Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Miri… and all that jazz


MIRI in Sarawak buzzed again last month when the Third Jazz Festival hit town. The small crowd who attended the first Miri Jazz festival three years ago, now felt like “pioneers” who came back every year, followed by more and more enthusiasts who flocked together at the melancholy wail of a saxophone, the strident call of a trumpet and the insistent pulsing of drums.

The Park City Everly Hotel hosted the two-day event on May 9-10. The hotel’s wide grounds, spreading right down to the South China Sea, were the ideal location for what was basically music under the stars.

It was not all played under the stars, of course. The main stage, equipped with a serious amount of sound-and-light hardware, was inside the air-conditioned Pavilion, enlarged for the occasion.

The interactive section of the audience congregated there, clapping, screaming, dancing and generally enjoying themselves — and presumably inspiring the musicians to ever-greater efforts.

The more laid-back listeners lounged around tables under the coconut palms, handy to the food-and-drink-and-souvenir stalls that sprang up. Others settled down on the well-trimmed grass. Huge screens offered a great view of the concert in process from wherever one chose to sit; everyone could pick his or her own level of comfort, and decibels.

Continue reading (incl. pic) at: Miri… and all that jazz

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