[jazz] Holland Weeks Ending Special: BOI AKIH Concert

It's raining, yes! Not the kind i would let down a performance at Erasmus Amphitheatre as a pre-show for 10th Annual JAKJAZZ 2008 featuring BOI AKIH, a Holland group with Ambonese vocalist, with Andrea Maulana Jazz Trio for the opening act; after a miss of 31st Annual Jazz Goes To Campus (JGTC), a letdown because of a promise made before.

It's 2 p.m., and Jakarta had already covered with cloud, followed then by a sudden rain, that stopped just before the show began at 3. It took another 15 mins or so to be prepared, when a nice-looking, young (i suppose?) woman entered the stage, communicating in english, quickly introduced her band members which included Ahmad (keyboard) and Yus Rajab (saxophone-flute). It's Andrea Maulana, started the opening act with a smooth composition of Roberta Flack's "Feel Like Making Love", followed by a medium beat of Natalie Cole's "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" (though i think it's not Cole who first made it popular). Next was rather mellow Chaka Khan's "My Funny Valentine" and one of Ella Fitzgerald's classic, "Satin Doll". Her improvised voice met with her group's virtous play made another afternoon to enjoy. She even joked about the basic every jazz-lovers should know: there's no mistakes in jazz play, there are only improvisations!

The show continued with wedding-favourite "L-O-V-E", which was her first song to learn back then. Playing a more pop "For Once In My Life" from Stevie Wonder to add another beat, before adding "I Love You For Sentimental Reason" near the end. And after "Route 66", it's finished.

Another 10 mins before the main show began, and a Chaka Khan impersonated showed up on stage, introducing herself as Monica Akihary, and start the act with a marvelous voice, one of the kind of Al Jarreau's or Ubiet's (Krakatau). With a lyric that include indonesian famous folk song "Naik Ke Puncak Gunung", she really made the audience feel like exploring the deep Indonesian culture by acculturation. And the songs that followed next were also of her native folk songs, those she mixed with jazz compositions (actually, they are rather "free compositions", but jazz is all about freedom, huh?). Well, it's only thing i could tell, for every song was as strange as a kitten in rodent's nest, but the richness of such compositions made everyone wouldn't be willing to leave before it's really over (besides of the Heineken's free flow, though...)

See you at this year JAKJAZZ... BOI AKIH will be there, along with some of the finest of world's jazzist!