Wednesday, August 09, 2017

First Kuching Waterfront Jazz Festival not to be missed


KUCHING: Sarawak’s first ever Kuching Waterfront Jazz Festival (KWJF) will be happening at the Grand Margherita Hotel Kuching on Sept 29 and 30.

The two-day jazz music festival will feature a total of 17 acclaimed jazz musicians and bands from all over the region, including Sheila Majid (Malaysia), Ernie Watts (USA), Jeremy Monteiro (Singapore), Kunto Aji (Indonesia) and Shanghai Sisters (Malaysia).

Sheila Majid, Malaysia’s Queen of Jazz, has been in the Malaysian and international jazz arena for more than 30 years after soaring to success with her 1986 song ‘Sinaran’, an evergreen.

She achieved international stardom by winning the prestigious Indonesia BASF Award for Best Female Artiste in R&B category in 1987, never done before by a non-Indonesian.

Her success in Indonesia was followed up by a 1988 nationwide tour. Sheila spread her wings to Japan with the release of her 1988 multi-platinum selling album ‘Warna’ and has performed in many cities around the world.

She released several more award-winning albums including ‘Legenda’, ‘Ku Mohon’ and ‘Cinta Kita’. Her 2017 album entitled ‘Boneka’ is her first studio album after 13 years.

She is a household name in Malaysia, her music breaking all age and racial barriers.

American jazz musician Ernie Watts is one of the world’s most versatile and creative saxophonists.

Starting at the age of 13, the two-time Grammy Award-winning saxophonist has played jazz professionally for 50 years all over the globe, been featured on 500 recordings with different artistes, and played on movie soundtracks for acclaimed hits such as Grease and The Color Purple.

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