The Jazz Voyager
Red White Lounge: Jl. Kemang Raya 16B, Kemang, South Jakarta, Indonesia / Open Wednesdays to Sundays, 7 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. / Run and owned by renowned Indonesian jazz pianist and composer Indra Lesmana. The jazz club is one of the more active live jazz venues, with performances almost every day of the week, and has the atmosphere of a conventional jazz bar (dim lighting, a floor-level stage, and a well-stocked bar.
Performances and jam sessions are usually held from Wednesdays to Sundays and usually feature lesser known and established musicians. Indra Lesmana occasionally performs with his jazz band every month. Workshops and musician master classes are also held at the venue. Entrance to the venue usually costs from Rp 60,000 (US$5.22) to Rp 100,000, depending on who is performing.
Next Stop: Busan, Korea – I leave Jakarta at 6:45am for a 7h 55m flight to Tokyo, Japan. Then a 2h 35m layover before boarding the final leg at 6:30pm for a 2h 30m flight to Busan. Then a taxi ride to the hotel to rest before hitting the night life for some jazz.
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The Jazz Voyager
The Brisbane Jazz Club: 1 Annie Street, Kangaroo Point, Brisbane, Australia / Telephone: 61-7-33912006 / The venue is situated on Brisbane river and is open for live jazz every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. Each month we also feature a Sunday riverside brunch show and also regular jam sessions. We present two major weekend festivals each year – our Brisbane Big Band Festival in May, and our Oz Manouche Festival in November with International Gypsy jazz artistes.
Next Stop: Jakarta, Indonesia – Taking off out of Brisbane at 9:45am, I kick back for the six hour 20 minute flight to Denpasar, Indonesia. there I have a two hour before getting on the connecting flight to Jakarta at 4:10pm, crossing another time zone and arriving what seems like an hour at 5:10 in Jakarta. I have a few days to enjoy the city before heading out to hear some great jazz.
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The Jazz Voyager
Katzy’s Jazz Club: Rosebank, Shop 70, Johannesburg, South Africa / The Firs / Hyatt Shopping Centre, c/o Oxford Road & Bierman Avenue / Telephone: 082 805 6855
Katzy’s is South Africa’s finest jazz club and is nestled in the Firs shopping centre in sophisticated Rosebank. It is the best place in town to hear live jazz, drink fine wines and over 100 whiskeys and smoke the tastiest cigars but be sure you can handle the smoke. Resident bands perform five nights a week offering a nightlife experience that defines class and entertainment.
Next Stop: Brisbane, Australia – Head out to Jo-burg Airport to catch A 15 hour and 45 minute flight on Qantas Airlines. It’s 11 hours and 55 minutes until we land in Sydney, Australia at 2:45pm the following day. An overnight flight with time szone changes at least I get to sleep. Then its a three hour layover before taking off again on Qantas for Brisbane at 5:05 for another time zone change finally landing an hour thirty0five minutes later in Brisbane. Off to the hotel and we’ll check out some jazz later.
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The Jazz Voyager
Touch of Europe Restaurant & Jazz Club: 337 South Phillips Avenue, Sioux Falls, South Dakota / Telephone: 605-336-3066 / Contact: Jim Speirs (music bookings) / Below the street level, the place offers a warm, inviting ambience that’s only made more attractive by the presence of live jazz and artwork by regional artists. Here one can sample something deliciously out of the ordinary at this downtown eatery. Eastern European cuisine is prominent, although traditional Continental favorites make appearances, along with regional delicacies. No matter what graces their plate, regulars rave about the food.
Next Stop: South Africa! From Sioux Falls I will depart at 6:05am for 53 hours of flying, stopping in Atlanta for 11 hours where I’ll stop to see friends, then twelve hours in Paris to walk around the city and catch up with a musician friend living there, then off to Cape Town and then on to Johannesburg finally arriving two days later at 7:25pm. Interestingly enough as I rack up the frequent flyer miles, I am actually only in the air for 24 hours. For two days of travel, the layovers do a body good.
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The Jazz Voyager
Full Jazz Hotel: Rua Silveira Peixoto, 1297 – Batel – Curitiba, Brasil / Telephone: (41) 3312.7000 / Slaviero Full Jazz was built and designed for jazz and blues lovers, where you can relax and listen in the bar. Even the hotel location contributes to this musical environment. Then its back into the street and just two blocks away I will get a taste of the city’s nightlife heart, the Batel Avenue, a place with the best options of restaurants and nightclubs in Curitiba.
Next Stop: South Dakota! From Curitiba it’s off to the Queen City of the West in the heart of the Lakota and Dakota Native American Nation on the Great Plains and the largest city in the state of South Dakota, Sioux Falls. Another long plane ride begins at 3:19pm and the 25 hour flight has layovers in Brasilia, Atlanta and Minneapolis before arriving at my final destination at 12:30pm the following day. But I will take advantage of the six hour layover on the first leg of the trip in Brasilia, so for about five hours I can check out the capital city before getting a bit of Europe in America.
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