Eyal Maoz’ Jaw-Dropping Improvisation Wrapped Up Jazz Buzz Salihara 2019
JAKARTA (2/17) – Deemed as an improvised jazz musician, Eyal Maoz‘ performance during the last round of Jazz Buzz Salihara 2019 proved to be a stunner. The guitarist slash composer took the stage of Teater Salihara at 4 PM local time. A few minutes into his set, Eyal Maoz played his guitar without any music sheet or other accompanying instruments by himself. His guitar improvisation alone has managed to send us shivers, then Indonesian jazz musicians Nikita Dompas and Rafi Muhammad joined him on guitar and drum respectively. The combination of this trio was out of this world as they exchanged base chords before each improvisation began. The audience could never guess where the notes or melodies would turn. Amazingly the other two musicians kept a similar pace as Eyal Maoz and made us proud as Indonesians. Without a doubt, they could follow the lead from Eyal’s base chords or improvisations easily.
Eyal’s type of jazz that he performed that afternoon didn’t quite follow the pattern of traditional jazz. Instead, he combined various elements on his guitar play including a Middle Eastern, rock, and electronic influence in the mix. His melodies and arrangements flowed beautifully and made us wonder how on earth he could do all the twists and turns with spontaneous thinking. The crowd seemed to be pleased by his performance and the trio looked very content with their freedom of choosing and playing notes. The avant-garde guitarist didn’t talk much to the audience but letting his music spoke for itself. Seeing their gleam and joy on stage, the positive energy radiated to the audience who gave great feedback as well. Eyal Maoz and Tohpati Bertiga‘s performances on Sunday wrapped up the whole celebration of Jazz Buzz Salihara 2019 with its theme Jazz Sans Frontiéres 04. Hopefully, they will add more dates and shows on the next edition of Jazz Buzz Salihara.
Reporter: Intan Maharani/Editor: Novita Widia