UBUD, Bali (BPN) – The 11th Ubud Village Jazz Festival (UVJF) set to kick off on August 2nd and 3rd, 2024, at STHALA Ubud Portfolio Hotel, with artists’ line-up comprising exceptional talents hailing from both domestic and international backgrounds.
The Sthala Ubud Village Jazz Festival 2024, will feature a blend of exceptional jazz music, top-notch audio quality, and an impressive venue layout, making it a highly anticipated event.
In addition to delighting in the exceptional jazz performances, attendees will also have the opportunity to indulge in a variety of culinary offerings and beverages provided by local vendors, adding to the overall experience for esteemed guests.
According to Anom Darsana, founder of the festival, the origin of the UVJF can be traced back to small jazz concerts and jam sessions commenced through a collaboration between Yuri Mahatma and Anom Darsana.
Their shared vision led to the establishment of an International Jazz Festival, which has continued to evolve over the past 11 years since its inception in 2013, with the exception of the year 2020 due to the global pandemic.
UVJF was initiated due to the ambition of the creative individuals involved, seeking to establish a high-calibre, internationally recognized festival that is entirely powered and operated by Bali’s local talents.
This event aims to provide educational, inspirational, and appreciation-enhancing experiences for the audiences.
“Our Festival is far beyond business-as-usual. Because for us, commitment in terms of quality always comes first,” said Anom Darsana in a press conference on Thursday (25 July).
Meanwhile Yuri Mahatma, co-founder of UVJF, said that the festival is a platform to express their strong commitments of ideas and concepts. And that’s what makes it very unique.
One of the distinctive features of UVJF is its steadfast commitment to showcasing jazz music exclusively, making it the only jazz festival in Indonesia of its kind.
“We need to always educate people and reintroduce jazz. Jazz is a form of music that takes a certain level of appreciation from the audience to enjoy,” said Yuri Mahatma who is also a jazz musician.
Furthermore, he added, “As for a jazz musician, the essence of jazz is freedom through improvisations.
Improvisation means interpretation. To be able to interpret, we need to literate ourselves of some topics such as its history, philosophy etc.
There’s no way one can claim himself a jazz musician just because he can play some fancy licks.
And this essence can be analogised to life in general.
“Jazz is complex and sophisticated, but it’s still music. Not math nor rocket science. It must keep the emotions related with its audiences,” added Anom.
The UVJF 2024 artists’ line-up including: Adien Fazmail Quinteto (Indonesia), Benny Irawan Trio (Indonesia), Claude Diallo with Indra Gupta and Gustu Brahmanta (Switzerland-Indonesia), Collective Harmony (Indonesia), Eric Chong Trio with Kanhaiya (Hongkong-Indonesia), FAWR (Indonesia), Galaxy Bigband (Indonesia), Jazz Centrum (Indonesia), New Centropezn (Russia), Noe Clerc Trio (France), Rodrigo Parejo Quartet (Spain – Indonesia), Simone Prattico Trio (Italy, Uwe Plath Quartet (Germany), Zagorski-Skowronski Project feat. Kajetan Galas (Poland).
