggarain JJF yg pertama. Kalo taun ini dikeluarin, kan otomatis nyedot banyak duit karena gue mau semuaaa !!!!! huhuhuhuhu..

Mudah-mudahan murah meriah deh, kyknya gak mungkin ya ? Ya berdoa bersama sajalah.

Start:	Feb 22, '08
End:	Mar 5, '08

Ini dia pre-event JavaJazz 2008, pemanasan sebelum event sesungguhnya dateng ! Yg terpenting SISTER DUKE maen di Waterbom, gue bisa berenang gratisssss... !!! haha.. Thx u panitia JJF udah diatur jadwalnya sedemikian rupa, hehe.

22 Feb 2008 Friday 20:00-21:30
Location : Kemang Food Festival
Artists : Barry Likumahuwa

23 Feb 2008 Saturday 17:30-20:00
Location : Universitas Binus
Artists : Pasto, RAN

23 Feb 2008 Saturday 19:00-21:00
Location : Museum Sejarah
Artists : Two Triple O, Cindy Bernadette

24 Feb 2008 Sunday 17:00-19:00
Location : Waterbom Jakarta
Artists : Sister Duke, RAN

29 Feb 2008 Friday 20:30-22:00
Location : Soho Citos, Jakarta
Artists : RAN

01 Mar 2008 Saturday 21:00-23:00
Location : BSD Jajan Jazz, Serpong
Artists : Tiwi, Bibus

01 Mar 2008 Saturday 19:00-21:00
Location : Blitz Megaplex, Jakarta
Artists : Ecoutez, Two Triple O

02 Mar 2008 Sunday 20:00-21:30
Location : Airman Planet Lounge, Hotel Sultan, Jakarta
Artists : Nicky Manuputty

04 Mar 2008 Tuesday 16:00-19:00
Location : Universitas Pelita Harapan, Tangerang
Artists : Soulvibe, World Peace Project feat. Walfredo Rayes, Tollak, Roger Burn

04 Mar 2008 Tuesday 20:00-21:30
Location : Kudus Restaurant, Hotel Sultan, Jakarta
Artists : Kristin Berardi, James Sherlock

05 Mar 2008 Wednesday 19:00-21:00
Location : Pacific Place Mall, SCBD, Jakarta
Artists : Desti, The Jane Project

05 Mar 2008 Wednesday 19:30-21:30
Location : La Piazza, Kelapa Gading, Jakarta
Artists : Logic, Parkdrive

Watch Raul Midon only @ JavaJazz Festival 2008.
Saturday March 8, 2008, Cendrawasih 2 & 3
Sunday March 9, 2008, Cendrawasih 2 & 3

Raul Midon brings a vibrant sound steeped in classic soul to the pop arena, because pop is where a singer and a song can have the biggest and most widespread impact. When an envelope-pushing song becomes a pop hit, it shifts the entire musical landscape, forcing out the shopworn and clich?d while opening the windows of change to let in fresh ideas. The notion of shifting the landscape is this artist's passion; the wide-ranging skill sets he brings to bear on his mission provide him with the tools to pull it off.

The New Mexico-born, New York-based writer/vocalist/guitarist burst onto the scene in 2005 with his audaciously original debut album, State of Mind, and he's followed it up with an even more memorable song cycle, one that substantiates the depth of his talent and the degree of his dedication. A World Within a World, the title of the new album (Manhattan Records, Sept. 25), might refer to the status of pop music within the culture as a whole; it could also describe the expansive interior realm that this single-minded artist, blind from birth, has created with his imagination.Midon is bringing currency to a rich tradition of pop inventiveness, combining the beguiling soulfulness of Stevie Wonder, the inventive appropriation of non-indigenous musical elements pioneered by Paul Simon and the trend-defying individuality of Bill Withers. "These are mainstream artists who were on the charts and making art," Midon notes. "There isn't that much originality in pop these days, because everybody is trying to sound like what they think might fit into the narrow formats on radio. But the best pop is as important as much as any music. I mean, I love Paul Simon or James Taylor or Prince as much as I love Miles." With A World Within a World, Midon aims to do his part to replant the pop wilderness.

In the pop field, says Midon, with what turns out to be characteristic outspokenness, "You have to think about your audience, and at the same time make music that's interesting to you as an artist. If something you hate becomes successful, you still have to play it every night, and that's no way to live. Because my first record was successful enough to satisfy the label, and because of the quality of the people I'm working with, we made the second album exactly the way we wanted to make it, which is pretty extraordinary in this day and age. There was no interference, no 'Where's the single?' We didn't go through any of that."

