Festivalisation of Jazz in Indonesia: From the Stage to an Event

Aryandari, Citra (2019) Festivalisation of Jazz in Indonesia: From the Stage to an Event. In: Documenting Jazz Conference by Dublin Institute of Technology., 17-19 Januari 2019, Dublin.

	Text (Surat Undangan) Festivalisation Jazz in Indonesia Documenting jazz_LOA_PRESENTASI.pdf - Additional Metadata Restricted to Repository staff only Download (437kB) | Request a copy
	Text (Booklet Program) Festivalisation Jazz in Indonesia -Documenting-Jazz-Programme_PRESENTASI.pdf - Additional Metadata Restricted to Repository staff only Download (412kB) | Request a copy

Abstract

This paper discusses the phenomenon of jazz festivals in Indonesia that have become extremely popular with more than sixty jazz festivals held each year. The festivalisation of jazz is a cultural phenomenon that shows the relationship between jazz music as global culture and as a local cultural product related to identity and lifestyle. Jazz in Indonesia cannot be separated from its presence during the colonial Dutch era in the early twentieth century. Artists from the Philippines also played a major role in introducing jazz to Indonesia. They were either invited or came voluntarily to Jakarta and Bandung to play jazz at functions or in public places such as hotels. For these reasons jazz in Indonesia carries a stigma of bourgeois music. In the 1980s jazz appeared on some national TV programs and radio, which exposed the genre to a larger audience/public. By this time jazz had mingled with, and began to enter village life, including festivals. Since jazz is considered “high class”, exceeding rural livelihoods, music events that present themselves as jazz events are considered to be catchy and sexy, enabling a form a class distinction, also in villages. In this context, jazz gets commodified through festivals for various purposes, especially the development of tourism. Thus, festivalisation penetrates the boundaries of social classes. Jazz is a powerful means of expression and identity articulation, not only on stages and spaces that were formerly reserved for jazz enthusiasts, but in new spaces in Indonesian society.

Actions (login required)

View Item