6 Reasons to Head Down to the Ubud Village Jazz Festival 2017

PUBLISHED May 19th, 2017 06:00 am | UPDATED July 28th, 2024 01:38 am

As if there aren’t already enough reasons to visit Ubud (see our roundup of things to see and do in Bali’s culture capital), this August sees the return of the world’s top jazz musicians to the Ubud Village Jazz Festival stage for its fifth year, alongside a plethora of Indonesia’s best.

Here are six reasons to add this groovy international music extravaganza into your upcoming travel plans!

The festival is all-inclusive

Taking place in the dramatic gardens of ARMA Museum on 11 and 12 August 2017, the festival is all about bringing together a community that truly enjoys jazz, while facilitating workshops with local and international music educators to get more young people interested in exploring the genre – which is not to say that you won’t be welcomed with open arms just because you’re more into metal, rock, or indie. After all, isn’t music a universal passion, irrespective of age, creed, or wealth?

Legendary international acts

The highlights of this year’s Ubud Village Jazz Festival include the venerable Gerald Clayton Trio with Joe Sanders and Gregory Hutchinson on bass and drums respectively. With four Grammy Award nominations to his name, the American pianist is no stranger to the jazz world, having taken second place in the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Piano Competition and boasting several albums.

Organist and composer Steve Barry – winner of the 2013 Bell Award for Young Australian Jazz Artist of the Year – will also be part of the lineup, along with Austria’s b. good vogel (a modern jazz project by Marc Vogel and Lukas Schiemer), France’s sax-y Samy Thiebault, German jazz trumpeter Benny Brown, and more acclaimed performers!

… and Indonesian superstars

It wouldn’t be much of a festival if we don’t see some illustrious Indonesian acts on the lineup as well. Look out for the celebrated trombone player Benny Likumahua, who will share the stage together with his son Barry Likumahua – himself one of the most respected young bassists in Indonesia. Internationally acclaimed guitarist from Bali, Balawan, will combine his improvisational music style with Balinese gamelan in an ethnic fusion of sorts, while Astrid Sulaiman dishes out some soulful blues tunes on the piano.

There are more than 10 other local musicians and groups involved as well, including the likes of saxophonist Ricad Hutapea and Pramono Abdi Pamungkas, and famed drums extraordinaire Sandy Winarta.

Early Bird prices

…if you’re quick about it! From now till 30 June 2017, enjoy a two-day Ubud Village Jazz Festival Pass for a sweet IDR$500,000 (approximately US$38), that gives you access to every single show and fringe event at the festival.

Free-flow wine courtesy of Plaga Wine

Nothing like a little tipple to loosen up and get the groove going, amirite? Each ticket includes an hour of free-flow wine brought to you by the kind folks at Plaga Wine, made from the finest imported grapes from Chile, Western Australia, and Europe; fermented and bottled right in Indonesia.

There’s plenty of other gorgeous sights in Ubud too

We suppose we have Julia Roberts and the Hollywood romantic-comedy Eat Pray Love to thank for putting Ubud on the world map for ‘spiritual tourism’, a reference that you’ll probably notice all over town. For what it lacks in the beach party scene category (see our Hipster Hangouts in Canggu for that, it makes up for with amazing culture, boasting remarkable architecture, artist workshops, and galleries galore. It’s also home to some of the island’s best restaurants – at a cheaper price point than say, Seminyak – cafes and street stores.

But if anything else, don’t miss your chance to witness some of the world’s best jazz musicians (whether mainstream, modern, traditional, or Latin) perform right in front of you in a cosy and beautiful setting, surrounded by an incredibly welcoming community. That’s what the Ubud Village Jazz Festival is about: inclusivity.

Ubud Village Jazz Festival 2017 is happening on 11 & 12 August 2017 at Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA), Jln Raya Pengosekan, Ubud, Bali. Grab your tickets here. Early bird ticket sales end 30 June 2017.

Top Image: Matthew Oldfield