MIRI: Borneo Jazz 2011 commences today until Sunday at ParkCity Everly Hotel.
The festival promises an enjoyable experience with artistes hailing from every corner of the globe – India, China, Japan, France, Brazil, Holland, Australia, United States, Canada and Malaysia.
The event, organised by Sarawak Tourism Board hopes to generate RM10 million in revenue and targets a crowd of 10,500 this year.
Sarawak Tourism Board chief executive officer Rashid Khan yesterday disclosed that responses from the tickets sales are very encouraging.
He also said around 60 per cent of the crowd are from outside Sarawak.
Eight bands will heat up the festival’s stage this year.
They are Maria Muldaur (USA), State of Monc (Holland), Yuchiro Tokuda’s Ralyzz Dig (Japan), Victor Yong & Electric Carnival Band (Malaysia/Canada), Les Doigts De L’Homme (France), John Hammond (USA), Cunha & Piper (Brazil/Australia) and SIU2 (China).
Four bands will be performing each night.
Opening the festival will be the respected guitar player from Mumbai – Dhruv.
He will perform at the opening night, tonight at Marina Seafood Restaurant.
Joining him will be ‘CQuence’, a band formed in 2008 by a multicultural group of friends in Miri.
The opening night is open to the public and dinner is included in the cost of tickets.
Grammy award winner, John Hammond who has repeatedly been voted as one of the top 10 blues artistes in the world, will take the stage tomorrow night with his combination of brilliant guitar and rack harmonica performance.
Hong Kong’s Ng Cheuk-yin, a sheng (mouth-organ) wizard, will also be present and he will be taking this five thousand year old instrument well into the 21st Century, promising to produce an unimaginably rich and unique new jazz sound.
His ‘SIU2’ augments the traditional jazz rhythm section of bass, drums, and piano with other traditional Chinese instruments such as the ‘sanxien’ and the ‘zheng’.
Les Doigts de L’Homme will take gypsy jazz to the next level.
Infusing exciting up-tempo music with elements of swing, rock, and even punk, they are pure energy in human form and will make you swing to the music.
Making their debut will be ‘Cunha & Piper’.
From hot bossa nova to sambas Cunha & Piper, the group will feature contemporary and traditional compositions that have won them fans.
Multiple Grammy nominee, Maria Muldaur, will perform on Saturday night.
She is perhaps best known for her seductive top-ten single ‘Midnight at the Oasis’ and has developed a loyal following of fans of all ages who are expected to come out to see this
versatile roots music stylist romance an audience as only she can.
Muldaur was nominated again for the 2010 Grammies.
Also performing is Yuichiro Tokuda’s Ralyzz Dig, an emerging star in the Japanese music scene.
They will be sharing the stage with State of Monc who has created an undeniable compelling vision of where jazz is going.
At the cutting edge of pumping dance, complex breakbeats and more traditional jazz, this Dutch sextet has spun a unique, new sound that ushers in a new era of its own.
Not forgetting our very own, Miri born, but well travelled, Victor Yong and the Electric Carnival Band who are a true voice of international jazz.
Whilst for the Sunday Matinee, Ray Piper’s Brazilada (Australia/Canada) is set to perform at Eastwood Valley Golf and Country Club.
Limited tickets will be available at the festival’s entrance.
However, to avoid disappointment, please log on to www.ticketcharge.com.my to purchase tickets online.
For more details, kindly log on to www.jazzborneo.com, email [email protected] or call the Miri Visitors Information Centre at +60-85-434180/81.