Bali | TribuneIndonesia.com
with its stunning cultural and natural landscapes, once again becomes the stage for a wave of vibrant and spirited jazz. As the Sthala Ubud Village Jazz Festival (UVJF) 2025 approaches its main event on August 1–2, the festival offers more than just a two-day showcase — it extends a full musical journey through a series of pre- and post-events held across Bali. With a selective curatorial approach and a strong guiding philosophy, this year’s UVJF proves that jazz is more than a genre — it’s an experience.
The musical journey kicks off on Sunday, July 27, 2025, at Reef Beach Club, The Apurva Kempinski. Against the backdrop of the Indian Ocean, the East West European Jazz Orchestra sets the tone with a vibrant big-band performance blending swing, soul, and Eastern European folk elements. With the sunset and ocean waves as a natural stage, jazz becomes not just sound, but an emotional landscape.
On Wednesday, July 30, 2025, the scene shifts to The Garden at The Meru Sanur. Under dim garden lights and a gentle sea breeze, Serbia’s Bojan Cvetković Quartet delivers modern jazz infused with Balkan rhythms. Their performance, rich with rhythmic complexity and improvisational freedom, brings fresh contemporary energy to the tropics.
The next evening, Thursday, July 31, 2025, the French trio ROUGE takes the stage at Bumi Kinar in Ubud. Their music evokes introspection, blending melancholic modernity with classical lyricism and experimental textures — a sonic journey that flows gently yet cuts deep.ROUGE is supported by Institute Francaise Indonesie.
The festival’s main event unfolds on August 1–2, 2025, at Sthala Ubud Bali, part of the Marriott International network. Nestled among lush tropical forests and the serene Wos River, UVJF delivers not only musical excellence but also a profound connection between music, place, and people. Organizers anticipate 3,400 attendees — a 20% increase from the previous year — with all rooms at the main venue fully booked, reflecting strong interest from both local and international audiences.
To close the journey, a post-event concert will be held on Sunday, August 3, 2025, at Samasta Lifestyle Village in Jimbaran. The Dortmund-based group SILK will bring an energetic mix of funk, fusion, and soul. Their pulsating grooves promise to wrap up the entire UVJF 2025 experience with optimism and spirit.
For UVJF co-founder Yuri Mahatma, the pre- and post-events are more than side programs — they embody the very ethos of the festival. “We want people to understand that jazz isn’t just about two days of concerts. Jazz is a wave — and that wave should be felt from the very beginning and continue to echo afterward,” he explains. “We designed this series so that audiences can experience the pulse of jazz as a complete journey.”
UVJF stands not just as a music festival, but as a space for cross-cultural, intergenerational, and creative encounters. With a commitment to sustainability and community collaboration, the festival continues to evolve, opening new rooms for expression and resonance. Like jazz itself, UVJF lives through improvisation, thrives in dialogue, and resonates far beyond the limits of its stage.(***)