The album's diversity is manifested with brio in the beguiling settings. The opening "Pick Somebody Up," which could serve as Midon's credo, embeds a theme of uplifting social consciousness in an insinuating groove and the sort of lush, uptown soulfulness that distinguished the career-defining albums of Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. The multitracked acappella piece "Ain't Happened Yet" references the the immediacy of street-corner doo-wop and the exuberance of the Beatles. "Save My Life" updates the silky '70s soul of the Stylistics and Delfonics, interpolated with the deep funk of the same period courtesy of Midon's wah-wah electric guitar part.

Midon focuses on another era altogether in "All the Answers," as he celebrates the ease of access to a vast universe of information thanks to the Internet; indeed, this may be the first lyric to specifically reference Googling. "When I grew up, you had to go to the library to find out about something," he points out. "The impact of the flow of information that we have today is impossible to overestimate-and what really fascinates me is, then, what do we choose to want to find out about? Time is finite, and I can't imagine spending my time on trivia-I just won't do it."


Just as unprecedented is "The More That I Know," which is equal parts love song, message song and modern-day spiritual. "On one level," Midon explains, "the song has to do with traveling-'The more that I know, wherever I go, I want to be close to you'-but it also uses metaphors in a different way. I've always felt at a disadvantage as someone who has never seen in that writing is very visual and image-driven. People really relate to images, and I've never seen images. So what I realized is that you have to write from what you know, and because people also hear, touch and feel, hopefully, they'll be able to relate to these songs. So that song is me starting to get into another way of writing-it's very much about my experience, and not trying to describe a sunset that I've never seen."

References to the perilous world we live in abound on A World Within a World. "Tembererana," which employs elements of Argentinean music, pits images of the threat of looming annihilation against "the power of creation." "The More That I Know" ponders metaphysical questions like "Why do the children suffer so?" And the culminating "Peace on Earth" places the radical humanism of John Lennon's "Imagine" in an unsettling contemporary context. "I got a few people accusing me of being na?ve on the first album-I don't think I'll get that this time," says Midon with a quick laugh.

Midon was born in Embudo, N.M., to an Argentinean father and an African-American mother. A passionate music lover for as long as he can remember, Midon started playing drums at age 4 before shifting his focus to the guitar. He turned down a scholarship in creative writing offered by the University of New Mexico after being selected by the University of Miami for its highly regarded jazz program. Staying in Miami after graduating, Midon became an in-demand backup singer, working primarily on Latin projects for artists like Julio Iglesias, Shakira and Alejandro Sanz, while moonlighting as a club performer, sprinkling the requisite cover songs with the original tunes he was starting to write.

On the city's stages, he diligently honed his craft as a singer, writer and guitarist, developing a syncopated, flamenco- and jazz-infused approach to the steel-stringed acoustic.

In 2002, when Midon felt he was ready, he walked away from his lucrative profession in order to pursue a solo career in New York City. "I wanted to become an artist and do what I wanted to do instead of being someone else's hired gun," he explains. When Midon performed for the legendary producer/arranger Arif Mardin, fresh off the recording of Norah JonesÕ breakthrough album, Come Away With Me, he offered the newcomer a deal on the spot-it would be the final signing of Mardin's long career. Ra?l readily accepted, eager to form a partnership with the highly skilled veteran and with Arif's multi-instrumentalist son Joe. Father and son co-produced State of Mind, which garnered critical accolades for its heady fusion of old-school soul, timeless pop, Latin, jazz and the singer/songwriter idiom.
Intrigued by what the youngster was cooking up, Wonder himself appeared on one track.

For A World Within a world, recorded after the death of the elder Mardin, Midon and Joe Mardin tightened the focus, with Joe laying down the grooves and playing additional instruments behind Midon's vocals and guitar parts on the majority of the tracks. "Like his father, Joe is a producer in the old-school sense of the word," says Midon. "He's interested in how a record sounds; he can do arrangements and conduct an orchestra-which he did on 'Pick Somebody Up.' Joe brought the value of making an album to the project, as opposed to just a collection of songs."

This is not your average pop record-not by a long shot. With A World Within a World, Midon has fashioned an album that is at once audacious and accessible, of the moment and suffused with history; it's personal yet universal, uncompromising yet inviting. This is that rare sort of pop album that could actually make a difference, and as such, it stands right alongside the pivotal works of the artists who inspired it.

Start:	Mar 7, '08 4:00p
End:	Mar 9, '08
Location:	JCC (Jakarta Convention Center)

Yep, the festival that we're waiting for..

