Sunday, March 16, 2008

Faux Jazz and Pareto Improvement

In his feature on Java Jazz (in Bahasa Indonesia), Bre Redana of Kompas wrote that people came to see something he called the ersatz jazz --or the not-so-really jazz, the likes of James Ingram and Babyface. Reading it, you could not avoid a glint of satire and his mock to Jakarta lifestyle.

My take: if those ersatz jazz make Jakarta urbanites willing to pay hundreds of thousand IDR so that the organizing committee could pay Joshua Redman (as in 2007) and Wynton Marsalis (probably in 2009) to play, bring them on.

Imagine in the next year Java Jazz, those people crowd into, say, Rihanna's stage, and the jazz addicts enjoy The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra in less crowded, thus more pleasant, performance. Better yet, if the former pay additional special rate, while the latter regular.

In economics term, it's called a Pareto improvement.

7 comments:

  1. surely you know this event aim profit. berdagang, economists shouldn't cease to see that. first Java Jazz invited Padi, which is no where near jazz. my friend played there for her band publicity even though she doesn't play jazz. she was laughing her ass off when people said her music is 'shoegaze jazz'. what the fuck? and what's with genre classification anyway?

    but if those critics can say Incognito and Nial Djuliarso as mediocre acts, i guess they can say whatever to James Ingram and Babyface.

    *please don't stop the music... music... music...*

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  2. yay!! I'm agreeing with you today!

    who cares what it's called, so long as it's actually fun to watch. My first thought as i entered the festival was that it was more a music festival than a jazz festival. but a good one, tho could do with less the queueing (the whole coupon thing).

    anyway, i leave it to you more educated ones to comment on the music. I'm still learning Kangen Band

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  3. This goes to Pasha:

    Dude, you see? People want music. Where is your post? :-)

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  4. Yes, we want Pasha! Too bad that you were not here to watch Helloween and Skid Row tours, although both Michael Kiske and Sebastian Bach had left the band. Ah, those good ol' days, when heavymetal and hairspray used to be synonymous.

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  5. What? The Skid Row minus Johann Sebastian Bach is like BOE band without its legendary frontman, Barlev Nicodemus (read: non existent).

    For those who don't know BOE band, you don't miss a thing (or should I say otherwise).

    By the way, Manager, maybe you should ask them, that is the BOE, not Skid Row, to some time play in the cafe.

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  6. omaigattt, hairband rock is such a guilty pleasure. i still can't believe Brett Michael is on reality show, searching his significant one. or maybe next sex tape poser. whatever.

    anyway, i was happy to see several BOE/FEUI-ers at The Police's reunion concert. and of course half of Jakarta's socialite too, just because.

    now imma get back to me Rihanna and Timbaland. beneran ya, pindah aliran musik tuh beratnya sama kayak pindah agama... hiks!

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  7. Whoops..got a wake up call from the manager :D

    Dudes and dudettes...I'm like been away for awhile...here's why...will post soon..hang in there :-)

    Meh...skid row w/o Bach? I think I'll pass :D Pe...I think you forgot to mention all the dandruff from all that long hair :D

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