Monday, March 05, 2007

Java Jazz Fest 07

Jakarta deserves a big applause, finally, for having held the Java Jazz Festival successfully for the third time. No ifs or buts, I had an orgasmic time and am going to spend a lot of space ranting about it, so excuse me.

First show, Airto Moreira, which is the one who looks rather like the late Saddam Hussein, started with a difficult tribal number, followed with intense latin rythms, did a perfect mix of hip-hop rap and brazilian beats, and ended with a Brazilian carnival arrangement, and the audience literally left their seats and danced. As my bro puts it: it’s the closest we’ll ever get to Brasil for the time being. (it may be worth noting that going to Brasil is on my list of things-to-do-before-I-die)

I’d also like to pay special tribute to his guitarist, who managed what I once thought was impossible:
A curly mohawk.












John Scofield was of course, as brilliant as John Scofield, so I will spare the elaboration, but would like to highlight instead his backing guitarist + computerist. I didn’t know Jazz could be so high-tech. The result was a very progressive mix of sounds touching up a strong funk root. It was deliciously fresh.















Marcus Miller got the audience into a frenzy of cheers and bopping heads with his funky bass grinds, accompanied by trumpet, sax, and… harmonica! Very unique instrument to improvise with, and so added a dash of pleasant eccentricity. Must borrow/steal bf’s harmonica and try my luck.















Lisa Ono was… sweet. That’s pretty much it. No surprises there, but deserves mentioning nonetheless because her arrangements are extremely adorable, great for those peaceful rainy mornings.















A tribute to the only Indonesian jazz pianists I watched is a must, so here they are, master and student, Bubi Chen (left) and Andi Wiriantono (right) in motion.









Japanese players Kimiko Itoh, Yosuke Onuma, and Koji Goto, teamed up with Fourplay’s Harvey Mason and gave a very charming classical jazz performance.







San Fransisco Jazz Collective featuring Joshua Redman… pure genius. They did a tribute to Thelonius Monk as well as some of their own creations. With asymmetrically harmonious compositions, the brass players were perfectly synchronized with one another, yet made seemingly effortless and flexible improvisations that draws you in like a magnet. I rose and fell with them, I felt the achingly beautiful phrases take control of me and I surrendered. In teenage-like awe, I managed to take a picture with Joshua Redman and ask for his autograph. (he looks rather like Vin Diesel :) )










Very happy! :)

Saturday, March 03, 2007

"I have read seven out of ten most-read books" I proclaimed proudly.
bf applauded politely and obligingly, his head tilted in a slight bow.
"I can see you're very impressed."
"Very.", he replied, quickly.
After several moments of silence, he finally asked, "so what are they?"

*grin*
So here it is, according to BBC.com:

  1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, which of course I have read at least three times, check.
  2. Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R Tolkien, check
  3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, this one I haven’t read
  4. Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling, check
  5. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, check
  6. The Bible, uh-oh… not into that
  7. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, check
  8. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, haven’t read
  9. His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman, check
  10. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, check!
"That's amazing.", said my bored companion.

Friday, March 02, 2007

Mismatched.

Laughter from outside tingles my skin
Trapped in apathy and shivering from the cold
but disgusted

I count my days with scratches
On the wall, with my nails, months old
As predicted.

-------------------------------------------

I want to feel like I don’t belong and have the privilege not to care.

Such are the precious moments and minutes to pass, wielding fluxes of apathy, and then worry, and then nausea, and then dejection, and then disgust, and then awe, and then shit. Purity and insanity are not so different, did you know? But the drive won’t go away. It streams like a onewayhighway and pushes everything out of its path. What do they call it these days? Ambition. Competitiveness. Idealism. Whatever. Keepgoingkeepgoingkeepgoing. Like a mantra.
[I hear laughter outside this room. It is disturbingly noisy.]

I don’t want to spend the rest of my life trying to feel like I belong. There are moments for that and they should not prevail. There are moments to persevere and there are moments to quit.
[poor spoilt little girl… thought she’d always be okay no matter what]
Shutup shutup shutup.
I am so misunderstood.