By Yun Suh-young
The two-day Jazz festival held in Seoul over the weekend boasted of the best lineup the Seoul Jazz Festival (SJF) organizing committee ever came up with, succeeding in mesmerizing the audience who’ve been waiting, yearlong, for the event.
The festival, held in four different stages at the Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, eastern Seoul, began on Friday, which was also Buddha’s Birthday and a national holiday in Korea, and lasted through Saturday.
The first performance on Friday that kicked off the festival was American jazz vocalist Jeff Bernat who sang at the outdoor stage “May Forest” followed by Roberta Gambarini, an Italian jazz singer.
The crowd went wild when Dutch pop jazz singer-songwriter Wouter Hamel, who is widely popular in Korea, came on stage. The audience hailed when he sang some of his hit songs like “Breezy” and “March, April, May” dancing and grooving to the tunes. Hamel also sang some songs from his newest album, “Girls in the City!”
Following his performance, Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo and Gabriela filled the stage with exotic acoustic guitar tunes.
But none could compare to MIKA, British pop-rock singer-songwriter, who stupefied the audience with his charismatic performance at indoor stage “Sparkling Dome.”
Although not a jazz artist, MIKA was a valuable addition to the festival which was striving to add in a couple of famous non-jazz artists to mesh with jazz staples to cater to the diverse audience.
The indoor stadium was completely packed, with no seats left for latecomers. The audience couldn’t stop swinging their hips to the upbeat music performed energetically by the popular British artist. He sang his greatest hit songs non-stop for 90 minutes including “Popular Song,” “Happy Ending,” “Lollipop,” and “Big Girl.”
On the outdoor stage, American jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis soothed the audience playing out different genres of jazz on the keys from classical to swing jazz. It was easy-listening, relaxing time for the audience who listened lying down on the grass.
American jazz band Earth, Wind and Fire’s vocalist Philip Bailey joined Lewis as a special guest and sang from time to time during the 90 minute performance.
On Saturday’s lineup, Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice was the hotshot. Following performances by funky nu-jazz group Tape Five, American jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove’s band, Roy Hargrove Quintet, and Norwegian folk-pop duo Kings of Convenience, Rice ended the two-day festival with his biggest hit, “The Blower’s Daughter.”
Despite the rainy weather, the outdoor stage where he performed was filled with more than 10,000 people who stormed out from the indoor hall after watching Hiromi the Trio Project.
Rice’s mellow voice moistened the hearts of the audience like rain on an arid soil. He sang several of his hits including “Volcano,” “Cold Water” and “Cannonball.”
Meanwhile, American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz’s concert was also held on Friday at the Jamsil Sports Complex also in Songpa-gu, Seoul.