MIRI, Sarawak – Borneo Jazz has announced its lineup for 2014. The impressive line-up this year includes acts who have really made it big in the world of jazz. This is in line with year of ‘double celebration’, the Visit Malaysia Year 2014 (VMY 2014) and Visit Sarawak Year 2014.
Among the bands that will be performing will be Iriao, an eight-piece ethno-jazz band from Georgia. Iriao’s repertoire is based on Georgian authentic folk instrumental and polyphonic music, which has been recognized by UNESCO as being a masterpiece of oral immaterial heritage. However the band aims not to modernize the unique polyphonic Georgian music but to saturate and adorn it with jazz elements. This is the first time that a Georgian band will be performing at the Borneo Jazz.
Another interesting line-up is Vocal Sampling, an all-male acappella musical group from Cuba who are expected to be a hit at this year's Borneo Jazz festival. They are a very well-known band and a crowd pleaser. ITheir album “Cambio de Tiempo” was nominated for 3 Latin Grammy Awards. In the last 2 years, acapella acts have been a show- stopper at Borneo Jazz.
Other popular jazz bands listed for this year's event will be Brassballett from Germany – the first and only show worldwide where musicians are dancers at the same time. They will perform a choreographed show whilst playing their instruments. Mario Canonge – a great virtuoso and showman playing creole jazz with West Indies rhythms from Martinique/France, will be the first Martinique band to perform at the festival. YK Band from Indonesia will feature jazz with hints of Borneo flavour. Anthony Strong – hailed as “England’s new jazz superstar" from UK. He beat Gregory Porter, Michael Bublé and Harry Connick Jr. to become No 1 on the iTunes and No 2 on the amazon.com jazz charts in the USA.
From the local scene we have Diana Liu, the Sarawakian born artist who plays pop, jazz, bossa nova, gospel and funk/soul. She and her band members will represent Malaysia/USA/Taiwan. Among members of her band will be Malaysia's very own drum virtuoso, Lewis Pragasam.
Entry tickets will go on sale in the last week of January 2014.
More can be read at www.jazzborneo.com. Updates also available via STB’s Twitter account @SarawakTravel and Facebook at Sarawak Travel.
This annual event is organized by Sarawak Tourism Board, supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia and Ministry of Tourism Sarawak; and endorsed by Tourism Malaysia. The annual jazz festival, now in its 9th year, will be held in Miri, Sarawak from the 9th to 10th May.
Issued by:
Corporate Communications Unit
SARAWAK TOURISM BOARD
T: + 6 082-423600 | F: + 6 082-416700
E: gustino@stbwesitev2.offline
Date: 6 January 2014