The concert in Jakarta was their final performance in their Indonesian tour, after performing at Jazz Gunung Bromo, Rumah Adat Melayu in Pontianak, and Ubud Village Jazz in Bali. With a charming stage personality, Henk Kraaijeveld and his band – Daan Herweg on piano, Thomas Pol on bass, Roberto Pistolesi on drums, and Yoran Aarssen on saxophone – delivered a performance that was not only entertaining but also inspiring.

During the encore, hundreds of audience in the auditorium and library sang along to “Burung Kakaktua”. The song was not in their original setlist, but they decided to play it in Jakarta after the reels of their jazz rendition with Amelia Ong went viral a few days before the concert. Another Indonesian song they played at the concert was “Tersiksa Lagi”, a classic Indonesian jazz tune by Utha Likumahuwa, which was also well-appreciated by the audience.

>Earlier this year Henk Kraaijeveld released a new album “Patches of Sky”. Most of the songs they played during their Indonesian came from the album, including the album title “Patches of Sky”, their debut single “Patience” and “Saidjah’s Song”, a song about Multatuli’s Saidjah and Adinda. Kraaijeveld further mentioned that it was important to acknowledge that history and play the song in Indonesia.

(I wrote this text as a post for Erasmus Huis, published on August 7, 2023. All photos were taken by me).