Borneo Jazz Festival 2013 : Strongbow

Almost everyone is nursing a drink or two, and this year, Strongbow features prominently in the event.

One of the booths
Pic source : Sarawak Tourism Board

Zoom in ... 

Pic source : Sarawak Tourism Board

Cardboard carrier boxes

Pic source : Sarawak Tourism Board

Bottles of Strongbow on display ... 

Pic source : Sarawak Tourism Board

Strongbow is categorised as dry cider. It is made by fermenting apple juice. It's my first time drinking, and I must say that I enjoyed it very much. I find it to be sweet and bubbly and fruity. It kind of reminded me of sweet white wine. Anyway, it is really refreshing and a great thirst quencher. I would not mind drinking it whenever I come across it. ;))

Borneo Jazz Festival 2013 : Airbrush Tattoo

Do you remember me? I asked the tattoo artist.

He looked at me blankly. 

Okie. He did not remember me. But I do remember him as a former student of mine. That was probably more than a decade ago. :P

***

One attraction at the Borneo Jazz Festival is the Craft Bazaar. It is an avenue for the local craftsmen and artisans to display and sell their handmade handicrafts.

 The Craft Bazaar

Pic Source : Sarawak Tourism Board

There are booths selling handmade trinkets, batik, kebaya, paintings, and so on. But a popular booth amongst the young and the old is the airbrush tattoo booth. For as low as RM15.00, one could get one part of one's body decorated with artistic and colourful prints. And all in a matter of a few minutes. 

The tiger lady ... ;P

Pic source : Sarawak Tourism Board

My friend, M**** sat on the idea of getting a temporary tattoo done, and she finally did it on the second night. 

First, a stencil is stuck on the body. M**** chose to have her body art on her lower inner right calf, just above her ankle. 

A treble clef, befitting the theme of the whole event :))

The tattoo artist actually stuck the clef upside down at first. Fortunately I saw it and had it corrected. Otherwise, M**** would end up wearing an rotated treble clef. Lol. 

 Airbrushing in process

One could choose their favourite colours for the tattoo. I suppose many people prefer black. M**** asked for a blend of black and blue for hers. 

 Done in just 2 minutes and customer was rather satisfied with the result

Ta-da! Beautiful! 

The tattoo will wash off in a week and cost RM25.00.  It was really fun and interesting for everyone. Love it! :))

Borneo Jazz Festival 2013 : Show 2

One thing for sure, the crowd was much larger tonight, compared to the previous night. They came into the venue by the droves, wearing yellow tags around their wrists.

A yellow tag to grant entry to the festival .... 

At 7.30 a.m. sharp, the show commenced. There was a slight drizzle, but it did not dampen the spirits. People did not mind standing, or sitting out in the rain. 

It is indeed true that music transcends all barriers, and this is exactly what the Asian Jazz All Stars Power Quarter portrays. Its members represent diverse nationalities, yet are brought together by their love for jazz.  

The Asian Jazz All Stars Power Quarter

with its members from Singapore, Hong Kong Philippines and Thailand

Pic source : krakenxxx

What struck me about this band is the quirky names of their compositions .... that of "Carrot Cake" and "Tiramisu". Lols. They so reflected their Asian roots, and also the impact of globalisation in Asia. So relevant, yet so interesting. 

The next band I enjoyed very much ... 

Hazmat Modine from New York

Pic source : CikArifah

This band played fusion jazz. I was taken in by the powerful tempos and their melodious tunes made me feel utmost relaxed. I was also most impressed with the wide range of instruments which they used, namely the harmonica, accordion, trumpet, horn and tuba, which brought a different energy to the songs. They earned enthusiastic cheers from the crowd. Love it!!

Next came the highly anticipated Mo' Blow from Germany. 

Mo' Blow in action

Pic source: sheep319

For me, there is only one word to describe their performance, that is "electrifying". They funked up the whole place with their virbrant brand of groove. The whole venue got charged up to the max! 

