Slamet Susanto & Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Bantul, Yogyakarta

Jazz in Indonesia initially developed as an exclusive form of entertainment for the wealthy elite. Tickets for jazz performances sold for hundreds of thousands of rupiah, effectively putting the genre out of reach for the little guy.

But in the village of Tembi recently, local residents enjoyed jazz music for free through the Ngayog-jazz 2008 event.

"This Ngayog-jazz event was organized to bring jazz music to rural communities," said Djaduk Ferianto, one of the founders of Ngayog-jazz, an annual event that began in 2007.

The event was held in the Tembi community housing complex in Bantul, on Nov. 23. In the past, the show has been held at the nearby padepokan (community education and living complex).

Organizers believed this year's event would attract around 3,000 people -- but were amazed when it drew in more than 4,000.

According to Djaduk, jazz in America was born out of daily community life, origins similar to the jathilan (hobby-horse dancing) tradition found in Indonesian society.

In its early days jazz was played in housing areas where the community came together to work and interact socially.

"When jazz music appeared for the first time in America, it wasn't put on for show, but for recreation," said Djaduk.

But the evolution of jazz led it through changes that strayed from its roots and transformed it into a unique musical genre. Jazz shows were then only held in ritzy hotels and glamorous halls.

"To buy a ticket for a jazz show, when the prices were so high, was impossible for an ordinary person," said Djaduk.

For the Ngayog-jazz event, five stages were erected in the middle of the community housing area. Kicking off in the afternoon and going until midnight, jazz performers moved from stage to stage, playing alongside traditional artists.

A golek gung performance with theatrical puppets accompanied a show called Ting Clebung (lack of melody).

The Yopia Jazz Group from Yogyakarta followed, with three jazz musicians on bass and one on drums.

The Zefa Community from Bandung, West Java, amazed the audience when a young vocalist, 10-year-old Mika, took to the stage.

The show moved on to Sak Munine, a concert stage dedicated to instrumental jazz, and a percussive section called Klonegan.

At the final Nggandem stage, singers Tri Utami, Iga Mawarni, Maya Hasan and others entertained the crowd.

The Klonengan stage was built on the ruins of houses destroyed in the 2006 earthquake. The choice for that particular venue was something of a tribute to the disaster, which destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes and killed around 5,000 people in Bantul.

"This was the first time I had ever seen or heard jazz," said Mardiyah, 50, a Tembi community resident. The mother of three said the jazz rhythms were pleasant on the ear.

"It's not like 'dangdut' music, which is chaotic," she said.

Muryani, 42, said although this was her first experience of jazz music, she found the style strange.

"The music came exclusively from instruments. There were no singers," said Muryani, referring to the instrumental show.

"Still it's very good campur sari (a mix of pop and traditional Javanese music), because it comes from the heart. I found that touching," she said.

Djaduk said the Ngayog-jazz event was a long-term investment designed to provide a place for jazz in the community.

"This is the beginning of a process and a long-term investment to help educate people and make jazz more acceptable," he said.

Maya Hasan, who played the harp with musicians from the Indonesian Art Institute of Yogyakarta, hoped the Ngayog-jazz event would help transform its image from one of exclusivity to one everybody could enjoy.

Ngayog-jazz 2008 also staged various community music art shows like gejok lesung (music performed during the rice harvest), cokekan (classical Javanese music) and hadroh (tambourine music), developing an interaction and collaboration between the differing cultures.

Bambang Panigrono, committee member, said jazz music could work to bring people together in Indonesia.

"We want to return to a time when jazz was integral to the community and played a key role in social interaction," Bambang said.