Borneo Jazz Festival in Miri, Malaysia
I WAS LUCKY enough to have been invited by the Sarawak Tourism Board to head to Miri, Malaysia for the international jazz festival, Borneo Jazz (formerly known as the Miri International Jazz Fesitval). From May 12-15, 2011, the Parkplace Everly Hotel’s back yard was converted to festival grounds. This year was the sixth for the fest, each one bigger than the last.
It was the first music festival I covered and I was pretty stoked about the access to the photographer’s press pit (like a mosh pit, only much less people, closer to the stage, and less elbows in the ribs and fingers in the eye). Aside from the jazz festival, Malaysia on the island of Borneo is a pretty sweet place to visit. I have it on good authority, from peninsular Malaysians, that the islanders live a much more laid-back lifestyle than those in Kuala Lumpur.
If you’re in the area come jazz festival time, it could be worth your while to hop on over. This coming July 8-10 the Rainforest World Music Festival will take place in Kuching, the capital of Sarawak. This festival has been voted in the Top 25 Best International Festivals by Songlines magazine.
And don’t miss my interview with Maria Muldaur.