KUCHING, 11 May 2022: The highly anticipated Borneo Jazz festival will empower the community through its social empowerment platform such as Borneo Jazz Talent Search, Borneo Jazz FAB LAB, ECO DRUM JAM Project and Eco Art Project.
Pre-Festival Activities
One of main Borneo Jazz’s objectives is building on the music tourism ecosystem in Miri to elevate the resort city as a cultural and music centre. In line with Sarawak Tourism Board’s goals to promote sustainable and responsible tourism, Borneo Jazz will be providing fun and educating workshops and eco-friendly projects prior to the festival.
Borneo Jazz Talent Search (closes 31 May 2022)
The Borneo Jazz Talent Search is a platform to provide musicians between the ages of 15 years and above from all over Malaysia who wants to make their talent known on the world stage with categories for Jazz, DJ and Open categories.
BJTS prizes
Jazz Category
First prize: MYR5000
2nd prize: MYR3000
3rd prize: MYR2000
Open Category
Prize: MYR3500
Winners of Borneo Jazz Talent Search 2022 will not only win cash prizes but also attend a MasterClass by an international band on 24 June in Miri, Sarawak, and perform during Borneo Jazz Festival on 25 June.
Borneo Jazz FAB LAB (closes 18 June 2022)
Bringing musicians of diverse cultural backgrounds together to celebrate jazz music and empower the local community, a new artist residency programme called FAB LAB is hosting a six-week interactive workshop in Miri for 30 musicians through to 18 June 2022.
FAB LAB aims to empower and enliven musicians prior to the Borneo Jazz festival through four workshops — Music Appreciation – Listen and Make It Your Own; Methodology – How to FEEL Free Playing Music; Sound Engineering- Make It Sound Good!; and Performance Module- Let’s Play.
FAB LAB will be led by two international musicians, Chris Stalk, a saxophonist, composer and arranger from France and Jules Vulzor, a bassist, producer and DJ from Switzerland.
ECO DRUM JAM project (1430 to 1830) 5 June 2022
ECO DRUM JAM is an eco-friendly initiative and community music outreach programme with Lewis Pragasam and FAB LAB artists at Coco Cabana to create unique drums and percussion instruments from recycled waste and produce feel-good beats from community drumming sessions as a lead up to Borneo Jazz Festival 2022.
Festival workshops
Borneo Jazz FAB LAB / Talent Search Masterclass with the Pros: (1400 to 1545, 24 June).
Borneo Jazz FAB LAB / Talent Search Showcase Performance: (1600 to 1730, 25 June).
Eco Drum Workshop & Jam with Lewis Pragasam & Steve Thornton: (1530 to 1730, 26 June).
Borneo Jazz Fringe Activities: (0800 to 1730, 24 to 26 June)
Eco Art Project
An Eco-Art Installation project in collaboration with Miri City Council and MYY Living Arts as a continuation of the Borneo Jazz Beat Plastic Campaign initiated in 2019 as part of the Borneo Jazz festival ‘Responsible Tourism’ programme to transform Miri into a sustainable and eco-friendly city. Themed ‘Trashing the Jungle’, this is a reminder that the plastics that make our lives convenient also choke and pollute our natural environment through our own actions. The objective of this eco-project is to re-purpose recyclable plastic waste and make art from it.
Borneo Boat Lute Exhibition
The exhibition will consist of four different boat lutes from Borneo island to be showcased with informative talks by two boat lute practitioners.
Miri Sape Movement – ‘Evolution of the Sape’
For the first time at the coming Borneo Jazz Festival 2022, the story & the evolution of the Sape’ will be dramatised through live Sape’ instrumentals performed by professional Sape’ artistes from the Sape’ Movement (Miri) community.
This 30-minute Sape’ instrumental dramatisation is aimed to bring audiences to “travel through a legendary journey” in getting a glimpse of the beginning & evolution of Borneo’s prized & once known to be a “spiritually soul healing” instrument. Estimating between 12 to 15 young & senior Sape’ Masters from various native ethnicity will collectively perform various Sape’ genres & songs.
The Sape Movement performance will be arranged by Mr Anderson Kalang & Mr Garry Sudom Raymond. They were among the co-founders of KL Sape’ Collective (the first network of Sape’ artists established in Kuala Lumpur in mid-2016).
Wellness Programme (25-26 June)
Sun Meditation & Yin Yoga Flow with Sape Accompaniment (0800- 0930).
Social Experiments on Human Connection: Eye Contact in Silence, Mirror Work Join us for a 15-mins experience to engage in meaningful human connection and a shared sense of humanity (0930 – 1130).
Recharge Station: A quiet space where people can meditate while listening to sounds of nature and or/sounds of Sape to recharge.
Artisanal Craft Bazaar by Artsy Fartsy (1000, 25 to 26 June)
The bazaar will feature Sarawak’s basketry and beads. Visitors will also have the chance to witness the Batik Painting demonstration by Miri-based artist Noel Belulok. There will also be a Tattoo Gallery featuring Miri tattoo artists.
Performers’ line-up and tickets
Themed “Jazz in The Jungle”, the 17th edition, will be held in a hybrid format for the first time to reach out to the greater jazz-loving community worldwide, supported by performers from Singapore, Japan, France, Switzerland, the USA, Hungary and India.
Performers at the Borneo Jazz festival include Afro Asia Feat’s Steve Thornton, ASIABEAT (Malaysia/Hungary), Gecko & Tokage Parade (Japan), Alemay Fernandez & Richard Jackson (Singapore/USA), MASIA ONE (Singapore), QSOUND, DJ Estephe Feat. Chris Stalk and Jules Vulzor with more to be announced in the run-up to the festival.
Jazz music lovers can start purchasing tickets for BJ from the website jazzborneo.com. The one-day pass costs MYR128, the two-day pass MYR228 and the three-day pass MYR338.
For those who want to enjoy the festival virtually, tickets cost MYR25 per one-hour block. For more information on the Borneo Jazz festival 2022, log on to BJ’s official website at www.jazzborneo.com.
Bundled deals with Malaysia Airlines
As the official airline partner for the Borneo Jazz festival, Malaysia Airlines and sister company Firefly will offer attractive deals of up to 15% discount on flights from Peninsular Malaysia, London, Australia and some ASEAN destinations to cities in Sarawak. Firefly will fly passengers from Penang to Kuching.
The offer is open until midnight on 15 May 2022 for travel between 1 and 30 June 2022. These deals are available exclusively for those who purchase the normal pass to the Borneo Jazz festival through the airline’s websites.
For more information visit: www.sarawaktourism.com
(Your Stories: STB)