The final band was Jump4Joy from Sweden ... and I think they literally had the crowd jumping for joy. By this time, everyone - young and old - were dancing with wild abandon. It was great to watch, but even more fun to join in. 

Jump4Joy

Pic source : ladybirdeileen

A member of Jump4Joy whistling the tune ... and had the crowd whistling along with him. 

Unfortunately, it poured cats and dogs in the midst of the final performance. The crowd started to disperse, running for shelter. Still, many stayed on, braving the rain. 

The crowd standing in the midst of the rain ...

Pic source : sheep319

The event ended with all the perfoming bands gracing the stage .... it ended with a bang, albeit a wet one. ;P

For this opportunity to attend this edition of the Borneo Jazz Festival, I am obliged to thank a few parties :

• Sarawak Bloggers and it founding father, @swkblogs
• @ladybirdeileen, my team leader for her guidance 
• All the other members in the team, namely @Adjayversys, @sheep319, @petruskalom @krakenxxx @reyyanna13 @CikArifah ... thank you for your passion and of course your amazing photographs
• Sarawak Tourism Board, the organiser

I not only had a great time, I also met many wonderful people in the industry, and it was definitely a great learning experience for me. 

To quote the organisers, 

Till next year!!!

Borneo Jazz Festival 2013 : Show 1

WOW. Words fail me.

There's something about watching an event LIVE! That whole experience is just AWESOME. It's a blend of a lot of elements that make the whole feeling awesome. Amidst the crowd, the lights, the movement, the dancing, the heat, the sweating, the clapping and the cheering, that emotion and feeling that is created is just indescribable. YOU have got to experience it yourself.

The West Jazz Band from Kuching

As the night progressed, I could experience the diversity of the music presented. The concert kicked off with the West Jazz Band from Kuching. They injected a local flavour to the music, entertaining the crowds with some numbers in Malay. Then came the Lisa Young Quartet. They hailed from the Down Under and I must say that I was entranced by Lisa's superb vocal percussion, a style known as the "konnakol".

Lisa Young entertaining the crowd ...

Pic source : cikarifah

This was followed by the Scott Martin Latin Soul all the way from the West Coast of the USA. They presented an untitled new song ... and got the crowd cheering when they suggested calling it "Mambo Miri". Yes, please!! Mambo Miri sounds great to me!!

Scott Martin on the saxophone

Pic source : cikarifah

The crowd poured in slowly .... and I just loved the casual atmosphere of the whole event. A sea of people facing the stage clapping and cheering ... some seated on plastic chairs far away, enjoying a drink or two. But all could not help, but to tap their toes, or to sway to the rhythm and the addictive melodies. I joined in the crowd, felt the cool breeze brushing against my face, closed my eyes and lost myself to the music.

The wonderful crowd ...

Pic source : cikarifah

The final act of the night was by The Nylons, an a capella band from Canada. I had really anticipated their performance and they really DID NOT disappoint. I love them!!!! The Nylons have renowned vocals, very strong and solid voices that just blew me away! Many a time, they sang in dazzling harmonies, with just a tambourine for accompaniment. They had the crowd singing along with their renditions of "All I Have To Do Is Dream" and also "I'm Yours".  They are also known for their fabulous showmanship, where they flirt incorrigibly with the audience. They were VERY entertaining indeed.

The Nylons in action ... 

Pic source : sheep319

Of course, I feel a personal affinity with their song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", having sung a revised version myself together with the local choir. Listening to them singing it would be .... an unforgettable experience. I was really sad when the show ended ... as I could really have them sing all night .............. ;P

The last song was really special ... as The Nylons had Lisa Young on stage to join them singing their goodbyes. Lisa injected her brand of vocal percussion into The Nylon's harmonies, and it worked sensationally. As they hit the climax of the song, I marvelled at their singing skills .... It's not every day that we get to watch performances of such calibre. I had a great, great night ...

