Sunday November 29, 2009
Eyes on jazz
THE sixth edition of the much-loved Penang Island Jazz Festival is all set to kick off on Thursday, and we bet jazz fans from around the country have already made plans to head for the four-day event – and if you haven’t, you’ll be kicking yourself for missing out on this increasingly well-respected jazz jamboree.
We want to talk about another side to this festival that has also been growing, albeit with less fanfare than the performances: the non-music events.
Even the very first appearance of the Penang Island Jazz Festival back in 2004 had a non-music component, offering a mini poster and photo exhibition. Each year since then, the fest has added steadily to such events with photo and art exhibitions and forums and workshops. Here’s a quick run down of some of this year’s visual arts activities:
■ Don’t miss William Ellis’ important illustrated presentation, Stolen Moments, and jazz photography exhibition, Keeping Time. Ellis, who is endorsed by the American Jazz Museum, is renowned for recording the contemporary jazz scene in Africa, Europe and the Americas; he’s spent years shooting legendary clubs and festivals to capture insightful portraits and beautiful images. Apart from curating and holding exhibitions, Ellis has also contributed photographs to a prestigious programme of exhibitions supporting jazz appreciation organised by the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC.
‘Keeping Time’ exhibition: Dec 1-3, G Hotel, Gurney Drive; Dec 4-6, Grand Ballroom foyer, Bayview Beach Resort, Batu Ferringhi.
‘Stolen Moments’ presentation: noon, Dec 6, Grand Ballroom, Bayview Beach Resort.
■ There’s local input in the form of the Interpretation of Music Through Visual Arts exhibition, which features the winners of the recently concluded Penang State Art Competition.
Dec 2-Jan 15, Dewan Sri Pinang, Ground Floor, Penang State Art Gallery, Light Street.
■ The German Jazz Exhibition is a touring show created by the Goethe-Institut in association with Dr Wolfram Knauer, director of Germany’s respected Darmstadt Jazz-Institute. The exhibition features rarely seen photographs from private and public archives that reflect the history of German jazz ranging from the exciting 1920s Berlin jazz scene and post-WWII developments in East and West Germany to today’s musicians, labels and festivals.
Dec 4-6, lobby, Bayview Beach Resort.
■ And then there is, of course, the Jazz Gallery, the festival’s own collection of posters, photographs, prints and paintings.
Dec 4-6, foyer, Grand Ballroom, Bayview Beach Resort.
Admission to all exhibitions are free.
Non-jazz but music-related events include music performances at the three fringe stages (be sure to check out the Square Circles band, especially!), and the always-popular community drum circle (which invites public participation). There are also workshops on the acoustic guitar and the jazz voice as well as a rather interesting forum on Jazz and the Creative Economy.
And if you want to do something for the less fortunate while you’re having all that fun, there’s the Jazz With a Heart charity dinner on Dec 4.
For details on all the events mentioned here, go to penangjazz.com. – MALINI DIAS
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