The aspiration to hold the UGM Jazz concert twice a year is getting closer to reality. After in 2009 for the first time UGM successfully held the jazz concerts twice in May and December, this year a similar concert will again be held on Thursday, May 27th, 2010.
UGM-BNI Jazz 2010 is the 13th show held on a regular basis by UGM in Yogyakarta. With the tradition to hold the jazz concert, UGM is now hailed as the only campus in Indonesia which has a tradition of jazz concerts on every semester. "The concert was held at the end of the lecture period, which is two weeks before the students attend the final exam," said Dr. Tony Prasetiantono on UGM campus, Monday (17/5).
As a committee chairman, Tony explained that in each event, the committee purposely designed the event by offering various types or branches of jazz to reach wider audience, while the concert format is made similarly with a festival that presents several groups at once. "The difference is that the festival is usually held in several stages, meanwhile at UGM Jazz there will only be one stage, so the audience is concentrated in one place," explained the lecturer of the Faculty of Economics and Business UGM.
He added that the "semi-festival" concert will be divided into three segments. For the mainstream jazz fans, Idang Rasjidi and His Quartet will play the standard numbers in the first segment. Idang will be accompanied by drummer Sandy Winarta, bassist Shadu Rasjidi, Noor Azmi, sax player from Malaysia, and guitarist Shaku Rashidi. In this segment there also will be a performance by singer Dewi Sandra. “We do recognize Dewi as a pop and rhythm and blues singer, who actually also has the potential and twist to sing jazz," said Tony.
In the second segment, he said, RAN band, rising and popular among young people, will be presented. This band within the last two years has demonstrated an interesting performance in Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta. This band has even produced a concert DVD. "RAN Band has intentionally been invited to the concert to attract the younger audience," he added. As a closing stage, duet singers Audy and Tompi will be presented. The Band that will present Echa Sumantri as a young drummer would accompany the performance of these two singers. "Tompi himself has been absent quite a long time from UGM-BNI Jazz event in Yogyakarta, thus his performance this time will be highly anticipated by his fans," said Tony.
From time to time, the UGM-Jazz concert always attracts spectators. The various branches of jazz presented there seem to be the key of success that consequently attract 4000 spectators who crowded the Grha Sabha Pramana hall in Bulaksumur, Yogyakarta. For this event, Butet Kertaredjasa and Sarah Sechan were asked to conduct the event.
"The tickets are always sold out in a few days of sales. This enthusiasm of the Yogyakarta public is the energy for UGM-Jazz event to be held up to two times a year. This support is incredible to maintain the sustainability of jazz concerts tradition on the Blue Campus. Hopefully, in the future it will continue to be so, as long as we can maintain and continuously improve quality. Until Monday, May 10th, 70 percent of tickets have been sold. It seems this concert will achieve the fastest “sold out†in the history of the UGM-Jazz event," concluded Tony.