Jason Mraz and Java Jazz

My 2nd Java Jazz after Jamie Cullum's Java Jazz in 2007.
This time round, my target is Jason Mraz. Luckily I don't need to spend thousands of dollars to get to see him! Unlike the previous encounter with Jamie where I had to fly back home from Melbourne just to see him live, and boy that was worth every dime!

My first impression of Java Jazz back then does not change for this year as well.

Java JAZZ, the event should already speaks for itself. The biggest JAZZ event ever held in Indonesia! (can i say, entire asia?)
However, as time goes by, it becomes a mix of pop-ish tune mesh with contemporary jazz. This, to attract more and more crowd from the youngest to mature audience. What do we get?

The real Jazz aficionados are only glimpse to the eyes can see. Some of the chic and clueless figures are there to celebrate the biggest event, whom target the mid to higher society. This is the place to see and be seen! not necessarily for the Jazz itself.

This year's most awaited special show is Jason Mraz.
He took almost half the exhibition hall just to himself and his crowd (which were crazy massive!!!). Java Jazz 2009 was his first performance in Indonesia.

As I have observed from few concerts I went in Jakarta and Melbourne, the differences are too obvious. Firstly, here in Indonesia we tend to take our cameras out for the entire show and record every bit of the concert into our tiny cam for documentation instead of dance and enjoy the live music. Then, we tend to sing! ALL and LOUD.
Musicians would be so pleased if the crowd are too enthusiastic to their music and leave all the singing to the crowd. Well, they may be pleased, but I'm not!!!! I went to concerts to hear them sing live! not to hear all those high pitch crowd noises sing!

To that extent, you should've seen the cheeky smile of Mr. Mraz the entire night. He must've been too shocked to realize how big he is in Indonesia. When crowd started to sing the entire song, he just showed his cheeky smile. I wish I captured that moment on my small pocket cam. How unfortunate from where I stood I could only see him on stage with his head only as big as green peas!

Jason Mraz at Java Jazz is as spectacular as you can get for a music festival. The inconvenience was top-notch. He cured it a bit. Live high wasn't on the song list, but butterfly was saved for the last. The show took about 1.5 hours at most. Getting in the concert hall was a tremendous effort, getting out was more effort! the crowd, like I said, was beyond imaginable!

After Jason, we get to watch Joeniar Arief, a local RnB boy with the hit number "rapuh". Listening to slightly Pop-ish RnB made me uncomfortable. I felt like a hypocrite to Jazz. So next we went to Humania, slightly jazzy, but they were good for local. The crowd I can't cope. Too much in such small room. The finale for the night for me was Matt Bianco!! Awesome.
Again, too much crowd the inconvenience was overbearing. My foot couldn't take it no longer and only enjoyed a couple songs. Then on the out stage, a friend took the final glimpse of Vidi, an uprising young local RnB. He was good and I would listen to him intently if he wasnt in Java Jazz. Afterward, off we farewell Java Jazz.

Next year Java Musikindo should expand the location. JACC couldn't hold such massive crowd any longer.

It doesn't represent Jazz enthusiast entirely, since...
Java Jazz is the Party for All.