Indro Hardjodikoro

Photograph courtesy of indrohardjodikoro.com

Indro Hardjodikoro is now a top renowned bassist in Indonesia owing to over two decades of consistency trailing up his career alongside dedicated musicians from cross-genre bands to orchestra. After Halmahera and simakDialog, where he got into an intense collaboration with Riza Arshad, and Tohpati in particular, Indro was involved in increasingly large-scale projects, such as Erwin Gutawa Band, which brougt him along to US tour. 

Parkdrive

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When three Indonesian students at Berkelee College of Music, Boston, founded a pop jazz band Parkdrive in the US, they had little imagination that their underrated project would receive a huge welcome in Indonesia. The first album sold thousand of copies in the first three months since its release in August 2005. The hit single Sekedar Cerita became a radio hit and aired frequently on MTV. The Surabaya-born vocalist Mikuni Gani, drummer Rayendra Sunito and trumpeter Juno Adhi, the latter both are also music programmers, started it all in 2002. 

Dewa Budjana

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Having had a grip on guitar for the first time at the age of eleven, the Bali-born Dewa Budjana's pursuit of music career urged him to leave his hometown to Surabaya, and further to Jakarta in 1980. After years of relentless struggle, he met the big figure in Indonesian music industry Jack Lesmana. It was during this period that Dewa got deeper affection to jazz, owing to Jack's influence.

Syaharani

Photo courtesy of Tempo/Wisnu Agung Prasetyo

The Malang-born Syaharani has had jazz preference since young. She started to make a living out of singing in early 90's. Bubi Chen discovered her talent in a pub, then brought her into his album project What a Wonderful World, released in 1998. It was in this occassion that she met some of the most important figures in the industry such as Benny Likumahuwa and Oele Pattiselano. She produced her first solo album Love in 1999, and two years later represented Indonesia in North Sea Jazz event, Netherlands. 

Bali Lounge

Based on an initiative to create opportunities for Indonesian jazz players to collaborate with international talents in making a world music, the effort came downright to the existence of this band. Bali Lounge consisted of six multinational jazz players: Rick Smith, Brune Le Flanchec, Nicolas Rastoul. Lewis Pragasam, Tompi and Harry Toledo. The hit single Something's Wrong from their first eponymous album became a radio hit in 2004.

Harry Toledo

Photo by Indradi Soemardjan

Harry Toledo was introduced to bass instrument in late elementary grade. He self-learned bass guitar in junior high school, an initial step towards becoming a professional bassist as he left his hometown Riau in 2000 to acquire furhterjazz know-how from Idang Rasjidi and Ireng Maulana. Harry's venture in jazz industry began as his early band Cherokee released Inner Beauty, an album with a hit single One Love Forever. The following year, in 2004, he joined Bali Lounge, a multinational jazz band consisting of Rick Smith from the US, Bruno from France, Lewis Pragasam from Malaysia, and singer Tompi.

Gilang Ramadhan

After playing in the Luwu Music Festival, Makassar, South Sulawesi last week, Gilang Ramadhan told the media about his dream to open the world's first percussion instrument museum in Bali, in particular to preserve the traditional percussions from all places across Indonesia.  

Taken from: Kompas, Thursday, 12 February 2015

Robert M.R. Quartet

Robert returned to Indonesia in 2009 after attending Berklee College of music in Boston. His former band Shadow Puppets Quartet, which he co-founded, received warm welcome in the country as indicated by the sequential albums they have made. Now Robert sticks with his own band Robert M.R. Quartet, consisting of Deska Anugrah (drum), Indra Dauna (trumpet), Chaka Priambudi (bass), and the soul-singer Nesia Ardi.

Speakeasy

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Speakeasy, a funk jazz band of four young members, was formed by Randy SC (vocal) and Marshall Daniel Reynaldo Sianipar (guitar) in 2006. Later on Padraic JB Rarumangkay (bass) joined in, and in 2010 they began writing songs after looking at the possibility of their own album recording. 

Kua Etnika

The ethnic fusion band Kua Etnika from Yogyakarta staged the Sketsa Bunyi #3 concert  in Bentara Budaya Jakarta, Thursday, 15 January. The band, which was formed in 1996, is renowned for playing indigeneous instruments of various culture that make up the diversity in Indonesia.

Krishna Balagita

Krishna Balagita actually has a strong jazz background. He once learnt from Jack Lesmana before he went to master the technique of composition to Australia. An autodidact when he first learned piano at 11 years old, Krishna learned privately with Jack Lesmana, and in 1989, a piano teacher at Farabi, a music workshop run by Jack's son, Indra Lesmana. A proper training in classical made it easy for Krishna to get the best of his interest in jazz, even studying it further in Sydney.

