Indra Aziz

born September 3rd, 1978 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Started singing since his early childhood, taught by his mother who’s an actress, singer, painter, and traditional dancer, Rosita Sanusi.

Indra’s first musical instrument was the drums, inspired by one of Indonesia’s leading drummer Jelly Tobing. While still in the elementary school, Indra took several instruments, including the guitar, electric bass, and keyboard, but never really studied them comprehensively.

In highschool, Indra joined the highschool’s choir and played the guitar in the school’s pop rock band.

After highschool, Indra studied in The Faculty Of Arts And Design of Trisakti. Indra took up the alto saxophone, studied in Farabi Music School with Indonesia’s best oboe player Juhad Ansyari. He then switched to the tenor saxophone after watching Arief Setyadi played with the funky thumb.

Indra’s first professional gig as a sax player was with Dwiki Dharmawan’s Orchestra alongside trumpet player Didit Maruto. While in Farabi, Indra performed in several concerts with the other students. He also played with other groups, including a soul funk group and a Ska group.

Then in 2000, Indra met Deviana Daudsjah, a music professor, in a jazz workshop held once a week in Jakarta. Deviana encouraged Indra to give his vocal more attention. Indra then joined the first formation of Daya Big Band, as a second Tenor Sax player. In 2002, Indra joined The Daya Swara. All led by Deviana Daudsjah. In 2002, Indra studied music in the Preparatoty program of Daya Music School for 1 semester. After graduating from Trisakti in 2003, Indra enrolled as a student in The Daya Music School, majoring in vocal. In 2004, Indra resigned from Daya Group.

Indra began singing jazz professionally since 2001, as a band leader and a sideman, playing regular gigs in clubs, cafes, and restaurants, singing and playing the tenor sax in jazz festivals, and jazz concerts. Putting his name on the local jazz map.

Concerts Highlights:

 • Farabi Anniversary, Erasmus Huis, 1999 • SCTV anniversary, dwiki dharmawan orchestra, 2000 • Jakarta Open Jazz Fest, 2001 • Indonesia Open Jazz Fest, 2001, 2002, 2003 • Jazz Goes To Campuss 2001, 2002 • Independence Day Concert, National Museum 2001 • Independence Day Concert, National Palace 2002 • Angelique Jazz Quartet (Germany), opening band, Goethe Haus • IMD evening, Erasmus Huis 2003 • Vocals Night, Erasmus Huis 2003 • Malin Kundang the musical, GKJ, 2003 • Java Jazz Festival 2005, JCC

Regular Gig Highlights: • The Twilite Café, Kemang • Klub 45, Mahakam • The Venue, Kemang • The Dharmawangsa Hotel • Jamz Pub • Aksara Bookstore, Manna House (with Tomorrow People Ensemble) • Circa, wisma BNI 46, 48 floor

Events Highlights: • Starbucks Coffee Stores Opening, Jakarta (Plz Indonesia, Kemang, Thamrin, Plz Senayan, etc.) • Starbucks 25th store opening, Pasaraya • Plaza Indonesia Friday Jazz Month Event • Pondok Indah Mall Ramadhan Jazz • New York Times Jakarta Cocktail Party, Menteng • KLM dinner party • BOSCH exhibition, Mal Taman Anggrek • 4th of July Party, American Embassy, 2003 • Financial Club Anniversary • New Honda Launching, Gran Melia • Pia Alisjahbana’s Birthday Party • Arts Awards, National Gallery, 2002

Syaharani

Born: July 27, 1971

When you talk about Indonesia Jazz, it will never be completed without saying her name. Born in Batu, Malang, East Java, Indonesia 27 July 1971, she build her career in music since teenager. She become the icon of jazz in Indonesia.With her soulful and husky voice she performed in some prestigious domestic and international events. From Jazz Goes To Campus at University of Indonesia, to North Sea Festival in Denhaag.Al Jarreau, Dave Koz, Keith Martin, and the Yellowjackets has shared their the stages with her on their concerts in Indonesia. Syaharani is a multi-talented artist, succesfull as an actress in the teatre productions Nyi Dasima (2002), Gallery of Kisse (2004) and the film Garasi (2006) by Miles Production. She writes many of her compositions herself, as on The Queen's Fireworks, and has worked as a composer/lyricist for the soundtrack of several major Indonesian films. She is also a diligent author and contributes regulary to some of Indonesia's printed press, such as Kompas, Suara Pembaharuan and Tribun Batam. Currently she is working on her first book, Life Stage Delight, which will be published this year (2008).

