WHASINGTON (Kennedycenter.org) - Growing up in Indonesia, watching his father play the bass and alto saxophone in Jakarta's handful of jazz clubs, Nial Djuliarso inherited his father's passion for the uniquely American art form.
Now he is in the United States to do what his engineer father did not do -- pursue a life of music. "Indonesia and jazz are two words that don't seem to go together. But I was exposed to it at an early age, and it stuck to me," the 21-year-old jazz pianist said, reflecting on the journey that began when he was 3 and culminates this week in performances at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.
Djuliarso is one of an elite group of 28 young musicians from around the world accepted by Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead, a week-long jazz residency program that brings emerging artists together with experienced performers.
This year the musicians hail from Israel, Brazil, Italy, Norway, and Indonesia. Many of them are studying at the Berklee School of Music in Boston and at New York University.
"Jazz really is an international language, and has great popularity in so many different countries," said Derek Gordon, vice president of education and jazz programming at The Kennedy Center. "But it's clear ... if you are going to learn to play, you've got to come to the States so you can play with the people who really make the music happen," Gordon said.
CULTIVATE TALENT
Betty Carter, whose career spanned nearly 50 years, was considered a premiere jazz vocalist and one of the great ladies of jazz, along with Ella Fitzgerald , Sarah Vaughn and Billie Holiday . She founded the Jazz Ahead program in 1993 as a venue to cultivate the most promising fledging artists she knew, and to pass on the jazz tradition.
The program was originally developed at 651 Arts, an arts center in Brooklyn, New York. In 1997, The Kennedy Center and Dr. Billy Taylor, the center's artistic advisor for jazz, invited Carter to perform in the Louis Armstrong Legacy, a singer's series. Before her death in 1998, the center invited Carter to make Washington a permanent home for Jazz Ahead.
"This was a labor of love for Betty Carter," Gordon said. "She really wanted to give something back to the music. Music was really her life."
Carter once said, "Regardless of the fact that jazz is considered one of the first of America's true musical statements, it cannot survive simply on reputation alone. ... Creativity and explosive musical minds built this music with the sweat of what inspired them. "We need to create a wider pool for young talent to emerge, to be seen, and to be heard, in order to help them create viable careers of their own."
The applicants are reviewed by professional jazz musicians and evaluated on both composition and performance skills. They must be under age 30 to participate. The Kennedy Center funds all expenses for the residency program, including tuition, travel, meals and lodging.
A key part of the program is that the musicians create their own ensemble group after practicing together all week, Gordon said.
"Many of these young artists are beginning to work in the field. Most of them are not leaders yet, and this (program) is really doing two things," Gordon said. "It is trying to make them consummate professionals, so that when they are working in an ensemble, they can handle whatever is thrown at them, because that's what a real jazz artist is about. And secondly, it prepares them for the day they will step forward and lead the ensemble."
Some past participants in Jazz Ahead include Ben Hazelton a bassist active in London's jazz scene; Sam Bar-sheshet, a pianist and organist who performs regularly in New York City at Birdland and Knitting Factory; and Michael Cabe, a pianist and composer who performs with the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra.
LISTEN HARD
Djuliarso said it is critical to be open-minded and to listen hard to each other during the week's practice sessions. "I think the essence of playing with a group is the interaction with each other," he said.
Gordon said The Kennedy Center was very interested in continuing the program with artists who Carter had been associated with, many of whom she had trained and were her colleagues through the years. "It's only through getting the experienced artists to take this kind of time with those artists who are coming to the scene now that you really get to pass on the music," Gordon said.
This year, the panel of judges, who also serve as mentors during the program, include saxophonist Nathan Davis, vocalist Carmen Lundy , bassist Curtis Lundy and trombonist Curtis Fuller . Drummer Winard Harper and pianist Eric Reed are also leaders in the intense week of training in performance, composing and arranging.
For Djuliarso, playing with Reed, a fellow pianist, is a highlight of the program. But he is ever aware of who introduced him to the art form.
"With jazz I have to credit my father," he said. "It was my father's idea of giving me a chance to learn about other cultures and having a broader vision of the world."
The program culminates in performances held at the center's Millennium Stage April 4 and 5. The performances will be Web cast on the Internet at https://www.kennedycenter.org.