/ international artists 2008

Confirmed Artists

* Babyface
* Bobby Caldwell
* Brian Simpson
* Chico & The Gipsies
* D-Sound
* Dhafer Youssef
* Earth Wind & Fire Experience featuring Al McKay All Stars
* Eric Darius
* Everette Harp
* Gabriel Grossi
* Gary Anthony
* Greg Adams
* Gregg Karukas
* Harvey Mason
* Incognito
* James Ingram
* Jeff Kashiwa
* Jeff Lorber
* Jody Watley
* Joe Sample & The Crusaders
* Julien Wilson Trio
* Katalyst
* Kazumi Watanabe
* Kristin Berardi & Mike Nock Trio
* Kurt Elling
* Lee Ritenour
* Lenny Castro
* Logic
* Marc Antoine
* Matt Bianco
* Maysa Leak
* Megan Bowman
* Michael Paulo
* Mike Nock Trio
* Najee
* Omar Sosa
* Raul Midon
* Ray Parker Jr.
* Renee Olstead
* Ron King All Stars Big Band
* Sara Gazarek
* Steve Oliver
* Terumasa Hino
* Tetsuo Sakurai
* The Manhattan Transfer
* Tineke Postma
* Tony Monaco
* West Coast All Stars

Still On Works / Wish List

* Atilia
* Ed Motta
* George Clinton

List musisi Indonesia blom diumumkan. Akan diupdate kalo udah ada.

/ ticket price

Java Jazz Festival 2008 Entrance Ticket :
(Tiket masuk yang wajib dibeli)

Daily Pass Normal Price:

Friday, 7 March 2008
Ticket price : Rp 500.000,-

Saturday, 8 March 2008
Ticket price : Rp 500.000,-

Sunday, 9 March 2008
Ticket price : Rp 500.000,-


3-day Pass Normal Price
Friday, Saturday, Sunday (7,8,9 March 2008)
Ticket price : Rp. 1.000.000,-


Daily Pass Early Bird:*

Friday, 7 March 2008
Ticket price : Rp. 350.000,-

Saturday, 8 March 2008
Ticket price : Rp. 350.000,-

Sunday, 9 March 2008
Ticket price : Rp. 350.000,-


3-day Pass Early Bird:*
Friday, Saturday, Sunday (7,8,9 March 2008)
Ticket price : Rp. 850.000,-

* Early Bird Tickets will be available at regular Ticket Box starting 11 January 2008.


Java Jazz Festival 2008 Special Show:**


James Ingram
Friday, 7 March 2008
Venue : Plenary Hall
Ticket price : Rp. 250.000,-

Bobby Cadwell (First Show)
Friday, 7 March 2008
Venue : Assembly Hall
Ticket price : Rp. 250.000,-

Bobby Cadwell (Second Show)
Saturday, 8 March 2008
Venue : Assembly Hall
Ticket price : Rp. 250.000,-

The Manhattan Transfer
Saturday, 8 March 2008
Venue : Plenary Hall
Ticket price : Rp. 250.000,-

Baby Face
Sunday, 9 March 2008
Venue : Plenary Hall
Ticket price : Rp. 350.000,-

Early bird ticket price


James Ingram
Friday, 7 March 2008
Venue : Plenary Hall
Early Bird Ticket price : Rp. 150.000,-

Bobby Cadwell (First Show)
Friday, 7 March 2008
Venue : Assembly Hall
Early Bird Ticket price : Rp. 150.000,-

Bobby Cadwell (Second Show)
Saturday, 8 March 2008
Venue : Assembly Hall
Early Bird Ticket price : Rp. 150.000,-

The Manhattan Transfer
Saturday, 8 March 2008
Venue : Plenary Hall
Early Bird Ticket price : Rp. 150.000,-

Baby Face
Sunday, 9 March 2008
Venue : Plenary Hall
Early Bird Ticket price : Rp. 250.000,-

Tadi browsing ke site-nya JavaJazz, liat International Artis, ternyata udah diconfirm semua !! Aduh parah banget, gila gila, mau pingsan gue liatnya, superstar semua, 3 hari kyknya ga cukup buat JavaJazz.. Sakti bener ini Om Peter Gontha !! Aduh harga tiketnya berapa lagi ?? Aduh aduh.. Tapi itu urusan belakangan, yg penting kita sambut JAVAJAZZ taun depan yg SUPER DUPER GOKIL ! AWESOME !!!!

Special Show-nya ada berapa biji ya ? hahaha.

