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Borneo Jazz Festival Returns to Sarawak

Borneo Jazz 2018 live. Music Press Asia

[Borneo Jazz]

Jazz music festival returns in a hybrid format to celebrate diversity and innovation.

Borneo Jazz festival is one of Southeast Asia’s longest-running international jazz festivals. Themed “Jazz in The Jungle”, the Borneo Jazz festival will be held from 24 to 26 June 2022 in a hybrid format to reach out to the greater jazz-loving community worldwide. The physical concert will take place at Coco Cabana, Miri while viewers will also be able to live stream one-hour blocks of their performances from home.

The festival has put on stage everything from New Orleans bands to Samarinda Jazz, from Latin & Caribbean jazz to Blues & Boogie Woogie, from Afro jazz to Shanghai jazz, from Funk to Vocal Jazz.

With musical content curated by No Black Tie Presents, Malaysia’s foremost jazz promoter, music lovers can expect a spectacular mix of jazz and hip-hop, tribal vibes, world beats, and electro-jazz grooves during the 17th edition of the Borneo Jazz festival.

Sarawak Arts Council’s band Sarawak Symphony Orchestra (SONS) will also be taking to the Borneo Jazz stage for the first time in continued collaboration with Sarawak Tourism Board, with the aim to lift Sarawak’s local music scene.

The lineup will also include an eclectic mix of jazz musicians, rappers and DJs from the USA, Hungary, Singapore, France, Malaysia and more lighting up the Borneo Jazz stage to celebrate cultural diversity, tradition and innovation.

“With the theme “Jazz in the Jungle”, this year’s Borneo Jazz is about rejuvenating the jazz scene while being surrounded by the wonders of nature that are in abundance in Miri, the gateway to Northern Sarawak. As we all know, artistes and musicians have all been affected by the lockdowns, so Borneo Jazz festival serves as the perfect platform to rejuvenate, rediscover, rekindle and rebuild the jazz connection that was interrupted for the past two years,” said Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, the Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts.

“Our focus apart from positioning Borneo Jazz as a top-notch Jazz Festival in the region is to empower and raise cultural awareness through Borneo Jazz Talent Search and Borneo Jazz FAB LAB platform, providing performance and networking opportunities, giving awards and recognition, as we strongly believe in promoting sustainability in the growth of arts & culture within the local community, and the importance of cultural exchange in fostering greater understanding between people of different cultural backgrounds which aligns with the STB’s and the state’s sustainable journey,” said Evelyn Hii, Artistic Director of Borneo Jazz festival 2022.

[Borneo Jazz festival showcases traditional instruments of Sarawak – introducing diversity, innovation and cultural aspect of Borneo to the rest of the world.]

“We are pleased to once again bring music lovers in Malaysia and around the world physically back to Borneo Jazz festival in Miri, the northern gateway of Sarawak. Last year, the music festival reached a broader audience given the virtual format, and we hope to continue this traction once again this year. Our goal is to provide our Sarawakian artists with an even bigger platform for their artistry to be recognised around the world,” said Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor, Chief Executive Officer of Sarawak Tourism Board.

Borneo Jazz will feature performances by the winners of the nationwide Borneo Jazz Talent Search launched on April 1 for DJ, Jazz and Open categories. Together with Borneo Jazz Festival FAB Lab 2022, aspiring musicians will be given the chance to grow their musical talent alongside renowned local and international artistes while also contributing to the growth of Miri as the region’s jazz centre.

Additional activities around the Borneo Jazz festival will be the Eco Drum and Eco Art projects, both aimed to raise awareness towards creating a more eco-friendly and sustainable city.

The Borneo Jazz Virtual Experience 2021 three-day event garnered 244,637 online viewers from 43 countries.

Borneo Jazz tickets

Jazz music lovers can start purchasing tickets for BJ starting 22nd April 2022 from the website jazzborneo.com. For the public category, 1 Day Pass is priced at RM128 per ticket, 2 Day Pass is RM228 per ticket and 3 Day Pass is RM338 per ticket

As for students and senior citizens, 1 Day Pass is priced at RM88 per ticket ,2 Day Pass is RM128 per ticket and 3 Day Pass is RM188 per ticket.

For those who want to enjoy BJ virtually, tickets are priced at RM25 per one-hour block. For more information on Borneo Jazz festival 2022, click here.

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