And finally, our first chance to review and witness the Java Jazz Festival, often cited as the largest jazz festival in the southern hemisphere, has arrived. The 9th instalment, held at the JIExpo at Kemayoran, Jakarta, was pretty much everything we expected it to be: a huge (and at times, uncomfortable) corporate event with a mix of world-class jazz instrumentalists and a healthy choice of boring pop-based acts. And being an unadulterated music snobs, We are of course basing our review on a handful of artists we had the privilege to watch. Thus this review is a focus on class acts spanning a few generations.

Glen Dauna Quintet

After almost 2 hours of anticipation and anxiety in this notorious Jakarta’s Friday traffic, we finally arrived and went straight to the SEMERU Hall to see our first JAVAJAZZ 2013 experience with Glen Dauna Quintet with their Jimi Hendrix Experience show. This really gets us going since Glen’s reinterpretation of Jimy’s works into Jazz format is quiet a challenging task to perform.

The Quintet is made of Glen Dauna (Piano), Dion Subiakto (Drums), Kevin Joshua (Bass), Indra Dauna (Trumpet), and a very young and talented harmonica player, Rega Dauna, who is in his late teenage years. The show was open with “The Winds Cries Mary” which originally released by The Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1967.

Glen transformed this subtle rock classic into a cool jazzy number. “Hey Joe” and “3rd Stone from the Sun” followed the same treatment of jazz’s polyrhythms and syncopation, which transformed the rugged experience of the 60’s by the sound of Kansas City in the 40’s, we never heard these songs so swingy and boppy before. Glen’s reinterpretation raised up to the expectation and the band’s individual performances exceeded in all standard. Other than Glen’s charm in piano, he was help by his two sons and music prodigy Indra (Trumpet) and Rega (Harmonica). Their exceptional skills could be heard in every pieces they performed this evening; mostly in the last song Purple Haze. Glen turned the intro of this legendary cut into a call and response of the trumpet and harmonica, and giving his 2 sons a change to shine for the show.

It was an hour of interesting way of listening to Jimi’s work, and Glen’s Quintet sure knows how to keep the interest going!

Jimmy Cliff

Since the announcement of Jimmy Cliff for this year JAVAJAZZ, we’re very giddy and can’t stop thinking about seeing this “harder they come” Jamaican singer and when it’s finally the time, Jimmy came HARD! Friday 1st of March, the first day of JAVAJAZZ 2013 was also Jimmy Cliff’s first ever performance in Jakarta and it was a festive one with the crowd hypnotised by the jamaican groove for more than an hour of the show.

Jimmy was accompanied by a large band of around 9 who were dressed in black and red like an army of Cliff. “You Can Get it if You Really Want” was the appropriate opening tune for this set which created euphoria straight away. The second dish was our favorite “Treat The Youths Right” making the local rude boys to storm in and create more mayhem in the crowed.

The classics like “Wild World”, “I Can See Clearly Now” and “Rivers of Babylon” came in to injects more adrenaline for the audience who properly amazed by this majestic performance by the 64 years old Jamaican musician, singer and actor. Even though Jimmy Cliff has aged a bit he was very dynamic – always keeping the audience engaged as opposed to simply being spectators. The audience was in love with the performance and when “The Harder They Come” started the place was once again erupted with again the local rude boys showing their enthusiasm. There was really a magical vibe amongst the audience. And even after the last song “One More”, the most recent work by Jimmy Cliff, the audience keep asking for another encore. Jimmy Cliff came and not only jazzed up the night like only a roots reggae man can, but gave us the positive vibration for the rest of JAVAJAZZ 2013.

Duke/Clarke 4

I’ve managed to miss George Duke’s sets a few times during my stay in Amsterdam, one being a mouth-watering combined set with Robert Glasper. And since the opportunity arose this time for his set at this year’s Java Jazz festival, performing together with jazz-rock bassist with rubber fingers Stanley Clarke no less, I made sure I got down there in time to watch the acclaimed keyboardist in action.

In all the performance was more or less what I expected an old-skool jazz-funk-rock duo performing at an Indonesian jazz festival would. Packed with tooth-decaying ballads (Sweet Baby springs to mind), red-hot jazz-funk tunes and a lot in between, the quartet that included a 21 year-old drummer performed classics from both Duke and Clarke’s back catalogue. A particular highlight would be a couple of the closing tracks: a rendition of Clarke’s School Days as well as the quartet’s adaptation of two Parliament-Funkadelic classics.

José James

Of all the acts I couldn’t wait to catch at JJF2013, this would be the one! A recent signee to Blue Note records with his superb album No Beginning No End, Jose performed at the A1 Tebs Hall with his backing band consisting of drummer Richard Spaven, keyboardist Kris Bowers, trumpeter Takuya Kuroda, and bass player Solomon Dorsey. Their soulful blend of modern jazz with a hip-hop aesthetic was, well, damned soulful, dotted with funky jazz breakdowns whenever Jose saw fit to do so.

Their improvised set was comprised mostly of tracks from his aforementioned new album, dotted with a few well-loved covers such as Grover Washington’s ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’.

Barry Likumahuwa Project’s Weather Report Tribute

Being the son of a Weather Report fanatic, I was well chuffed when one of the hottest properties of Indonesian jazz, Barry Likumahuwa decided to assemble his band for the sole purpose of playing Weather Report classics. And a joyful experience it was too, with the 7-piece band (including a couple of 20-year olds) going through some Weather Report classics such as Teen Town, Black Market and Scarlett Woman.

Barry Likumahuwa himself was immense, playing like, without sounding like a pastiche copy, of Jaco Pastorious, one of Likumahuwa’s idols. To cap the evening off, Likumahuwa’s mentor and buddy Indra Lesmana joined the stage, playing the Melodica to a rapturous reaction from the sizeable crowd.

Miles Smiles: Larry Coryell, Joey DeFrancesco, Omar Hakim, Daryll Jones, Rick Margazita and Wallace Roney

The final performance of the evening that I managed to witness was an hour long tribute to Miles Davis, featuring former members of Miles’ various bands: ace guitarist Larry Coryell, keyboardist Joey DeFrancesco, drummer Omar Hakim, saxophonist Daryll Jones, bassist Rick Margazita and trumpeter Wallace Roney. The performance, which took place at the massive BNI Hall, was impressive in its technicality, yet lacked a certain ‘oomph’. Perhaps due to the size of the venue, the lack of enthusiasm from the crowd, or both.

A certain amount of respect must be given to Wallace Roney, who sounded (and looked) eerily like his former mentor with the big and unassuming sunglasses coupled with his iconic upright trumpet-playing posture. Larry Coryell, whom I respect very much as fusion guitarist was in his more relaxed mood, playing chops and solos from the comfort of the chair he was sitting on.

Java Jazz Highlights is written by Chandra Drews and Bergas Haryadita