Tonight, I will be anticipating the Asian Jazz All Stars Power Quarter, Mo'Blow, Jump4Joy and Hazmat Modine. Stay tuned, brb.

Borneo Jazz Festival 2013 : The Eve

This is THE weekend. The Borneo Jazz Festival is on!! What's there to shout about? Well, first and foremost, an eclectic mix of award-winning jazz musicians are gathering in this annual celebration of music. Still not excited? Hmn .... well .... this is almost a world class event. One that brings an influx of music lovers from all corners of the globe. How about that? Music isn't your thing? Hmn ... then what about local arts and crafts, and also food to entice visitors?

Yesterday evening, I took a stroll at the venue at the Parkcity Everly Hotel ....

The logo

I sat by the poolside ... and looked up to see a cluster of coconut trees above me .... 

And ahead of me, preparation was still underway ....

Setting up ....  

Putting up the lights ... 

The opening of the event was held at the Pavillion. There was an attempt to showcase the local Sarawakian cuisine to the international crowd, which was made up of the performers and the media.

Since food is my passion, I am really proud to be introducing some of our local favourites to our international friends.

Kerabu Midin

I loved this spicy, tangy, and crunchy ferns which was flavoured with onions and ginger flower. It's really tasty and appetising, and ONLY  found in Sarawak. 

Ayam Pansuh 

This is chicken cooked in bamboo. I thought this was a great dish to serve as it so represents Sarawak. The chicken was tender enough, and had all the right flavours infused. However, they should have gone easy on the salt. Such a pity. 

From the grills .... 

My favourite on the plate would be the deep-fried fish. They were crunchy and salty and really very tasty.

Sarawak Laksa

Hmn .... tasted strange to me, perhaps because I am more accustomed to a richer and more robust gravy. 

The festival begins Friday, 10 May 2013. Ticketing information here, or can be obtained at the Parkcity Everly Hotel lobby. Buy early, lest you miss out!! 

Unreliable, Inefficient Or Just Indifferent

Know what's this?

It's the knob / button for the handbrake of my car. It broke into 2 pieces.

It's about to break into 3.

***

Like thousands of others, I'm driving a modest locally-manufactured car. It's coming to 8 years old, and has so far served me very faithfully. 

The other day, when I reached home and was about to park my car, I discovered that I could not pull up the handbrake. I did not realise why till I found that the knob or push button on the handbrake missing. 

So I drove straightaway to the service centre, and asked them if they could help. 3 of the staff came to look at the handbrake ... and told me what I did not want to hear. "Nothing can be done," they all pronounced. 

They advised me to change it to a new set of handbrake. The bad news was that, I had to wait for 2 weeks because they did not have the replacement handbrake in stock.

I was dismayed. 2 weeks? How was I going to use the car in such condition? Were they going to be responsible if I were to get into an accident? 

Meanwhile, I was to lock my vehicle with the Gear 1, to prevent it from slipping when stationary.

Can you get the spare part in by this week? I persisted. I could not possibly wait for 2 weeks. It was too long. 

Sounding rather indifferent, one of the staff said he would try. "We will call you when the handbrake comes in," he said. "And the car needs to be in for half a day to get the handbrake fixed," he added. 

Annoyed, I drove to my regular mechanic uncle in town. Before I even finished expaining, Uncle Mechanic produced a metallic knob .... and fixed the handbrake for me. It only took 10 seconds and RM20.00, and I was good to go.

It's been 2 weeks now. I haven't heard from those guys at the service centre. Maybe I never will. They are pretty unreliable or inefficient or just indifferent! HMMPH!!! 

Breakfast With The Uncles

It's breakfast with the uncles at Yong Ho's in town. Nothing special about tea. Nothing special about the bread with kaya or coconut jam. We were just killing time, waiting for the start of an event nearby.

Thanks to Uncle C*** for the treat!!!