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24th July, 2007
KOTA KINABALU: Seasoned musicians and members of the public jammed on stage yesterday at The Atrium, Hyatt Regency Kinabalu in the first of three weekly sessions leading up to Kota Kinabalu Jazz Fest, the first of its kind to be held in the city.
Organised by The Rotary Club of Kota Kinabalu (RCKK), The Society of Performing Arts Kota Kinabalu Sabah (SPArKS) and Suriagroup, the session allowed amateurs and members of the public to jam on stage with musicians such as Roger Wang (from the duo ‘Double Take’), Professor Hanafie Imam and June Tan (from the Jazzelton Quintet).
The first Jazz festival in Kota Kinabalu will be held at Jesselton Point (formerly the Kota Kinabalu Ferry Terminal) on 11 August 2007 from 6pm to 11.30pm.
The two next jamming sessions will be held on 29 July (Sunday) and 5 August from 3pm to 5pm. Admission is free, and all members of the public are invited to participate or simply to enjoy the music.
“I am thrilled about the upcoming Jazz Festival,” participant Ivy Pang said at yesterday’s session. “Jazz is a beautiful form of music, and I hope that this effort will encourage more Sabahans to appreciate jazz.”
Hyatt Regency Kinabalu PR Manager Tina Goh said, “We are honoured to be tied together with such a grand event. The Jazz Festival is timely with the Visit Malaysia Year 2007 Campaign, and will hopefully encourage local tourists to visit the Nature Resort City, our beloved Kota Kinabalu.”
Festival Organising Chairman Frankie Foo (member of RCKK) added, “The KK Jazz Festival will be a spectacular world-class affair, with more than 20 international, national and local musicians performing with the dramatic sunset as the backdrop.”
Spokesperson for SPArKS, co-organiser of the Jazz Festival, Roger Wang, concurred, and expressed his confidence that the one-day charity event would be ‘sensational’.
“Internationally acclaimed artistes like Farid Ali a.k.a. Mr. Gambus (Malaysia), Denise Mininfield (USA), Asif Pishori (Britain) and James Vielma (Venezuela) will be performing that evening,” he said. Tickets to the evening performances are priced at RM100 and RM50 per person while students pay RM30 only.
In addition to performances by the five groups beginning at 6pm that Saturday, there will also be two workshops for members of the public conducted by master musicians earlier that day at the Rock School, Likas Driving Range, Kota Kinabalu. Tickets priced at RM30 for the two workshops will be available for sale at Jesselton Point, Sri Pelancongan Sabah, and at @mosphere revolving restaurant.
For more information on the festival, log on to http://www.feeltone. com.my/en/ or call Sri Pelancongan at 088-232121, or email kkjazzfest@ gmail.com. The Rotary Club of Kota Kinabalu is the main organiser of the festival, assisted by the Society of Performing Arts Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (SPArKS), Kota Kinabalu City Hall and Suriagroup.
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