That first Friday we got there, the Java Jazz Festival was already well underway. It was close to 5PM by the time we arrived and Snarky Puppy, whom we really wanted to see, wasn’t to go on until 12:30AM; it was going to be the only time out of three they did when we wouldn’t be playing ourselves, but we were too tired to make it. Getting to the venue required getting on a shuttle bus which could take anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes, so it just wasn’t gonna happen. Luckily there was a Jam session every night at the Borobudur where every musician with a badge got 2 free beers! Dave and I made stayed until about 11:30PM when complete exhaustion took over. Organist Tony Monaco was leading the thing and let me tell you, he was GREAT. A lot of familiar faces were everywhere; sometimes it seemed like another night at Cafe Cordiale! Off to bed, Saturday would be time to work….<\/p>\n
Woke up pretty early, but thankfully was able to go back to sleep for a few more hours that morning. Lobby call wasn’t until 4PM or so and by that time I felt pretty good actually. We were told the trip to the Jakarta International Expo could take a long time depending on traffic, but it went reasonably fast and we got there in about 25 minutes. Boy, the part we entered through looked like a deserted Zoo or something, a post-apocalyptic amusement park; just gates and empty buildings! A couple of turns later we’re at the main entrance into what looks like a mall. Again everything goes through metal detectors and luggage scanners and we’re in! The building actually is<\/em> a mall, with sporting goods stores, restaurants etc. On the other side of it though is the main section with many different halls. In all, there were 19 stages, ranging from conference rooms to a couple in the convention center part that were as big as airplane hangars! Ours seats about 3000 or so and is called C1. When we get there, the band before us is just about to start and it turns out they’re really a pretty complex fusion band, not bad actually. After they’re done, we have about 45 minutes to change over the stage which doesn’t go as smoothly as we’d hoped….<\/p>\n By the time doors open again to let our crowd in, we’re not quite ready, especially when it comes to monitoring, but the room fills up almost completely and we go for it! It’s a good show, but the repressed style of the Indonesian audience doesn’t quite help overcome the jet lag that sets in halfway for the band. As is normal with festivals, people come and go, so by the end we have a smaller crowd, but it’s all good. We have another chance the next day, a little earlier in the same room. It’s really amazing how well-behaved these folks are! With 50,000 visitors a day you’d expect some trouble, or rowdiness, but it almost feels like a church picnic! It turns out that the whole city is really like that, I expect in large part due to the fact that they are very religious over there. The mosques that litter the city go off on a regular basis, blaring Arabic prayers very loudly into the air. Even the last night, staying on the 22nd floor I was still woken up at 3 in the morning.<\/p>\n On Sunday we do redeem ourselves and play an energetic, refreshed show! This time the audience keeps growing as times goes on and the arch is just perfect. Dean West, our regular East Coast tour manager and soundman is actually there because he’s working with India Arie later on, and he helps us get the monitors right. Quite happy, after Keiko is done with her obligations of signing CDs and such, she, Dave and I go and check out some more music. Tania Maria is awesome, the tribute to George Duke featuring Jeff Lorber, Chuck Loeb and many others is wonderful; the whole place is going off! That night, the jam is pretty great too actually. Organist Tony Monaco starts off the night again and when Dutch musicians Peter Beets and Gijs Dijkhuizen sit in Dave gets very happy. Peter is a pianist there to perform a tribute to Oscar Peterson and Gijs his drummer. Boy, these dudes swing hard! Everyone one is there and many are giving me their free beer tickets, so I find myself in a Smooth Jazz sandwich, getting a little drunker than I prolly should, having an awesome time.<\/p>\n The next day, the adventure is over for most musicians there; Dave and I were supposed to fly back to L.A. as well, but we got hired by Brian Simpson to do another gig six days later so we get to stay! Keiko is flying to Japan on a later flight, and being the class act she is, offers to buy us lunch at the Borobudur. She explains that this place is famous for its Oxtail soup and now I know why. Man, it is one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten: rich in flavor without being overwhelming, complex but familiar in the best way. Really, the food at the hotel was incredible every time. Even the bread was just perfect, unsalted butter from New Zealand, delicious deserts from all over the world, Sushi to Rendang, homemade ice cream….. and the coffee…….. so what are we to do? We’ve got 4 more days off and if we just keep eating, I’m gonna turn into a tub!<\/p>\n To be continued….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" That first Friday we got there, the Java Jazz Festival was already well underway. It was close to 5PM by the time we arrived and Snarky Puppy, whom we really … <\/p>\n