For SIEM Festival 2008, Syaharani will contribute some of compositions from her "Magma Project Syaharani -- Electronica World Music".

Jerry Costanzo

Born into a musical family, Jerry started listening to Jazz at an early age. His father, Joseph Costanzo, began his music education early and taught him to play saxophone when he was in the third grade. Jerry's parents played the radio every morning and weekend he and the family would all try out their crooning abilities to the songs of Frank Sinatra, Jerry Vale, Perry Como, Nat Cole and others. Jerry learned all the classic standards through "osmosis."

After high school, Jerry studied acting at the Herbert Berghoff studio in NYC. One of his teachers was William Hickey (You may remember him; he went on to be nominated for best supporting actor in the film Prizzi's Honor). While he attended acting school, Jerry landed a job working for Al Pacino as his personal aid and chauffeur, where he got to rub elbows with a lot of famous people.

Around 1980, Jerry's father started a Big Band called The Memories Of Swing. Around 1985, Jerry started subbing on alto with the band. "I wouldn't say I was ever a very good sax player but I got by" says Jerry. Up until then, he had been playing with the horn section in a classic rock band and did some singing. That all changed the day his father asked him if he would like to sing with the big band. Jerry was never truly happy playing rock or Pop. "My heart was always in Jazz & Big Band Swing".

Jerry is now a full-time vocalist & bandleader. He has recently released his first CD entitled "Destination Moon" and formed his own label Semi-Quaver Jazz. Jerry leads his own big band - The Jerry Costanzo Orchestra, directed by Mike Carubia, and is working with saxophonist, arranger and producer Mr. Andy Farber & his Swing Mavens octet, as well as his smaller ensembles; Trios, Quartets, and Quintets. Jerry has also been very fortunate to be working with many of the best jazz musicians on the scene today, and continues to work with such names as Steve Ash, Ted Firth, Tardo Hammer, Neal Miner, Joe Cohn, Dave Glasser, Mike LeDonne, Jerry Weldon, Mark Sherman, Ben Wolfe, Jimmy Madison, Alvestor Garnett, Hilary Kole, Amy London, and others.
 

Jerry Costanzo with Andy Farber & The Swing Mavens @ CD release party "Smalls" Jazz Club NYC. From his new CD "Destination Moon"


Andy Farber          : Tenor
Dave Glasser        : Alto
Dan Block              : Bari
Brian Parechi        : Trumpet
Wayne Goodman : Trombone
Isaac Ben Ayala    : Piano
Jennifer Vincent    : Bass
Stephan Shatz       : Drums

Dee Cassella

Dee grew up in Connecticut, in a household filled with music. Her late brother, Joe Berlingo, the jazz saxophonist and leader of the Joe Berlin Quartet, taught his sister Dee, 10 years his junior, to play blues chords on the piano so that she could jam with him. Dee remembers "As a child, I would sit for hours at my brother's feet as he practiced his scales on the tenor sax, clarinet or flute." The music of Joe's heroes-Stan Getz, Stan Kenton, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Mark Murphy-filled her with wonder. "I would scat to tunes played on the radio, not really knowing what I was doing." Young Dee had developed a passion for jazz.

But music wasn't a big part of Cassella's life until fairly recently. After raising two daughters, she left her 17-year career as the owner of a real estate company in Norwalk, CT and began to practice as a Body Psychotherapist in Connecticut and Manhattan. Her supportive, positive energy could now be channeled to making a difference in people's lives. But in the early years of working with clients, Dee was surprised to find that she herself had a deep resistance to making vocal sounds.

Many years of therapy revealed that a hidden message of "don't make a sound" was integrated as an unconscious belief. This was due to Dee being traumatized in infancy. When she was two months old, she had congestion and began to cough. In an effort to go to her, Dee's mother was taking boiling water off the stove, and in an effort to get to Dee she put the pot on the floor. Dee's sister, Nancy, 2 ½ years old, fell into the pot of boiling water and died two days later. This created the unconsciousness block to making any vocal sound.





