Picture Source: Alexander Bone – at BBC Young Musician Award 2016 Jazz Award

( classical-music.com )

Jazz  is one of the music genres that often misunderstood and quite difficult to digest for some, especially young generations. With the huge increase of social media users and many platforms, the youngsters prefer hip genre, to name a few like pop or EDM ( electronic dance music ) or indie.

But that doesn’t mean that jazz music is not for young people. Especially here in Bandung, for the past couple years, the rise of jazz music can be seen by so many jazz events held where the audiences and event promotors are from young generation. School kids are more interested in jazz as well.

The best thing and what sets jazz apart is this fantastic thing called “improvisation”, no plan, no long discussion, no over-think it, you just play the groove. Although for some, Jazz music is difficult to understand, but there are always people who appreciate this music because of the creativities and imaginations created through the music, and that… is the essence of the music.  

For instance, Iwan Nugraha a young & hip entrepreneur from Bandung said that eventhough he doesn’t completely understand jazz but he enjoys the sound of the instrument of jazz music. “i find it very soothing compare the loudness of other music genre”.

Joey Alexander is one of many promising jazz musicians from Indonesia who soar right way when it comes to playing jazz in international scale music event.  He is a living proof of young jazz musicians and actually many more youngsters who are quite good in playing jazz, just not as lucky and as famous as Joey Alexander. It breaks the stigma that Jazz enthusiasts are only on certain age level, it’s not only about old instruments and back-to-date music, but Jazz is as universal as other music genre and can be enjoyed by anyone.

When it comes to preference, one can not force others to like the same thing. The best way is to understand and learn it, as well as respect the music. After all, music is made for pleasure, and jazz certainly is no doubt a pleasure itself.