MORE than 100 musicians from North America, Europe, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia performed in the third KL International Jazz & Arts Festival 2014 (KLIJAF).
The festival held at Universiti Malaya recently, was organised by KL International Jazz Festival and Asia World Events in collaboration with Universiti Malaya and was supported by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and Malaysia Airlines. Ambank Group was the major sponsor for the event.
With 17 Grammy nominations, numerous number one spots in guitar polls and having recorded over 40 albums throughout his career, Grammy award-winning guitarist Lee Ritenour was one of the headliners during the festival.
Ritenour was one of the founding members of American jazz band Fourplay.
From rock to blues to jazz, Ritenour’s diverse music became the foundation of over 3,000 sessions as a young guitarist with a broad spectrum of artistes including Frank Sinatra, Pink Floyd (The Wall), Steely Dan (Aja), Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, B.B. King, Simon and Garfunkel, Ray Charles, Peggy Lee, Aretha Franklin and Barbra Streisand.
This was the second time he performed at the KLIJAF.
The other headliners at the jazz festival included Grammy-nominated artiste John Beasley whose music career spanned over three decades, and internationally acclaimed pianist, composer and humanitarian Keiko Matsui, who recently recorded her latest album titled Soul Quest.
“We were delighted to be a major sponsor for KLIJAF as this festival promoted the Kuala Lumpur jazz scene and offered local jazz aficionados a chance to enjoy world-class performances right here in Kuala Lumpur,” said AmBank Group chairman Tan Sri Azman Hashim.
“Jazz music is often associated with foreign performers but through this festival, we can showcase our local talents who are also of international repute,” he added.
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