This month will see the return of two of the state’s most renowned international events – the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) in Kuching, and the Borneo Jazz Festival in Miri.
This year marks the RWMF’s 25th anniversary and, for the occasion, festival founder Randy Raine-Reusch – a Canadian composer and multi-instrumentalist – returns to guide the artistic programme alongside female sape player Alena Murang, and Bob Meldrick of At Adau, a Kuching-based experimental folk-rock band inspired by the state’s tribal history and instruments.
The RWMF will also continue its tradition of offering a series of hands-on workshops by masters of different disciplines who will showcase, jam, and create unique music in the inspiring setting of the Sarawak Cultural Village – 7-ha open-air museum dedicated to the state’s 28 ethnic groups, with replicas of traditional longhouse dwellings.
Sixty performers from countries including South Korea, Canada, China, India and Mexico will grace the RWMF’s stage for three days. Among them are BluGuru from Australia, which blends an array of musical styles; Timo Vaananen, leading exponent of Finland’s kantele, a plucked stringed instrument; and percussionist Randrianantoandro Clement from Madagascar, better known as Kilema.
The festival will also focus on local food bazaars to celebrate the November listing of Kuching in Unesco’s Creative Cities Network for its unique blend of ethnic cuisines.
Meanwhile, the 17th edition of the Borneo Jazz Festival promises a “mix of jazz musicians, rappers and DJs from all over the world to celebrate cultural diversity, tradition and innovation”, according to co-organiser and artistic director Evelyn Hii.
The event, which began in 2008, will this year feature local and global acts such as Matti Klein from Germany, a jazz pianist fixated with the vintage sounds of Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer electric pianos; and Afro Asia, a US-Malaysian project featuring New York-born Steve Thornton, who blends jazz with Afro-Caribbean beats.
Other noteworthy names are Singapore-born and Canada-raised Masia One, as well as New York-born trombonist Q Sound, who played with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra until 2015 before embarking on a solo musical career in Southeast Asia.
And hailing from Japan is the instrumental four-piece jazz ensemble Gecko & Tokage Parade, which plays a self-described “new-generation sound” fusing jazz, post-rock, classical piano and experimental music.
There will also be a range of percussionists from Latin America, Africa and Asia.
The Borneo Jazz Festival also strives to bring educational value to the local and regional music community.
Hii announced a new artiste residency programme, the Borneo Jazz FAB LAB, which offers six weeks of intense interactive music workshops for local players under the guidance of two international artists – French saxophonist, composer and arranger Chris Stalk, and Jules Vulzor, a bassist, DJ and performer from Switzerland.
Pre-festival events include the Eco Drum Project, hosted by Malaysian drummer and percussionist Lewis Pragasam, founder of landmark ethnic fusion combo Asiabeat.
It aims to foster creativity by using recyclable materials – mostly plastic and PVC – to create “legit and serious drums and percussion instruments that don’t use any wood or metal for their shells”, he said.
Both festivals’ programmes sound enticing enough to rekindle the country’s popular arts and music festivals. But good intentions, innovation, and stellar lineups may not be quite enough to make audiences feel everything is back to normal – they will be required to wear masks to watch performances on the main indoor stage.
The Rainforest World Music Festival in Kuching runs from June 17 to 19, while the Borneo Jazz Festival in Miri takes place on June 24-26. Click on the links for more information.