/ international artists 2008

    * Al Jarreau
    * Bluey/Incognito presenting Joclyn Brown & Ed Motta
    * Bobby Caldwell
    * Brian Simpsons
    * Chico & The Gipsies
    * Dhafer Youssef
    * Earth Wind and Fire Experience Featuring Al Mckay All Stars
    * Eric Darius
    * Erykah Badu
    * Everette Harp
    * Greg Adams
    * Gregg Karukas
    * Harvey Mason
    * Incognito
    * Jeff Kashiwa
    * Jeff Lorber
    * Jody Watley
    * Joe Sample & The Crusaders
    * John Legend
    * Jonathan Butler
    * Kazumi Watanabe
    * Kirk Whalum & Family
    * Kurt Elling
    * Lee Ritenour
    * Lenny Castro
    * Marc Antoine
    * Matt Bianco
    * Maysa Leak
    * Michael Paulo
    * Najee
    * Norman Brown
    * Omar Sosa
    * Raul Midon
    * Ray Parker Jr.
    * Renee Olstead
    * Sara Gazarek
    * Steve Oliver
    * Swing Out Sister
    * Tetsuo Sakurai
    * The Manhattan Transfer
    * Tony Monaco
    * Trijntje Oosterhuis

Tiket JavaJazz Festival yg tadi-nya hanya berbentuk tanda terima, mulai hari Selasa ini sudah bisa diambil di lobby hotel Sultan. Dan siang tadi, saya bergegas kesana untuk menukarkan tanda terima tiket Multipass (3 days pass) yg saya beli dari November 2006 lalu (ya November, 4 bulan sebelum festival diadakan) dengan tiket resmi, juga saya menukarkan tiket special show Sergio Mendez dan Jamie Cullum yg saya beli dari bulan Januari lalu. Disana juga saya tidak sengaja bertemu Mbak Chicca, teman Multiply dan forum Jazz KG, dia juga lagi mau menukarkan tiket bersama kakak-nya yg cukup terkenal di panggung jazz tanah air, Chicco Hindarto. Untuk masalah harga, tentu-nya tiket itu semua saya beli dengan harga super miring, jadi berasa murah dibandingkan tiket orang-orang lain yg baru membeli-nya bulan-bulan ini, walaupun saya harus mengeluarkan uang yg jumlahnya juga tidak sedikit, cuma gak sampai 1 juta koq. Ya memang untuk ajang JavaJazz Festival, saya selalu sediakan budget khusus, maklum diadakan setahun sekali dan sudah pasti akan menghadirkan musisi jazz tersohor dari seluruh dunia yg akan memberi saya kepuasan menonton konser musik yg super dasyhat.

Alhamdulillah, selama JavaJazz diadakan (tahun ini untuk ketiga kali-nya) saya selalu menghadiri-nya selama 3 hari berturut-turut, jadi tahun ini saya mencetak hattrick. JavaJazz Festival saya yg ketiga, dan tiga hari berturut-turut juga. Hehehe. Walau tahun lalu saya hampir saja melewatkan acara ini karena 10 hari sebelum acara saya terkena penyakit demam berdarah, penyakit yg membuat saya harus terkapar selama 5 hari di rumah sakit. Saya ingat betul, saya berjuang keras untuk sembuh sebelum JavaJazz Festival, dan akhirnya Tuhan mengizinkan saya menonton festival ini. Tepat 1 Maret (2 hari sebelum festival) saya keluar dari rumah sakit, dan hebatnya (atau gila-nya ?), dalam perjalanan pulang dari rumah sakit, saya menyempatkan diri dulu ke lobby hotel Sultan untuk menukarkan tiket 3 days pass JavaJazz Festival. Hahahaha. Gelo !

Untuk tahun ini, saya tentu saja tidak ingin kejadian tahun lalu berulang kembali, maka dari itu saya benar-benar menjaga diri saya untuk tidak melakukan aktivitas yg berlebihan demi kesehatan saya dan tentu saja demi kelangsungan saya menonton salah satu festival jazz terbesar di dunia ini. Hehehe.

Tidak terasa festival yg saya tunggu selama 1 tahun ini akhirnya hampir tiba, tepat 2 hari lagi saya lagi-lagi akan menyaksikan aksi ribuan musisi yg tersaji di 16 panggung di dalam Jakarta Convention Center, plus kesempatan langka menonton the Bossanova legend Sergio Mendez dan the jazz hobbit yg saya yakin akan menjadi salah satu musisi jazz nomor satu pada beberapa tahun mendatang, Jamie Cullum.

So, see u @ the festival, guys !