Dee decided to work with a voice teacher, Arlene Stone, to overcome this block. It amazed her to learn that she had voice- indeed, real vocal talent. But in the beginning, she was severely limited in what she could do with that talent because she still could not overcome her inhibitions. She began to explore singing with different teachers, but the emotional block continued for seven years, even as she began to sing and perform in concerts and clubs.


Dee found the key to desensitizing her deeply-rooted anxiety while training for certification in Francine Shapiro's EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reproces-sing)-a practice that specializes in removing uncomfortable feelings connected to trauma. That was when she uncovered the freedom to be a jazz singer. When she performed the following week, it felt like a miracle had happened. She has never again had a problem with singing discomfort. Dee says: "EMDR has changed my life. It opened up a new world to me and I now integrate this wonderful therapy into my current body-oriented psychotherapy practice. In addition to working with people with trauma issues, I feel I can be of help to those with creative problems such as performance anxiety" Dee has a private practice in Connecticut and in New York City.


Dee now finds joy performing regularly in New York, Connecticut and Internationally. She attributes her winning style of singing to jazz legend Carol Fredette. "The first time I heard Carol Fredette sing I was blown away and knew I had to study with her!  For three years, she taught me the art of communicating a lyric, phrasing, and special attention to great diction, space and rhythm; the result changed my singing completely. My ability to "tell the story" in a song is due to her dedicated work in perfecting this art, for it is an art, says Carol, to masterfully combine all these elements in a song, and have it come out Yours!"


Cassella captivated and thrilled her audience at her sold out CD release show in Milford, Connecticut as well as an encore performance of her standing-ovation-crowned performance at the New York Metropolitan Room.  "My debut CD, 'I'm Here Now,' is a tribute to my long journey to finding my voice and feeling myself worthy of it," she says, "Each and every time I sing I have to pinch myself that I'm really expressing the pure joy of my life force. " Dee chose each song "for the truth it holds for me, and the wisdom that unfolds within it." Brother Joe passed away in 1989 never knowing his little sister could sing.  "My voice is now my life force, and I sing for Nancy and for Joe, in my heart--forever and always. It would have been such a hoot to have been a vocalist in his 16-piece jazz band. Maybe he's up there smiling down at me now."

Al Jarreau to Resume Touring on Aug. 3

Management issues statement clarifying Jarreau's situation on singer's web site

According to a statement posted on Al Jarreau's web site, the singer will resume touring on August 3 in Germany. According to his management, Jarreau did not collapse during a performance as had been reported in the international press, but rather he was feeling weak in his dressing room, hours before his performance. A doctor was called for immediately and Jarreau then went to a local hospital where he was treated for arrhythmia, a common heart-related ailment.

According to his management, his condition has stabilized and so they are expecting him to continue with all but a few of his upcoming dates.

Here is the statement posted on Jarreau's site about his condition and plans:

"Al Jarreau is relieved to announce plans to resume his concert tour on August 3. The concert that day will be in Hanau, Germany, at Amphitheatre Schloss Philippsruhe.

Mr. Jarreau now expects to complete the remainder of his Europe tour (Hanau and onward), and expects to be able to perform all other scheduled concerts in the USA, Japan, and elsewhere.

But, with great frustration, the singer has announced the cancellation of 3 more concerts prior to the Hanau date, following his doctors’ recommendation.

The cancelled dates are:
29 July Nuremberg, Germany, at Serenadenhof
30 July Gleisdorf, Austria, at Forum Kloster
31 July Nové Mesto nad Váhom, Slovakia, at Open Air Fest Zelena Voda

Ticketholders for these 3 cancelled concerts should contact their point of purchase – the venue box office or ticket agent.

On July 26, Al Jarreau’s medical team in Marseille performed a Catheter Ablation, to treat an arrhythmia that had recently developed. The procedure went just as the doctors hoped and expected. He moved out of the Intensive Care Unit later that day. He has been working hard to recover and prepare himself for his return to work."


By Lee Mergner