Java Jazz Festival 2025: Backstage Vibes from Azeem P.

By Azeem P., 22Muse Media

Jakarta doesn’t just host Java Jazz — it becomes it. From the moment I landed, you could feel the city tuning itself to one frequency. JIExpo Kemayoran was the main stage, but honestly, the whole city felt like it was on standby mode, waiting for the downbeat.

The Lineup That Lit the Weekend

• Jacob Collier — special show on opening night, bending harmonies until the crowd forgot about gravity.

• Raye — closing day, fresh from her Brit Award win, wrapped the festival with a mix of soul, pop, and raw emotion.

• Snarky Puppy, Lettuce, and Kamasi Washington — bringing the funk and fire that had the ground moving like one giant bassline.

• Vocal jazz elegance from Jane Monheit, power duets with Ron King Big Band, and the groove-driven trio of Brian Bromberg, Paul Brown & Michael Paulo.

• Indonesia held its own — Isyana Sarasvati, Cakra Khan, Tompi, Maliq & D’Essentials, Endah N Rhesa, Barry Likumahuwa, and more. Names that don’t just play for the crowd — they play with the crowd.

Backstage, the Real Show

While the spotlight burned bright on stage, the back corridors carried their own rhythm. Tech crews moving like clockwork, swapping batteries, checking levels, rerouting cables without a word wasted. I’ve lived that pulse for years — the quiet work that makes the loud moments happen.

Jakarta Rhythm

No bike this time. In Jakarta, it’s Grab rides, traffic jams, and long walks through halls that never really sleep. You learn to move at the city’s pace — fast when it clears, patient when it doesn’t. By the time you hit the festival grounds, you’re already in the groove.

Final Note

Java Jazz 2025 was more than a festival. It was Jakarta proving, again, that music can slow the chaos of a megacity into one beat everyone shares. The festival wrapped, but the echoes stayed — in the city, in the crews, and in my own ears long after the last encore.

Light, sharp, and always on time. That’s how the music — and the city — carried itself.

— Azeem P., 22Muse Media