Penang Island Jazz Festival 2006
December 2 & 3, 2006, Bayview Beach Resort

First, please allow me to allow for this really late entry. The PIJF ended a week ago and it's taken me that long to recover. Read three previous blog entries entitled Boo-Boos #1 - 3 for disasters that I personally created.

I can't remember if I've told you this but I love Penang. I love it for its old gigantic trees, for the old bungalows and shoplots, for its food. That it's an island with beaches all along its fringes makes this place all the better.

So for all those who missed the PIJF with lame excuses, SUCKERS! For those who had legit reasons like ... uh... grandma fell on me, boss s*rewed my leave (frankly, you probably should have just quit your job and came to Penang for the PIJF anyway), try harder next year.

Roger decided this time, we should stay in Penang a couple of hours longer so that we could enjoy a "holiday" here. His idea of a holiday is a few hours long. But the Festival was so packed with performances and workshops, we never did make it out of the Bayview Beach Resort. (And yes, I didn't get my Penang hawker fare fix this time although the resort's rojak salad sauce was soooo good)

He wanted to go to most workshops; the line-up of performances by international and local artistes at the Fringe were too good to miss, he said; he had sound check; he had rehearsals; he had to give a workshop; he had to perform at a concert. Roger was totally 100% intrigued with the Festival.

So while he's hopping from one event / appointment to another, I'm tagging along in between my naps. And I'm saying this once again, when there is a workshop given by people like Roger Wang, DON'T miss it. This time, he held a joint workshop with Farid Ali and Albert Sirimai, entitled "Guitar and Gambus".

Then, there's soundcheck for Farid and Roger on stage that Sunday afternoon. The organisers have set up this stage right by the seaside and while the guys were setting up, etc on stage, I've got my book, my shades, my hat and my sunblock and I'm sunning myself out in front of the stage, enjoying the tropical sea breezes. An ice-cold beer or a cocktail would have completed this state of euphoria but for now, I have to settle for mineral water. yay.

With what little spare time we have, Roger and I venture into the secretariat where the heart of the action is. This is one calm secretariat, lemme tell you. I used to work with an events organiser and I've been with Roger for a few events and most of them were hectic. Chaotic. Panicking. This one is calm. It's controlled. People in there are laughing. Then again, it MAY have something to do with all that alcohol they had in the room with them. Or that heavenly chocolate cake that one of the organiser's sister made for the team. Everything runs like clockwork here, by the way. Nothing and noone is late and for that, I'm eternally grateful. And it seems God is on their side too because it didn't rain for the two concert nights and audiences sitting on the grass in front of the stage really appreciated that.

And what a concert it was, that second night. First night was good too but it'll make this entry too long if I wrote about it... The second night concert kicks off with The Jimmy Boyle Youth Talent Jazz competition winners but we missed that because Roger is in the room, preparing for the night. We go down at 7pm and wait backstage. Security is tighter tonight because some unscrupulous people passed their security tags to relatives / friends who entered the Festival for free last night.

Seriously?! I mean, organisers spend months, hours and many sleepless nights to ensure an evening of fun and music and what do people do? Take advantage and sneak in like that?! Instead of paying ... what? RM40 for a day or RM75 for two nights? Then, they'd go out and spend RM3,000 on the latest cellphone and probably RM75 to download fancy ringtones? SERIOUSLY! I'd shoot them but I'm not allowed to carry a gun onboard the plane.

I feel so bad for the organisers. Such an insult to the hours they spent on the Festival.

Roger and I walk in as the James Boyle & The Ragged Tigers are performing. We go backstage and we find that Coffee Bean's got orange juice for us; that in a big bucket, there's mineral water and beer bottles floating amidst ice. There are pastries and sandwiches. I'm thinking, those won't last very long if I'm here... Farid walks in a few minutes later. I sit quietly because I know they need time and space to prepare themselves mentally and physically for the show. But the darn mosquitoes are biting...

Emcee Richard thanks the Tigers and calls Roger and Farid on stage. The crowd cheers. I'm standing on tiptoe because I want to see past the stage and look at the audience, just as Roger is. What a crowd! What wonderful weather! The spotlights are on and the two do their Thang.

I sit backstage for awhile and see Roger's shadow cast on the backdrop. I take a picture of what I think is pretty artsy-fartsy.

Then, I sit right by the side of the stage so that I can see more than just a shadow. Tricia, Farid's wife who had been working so hard as one of the event's volunteers (versus me who slept so much. Eek. I almost feel bad), abandons her post at the CD sales counter and joins me as we watch our husbands perform. She tells me a joke about Farid that I'm pretty certain I can't post in my blog. I laugh as I watch Farid's back. (He was standing, facing the other side)

Then Farid sings "Getaran Jiwa" (which in English translates "Stirring of My Soul"), a favourite by the late Tan Sri P. Ramlee, and I melt. I luurrrvvvve that song. In fact, it stays in my head the whole night. I'm humming that song even when other performers are playing other songs.

Roger and Farid call on their friends, Bada the Percussionist and Andy Peterson who plays the Bass, to join them on stage for the last few songs. All too soon, it's the end of their slot and they leave the stage but the audience scream for more. Farid must be a stickler for time management (aaah, man after my own heart!) because he politely tells the audience that the concert programme has to go, many acts are scheduled... Dude's as diplomatic as an ambassador.

Roger and Farid are then escorted by bouncers (I swear!) to a table by the CD sales counter where fans are waiting for them to sign their album. It's orderly, there are ropes to ensure an orderly line, there are organisers and bouncers to make sure the performers aren't smothered, that no stray underwear (or anything heavier and more dangerous) flies into their direction. Man, this is one well-organised event!

John Kaizan Neptune has taken over the stage by now and the haunting tunes from his Japanese bamboo flute fills the air and everyone's suddenly serene and zen-like. After the autograph session and a very late dinner (I was famished by then!), we find a spot in front of the stage and join audience for the last two sessions: Idang Rasjidi Quartet featuring Tompi from Indonesia and Denise Mininfield from America.

The show ends pretty late, the audience walk away, I stagger back to the room and to my bed, Roger stays back for post-festival chats with fellow performers and organisers. He won't be able to sleep that after a great gig, he's still on high. Everyone is happy.

I have but one complaint. There were stalls on the festival grounds, selling food. How come there's no ice-cream stall? I would have walked out of the resort, crossed the road and to the mini-mart to get my ice-cream but Roger's friend who was on his way to the Festival got me my ice-cream.

Try to make it next year, OK? Buy a ticket. Seriously.