Borneo Jazz Festival Kicks Off This Weekend

KUCHING (Sarawak, Malaysia), May 9 (Bernama) -- The much talked about Borneo Jazz Festival will kick off this weekend at Miri district, bringing jazz melodies to the ears of Malaysian jazz lovers, Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) chief executive officer Rashid Khan said Tuesday. He said a two-day special preview to be held at the Taylor’s University Lakeside Campus in Kuala Lumpur starting Tuesday would see two of the bands, Tangora from France and Nita Aartsen from Indonesia performing while local ones like Fresco Harmonica would also be featured to allow the local music scene to shine amongst global musicians. "This preview is a glimpse of what they can expect during the Borneo Jazz Festival... this festival and also the upcoming Rainforest World Music Festival in July are two of the most anticipated events organised annually by STB. We promise a truly memorable experience for all,” he said in a statement here. Singer, songwriter, composer from France, Tangora comes from a French – Italian background and is heavily immersed in the sounds of the Caribbean and afro-Latin jazz. Her songs, sung in Creole, English, Latin, French, are delivered in her wonderfully sultry and sensual voice. The other band, virtuoso pianist Nita Aartsen has been described as the rising star of classical and jazz in Indonesia and has held the post of state pianist for 15 years. The other bands who will be performing at this weekend's festival will be Tropic Green (Singapore), New Cool Collective (Netherlands), Koh Mr Saxman and Takeshi Band (Thailand), Schalk Joubert’s 3 Continents Sextet (South Africa, United States, Norway, Sweden), SLIXS from Germany and F.V.E. Project from Malaysia. Rashid said jazz music lovers can log on to www.jazzborneo.com or be a fan of Sarawak Travel @ Facebook for more updates, including for ticket purchase and other enquiries. -- BERNAMA