LLW

The band whose name derives from the surnames of the three members: Indra Lesmana, Barry Likumahuwa, and Sandy Winarta, is formed in mid 2010. Based on Indra's initiative to make a collaboration as he did many times in his over three decades of career in jazz industry, and recently in the trio PIG with Gilang Ramadhan and Pra Budi Dharma, LLW took an unexpected turn from the attempt to remake his past Reborn project, into becoming a band that plays modern jazz involving the characteristics of two young bassist and drummer. This leads to a more funk and playful style compared to the heavier PIG.

Sarimanouk Quartet

Photo courtesy of jazzuality.com

Sarimanouk Quartet is Talafaral Ramiandriosa (saxophone and clarinet), Yudo Nugroho Dodi Sundjojo (bass), Julian Abraham Marantika (piano), and Sandy Winarta (drum). The name derives from a ship used around 1 BC by Balinese sailors on the journey to Madagascar. The ship's name turned out to be a name of a sacred bird in Bali. Now it carries 3 Indonesian and a Madagascar musicians on the same boat to create a modern music that brims with experiments and distinctive musical expressions by each members, but strongly rooted in jazz.

Aksan Sjuman

Aksan studied music at Folkwang Hoechschule in Essen Germany, major in Drums. Returning to Indonesia in 1995 he joined with the popular music group Dewa 19, and then Potret. He has also played with most of the top musicians in the Indonesian jazz music scene, such as Bubi Chen, Benny Likumahuwa, Indra Lesmana, Riza Arshad, Oele Pattiselanno, Margie Segers, and Idang Rashidi and many others. 

Aksan Sjuman and the Committee of the Fest

Photography courtesy of rumahkaryasjuman.com

Aksan Sjuman and the Committee of the Fest are the jazz-influenced drummer Aksan Sjuman, Indra Perkasa on contrabass, Mery Kasiman on keyboard, Nikita Dompas and Dion Janapria on guitar, and Kartika Jahja on vocals, to complete the band’s experimental vision.

Boby Limijaya

Boby Limijaya, born in Tangerang, 1980, has been playing music since 6 years old. After he graduated from Pelita Harapan University, majoring in piano classical music, he decided to continue his study at Berklee College Of Music, Boston, USA, on scholarship. He took two majors: Jazz Piano Performance And Jazz Composition.

simakDialog - Profile

simakDialog founded by Indonesian pianist/keyboardist Riza Arshad along with its former drummer Arie Ayunir in 1993. Recent simakDialog personnel including guitarist Tohpati Ario, bassist Adhitya, kendangist (Sundanese drum) Endang Ramdan, kendangist Erlan Suwardana and kendangist/metal toys Cucu Kurnia. simakDialog has present distinguish sounds and compositions through its last 3 records – the music that grows as a crossover between western and southeast music – Indonesia’s rich archipelago rhythm base – western Java/Sundanese rhythm percussion in particular. Recently they released their 5th album titled Demi Masa as its 2nd album distributed by Moonjune Records, New York.

Krakatau

Krakatau is a gamelan-influenced jazz band from Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. The group was formed in 1985 and is unique in that their instruments are all specially tuned to slendro, a pentatonic scale used in Indonesian traditional music. They combine Western and Indonesian instruments, and even integrate rap into their music.

Ermy Kullit - Profile

Ermy Kullit yang memiliki nama lengkap Ermy Maryam Nurjannah Kullit (lahir di Manado, 13 Mei 1955) adalah penyanyi jazz Indonesia. Ermy juga mendapat julukan sebagai Selena Jones Indonesia. Nama Ermy melejit berkat tembang "Kasih" ciptaan Richard Kyoto dan "Pasrah" ciptaan Ryan Kyoto. Sejak mulai berkarier di tahun 1973, Ermy tercatat telah menelurkan lebih dari 20 album.

Margie Segers - Profile

Agus Setiawan Basun - Wartajazz.com

Margie Segers bernama asli Margaretta Gerttruda Maria merupakan penyanyi asal Indonesia yang lahir di Cimahi, Jawa Barat pada 16 Agustus 1950. Sejak kecil di bawa bersama orang tuanya ke negeri Belanda. Belajar menyanyi jazz lantaran sering mendengarkan rekaman penyanyi jazz dunia, seperti Ella Fitzgerald dan Sherley Bassey. Kemudian setelah itu banyak belajar dan dibimbing oleh musisi jazz Indonesa, seperti Bubi Chen, Jack Lesmana dan Mang Udel. Awal 1970-an, dikenal sebagai penyanyi duet bersama saudaranya Jimmy dan sering tampil menyanyikan lagu-lagu berirama blues.