Asep The Inquirer

SUNDAY, May 11, 2008, was the unforgetable day. Several times I visit Karimunjawa Islands (about 80 miles north of Jepara, Central Java, Indonesia), but on that Sunday I had such an unforgetable experience: I was dancing with dozens of sharks in the localized 2-meter-deep breeding pool.

ONE day, my daughter Echa asked me about the meaning of camping. I just said camping was vacation living in the open air for few days with a tent or something sheltering. She was still curious. A couple days after, we went shopping to Carrefour and I found big sale of dome tents there. It costs only Rp 129.000 (about US$ 14) each. I thought it was the right time to give complete explanation about camping. Then we made a plan to go one-day camping on Gedong Songo camping ground (1,300 meters above sea level), on the east side of Mt Ungaran, Central Java. On Wednesday, April 31, we made it. As you know, it was days-off (Wednesday and Thursday). But unfortunately, It was raining hard once we reached the location. We decided to spend one night first at a hotel. And at last, in the clear morning after we managed to erect a tent on a field beside the second temple of Gedong Songo until 4.00 pm in the afternoon. For the time being, Echa knows better what camping looks like, because experience speaks louder than words.

PENUNDAAN jadwal flight Garuda selama satu setengah jam membuat saya bertemu Bubi Chen, virtuoso piano jazz kenamaan negeri ini. Pas mau menuju terminal bandara A Yani Semarang untuk akses internet hotspot gratis karena ada PR yang belum klaar, eh saya lihat Om Bubi lagi minum teh bareng manajernya, Fenny, dan beberapa kerabatnya di sebuah coffee shop bandara.
Saya langsung nyamperin dia dan bersalaman. Rupaya Bu Fenny masih ingat saya dan dia ngajak ngeteh bareng. Kesempatan itu tidak saya sia-siakan untuk sedikit wawancara seputar Java Jazz yang akan saya liput di JCC Jakarta. Sambil nunggu pesawat datang, kami pun ngobrol soal jazz dan perkembangannya di Indonesia.
Ternyata, Om Bubi antusias banget, malah seolah-olah dia ingin menumpahkan uneg-unegnya berkaitan dengan penyelenggaraan Java Jazz. "Tambah tahun tambah gak genah," ujarnya.
Saya langsung kaget mendengar pernyataan yang bernada serius itu.
"Ini cuma pentas jazz-jazzan. Secara komersial memang berhasil dan tambah meriah namun secara esensi musik jazz berkurang. Porsi pemain jazz beneran dan jazz-jazzan 10 persen banding 90 persen. Ya mbok paling tidak 50 persen banding 50 persenlah," ujar pria usia lanjut yang belum pernah absen dari Java Jazz ini.
Menurut dedengkot jazz berusia 70 tahun ini, kebanyakan yang tampil dalam ajang musik jazz kaliber internasional tersebut memainkan musik blues, pop, malah R&B. "Ini namanya jazz-jazzan. Musik jazz tenggelam kalau caranya begini. Okelah bila memasukkan musik R&B atau pop untuk menarik penonton, tapi ya mbok jangan terlalu banyak porsinya."
Yang lebih tidak mengenakkan adlah ketika Om Bubi mengaku diperlakukan kurang semestinya oleh panitia. "Java Jazz pertama bagus, baik pelayanan panitia maupun musisi yang ditampilkan. Sekarang kok tambah parah! Saya hanya dapat hotel satu kamar padahal kan saya membawa manajer. Minimal dua kamarlah.".
Tiket pesawat pun akhirnya dia beli sendiri karena pesawat yang dipesan panitia terbang lewat Solo karena disesuaikan dengan penerbangan sponsor. "Saya nggak mau karena sudah bilang ingin berangkat dari Semarang karena saya memang sering mengajar di Semarang. Panitia tidak nguwongke kami para inlander (pribumi-Red)."
Permbicaraan kami akhirnya terpotong karena tiba-tiba datang musisi senior Abadi Soesman menyapa Bubi Chen dan Garuda GA 239 sudah siap di apron menunggu kami untuk terbang ke Soekarno-Hatta. Ternyata, Bubi, Abadi Soesman, dan saya naik pesawat yang sama.

I am about to experience Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival at Jakarta Convention Center (JCC), Senayan, Jakarta, March 7-9, 2008.
Various musicians will be around on the great occasion. Among others are Lee Ritenour, james Ingram, Bobby Caldwell, The Manhattan Transfer, Incognito (overseas), Idang Rasjidi, Andien, Ireng Maulana, Bali Lounge, Bubi Chen, and Tri Sum (domestic) as well.
For me, The Manhattan Transfer and Incognito will be the most outstanding artists due to their fabulous music and attractive gigs. At least that's because I'm fond of 'em. Java Jazz, I'm coming...

I just bought a brand new folk acoustic-electric guitar Yamaha APX 500, Saturday, January 12, 2008. It costs about 180 US dollars and is equiped with built-in digital tuner, 3-band equalizer, volume, and tonal control on the right side of the body. The reason of purchasing the cute black guitar was an offer to seek and provide chords of the most wanted songs.
A couple months ago, my fellow editors asked me to revive a chord column in Suara Merdeka Sunday on which I used to be in charge. It was such a left sidebar on Entertainment Page that was providing chords of popular songs, either foreign or local ones.
The chord sidebar had been taken over since about 4 years ago due to publishing a new tabloid, Tren. The teenage tabloid took over the chord column to be available on its own page and handled by its own man.
To revive the columns, I need a fresh folk guitar to make the chord seeking easier and clearer. For the weekly moonligting (side job), I am paid Rp 150,000 (about 16 US dollars) for each song chord. So, it takes 11 weeks to meet break even point (BEP) for the guitar, doesn't it? The column now shows up again, begun on January 6, 2008. Thanks God, despite no significant salary increase in the last three years, I've got more revenue at last.