Nisa Addina captivates attendees at KWJF with her violin skills.
Dawn Wong & The Shanghai Jazz Club taking jazz enthusiasts back to the 1920s with their performance.
KUCHING: Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah believes that events like the Kuching Waterfront Jazz Festival (KWJF) can serve as a platform for budding talents.
He opined that if developed properly, such events could not only be a place for professionals to showcase their talents, but also shine a spotlight on the many talented performers and musicians waiting in the wings.
“Aside from bringing professionals, in this case professional jazz musicians, we can work on building a platform for the youths. Maybe organise a competition between bands before the festival and the incentive is that the winner is able to perform and rub shoulders with professionals from all over the world,” he told reporters when met Saturday during the final night of KWJF.
A jazz enthusiast himself, Abdul Karim – also Youth and Sports Minister – urged the private sector to work with the Sarawak government in building such a platform.
“We hope the private sector will come forward and hold events such as KWJF. If they do, the government will come in and support.
“Those with talents such as playing music should have a space to perform, and we can build an interest in such an industry.
“Jazz is picking up, and another industry that is picking up is theatre. So we want to build these up because then our society will become a more affluent society,” he added.
The third edition of KWJF, held from Sept 28 to Sept 29 at the MBKS Community Hall, saw jazz musicians and bands such as Z Yan (Malaysia), Ning Baizura (Malaysia), Xanaduduo (United Kingdom/Sarawak) and Q Sound (USA/Malaysia) take to the stage on the first night.
Swaiv from Sarawak kicked off the final night of the jazz fest, followed by a trip back in time courtesy of Dawn Wong & The Shanghai Jazz Club (Singapore).
Jazz enthusiasts were then treated to performances by Nisa Addina (Sarawak/USA), Siti Navarro (Philippines), Ushera (Malaysia), Harvey Malaihollo (Indonesia) and Dave Brewer & The DooDaddies (Australia).
Over 1,000 jazz enthusiasts gathered for the final night of KWJF.