Kaya: an Indo-Pinoy fusion of island music and jazz
I’ve always been curious about artists that come here from all over the region. Most of them tell me that the Philippines is one of the places that they’d want their music heard.
So when Ferry Febriansyah, a singer and songwriter from Indonesia, came here to fulfill his dream of playing in the Philippines, he put together a group of top-notch Filipino musicians to be his bandmates. It was a collaboration of two cultures and different tastes that one needed to see come alive.
They called themselves Kaya.
Dream team
Ferry Febriansiah has had experience of success in his homeland. He’s been part of a jazz-blues group called Bluey who performed at the Java Jazz Festival in 2008. He also formed a pop group, art2tonic, combining digital and acoustic music and selling 150,000 copies in 2005.
He said of playing in Manila: “I have always dreamed of bringing my music and playing outside of Indonesia. I know the Philippines is one with the best musically talented people here in Asia, and it would really be a dream come true to go there and share the stage with Filipino musicians and learn from the experience.”
As Kaya, Ferry shared the stage with noted musicians such as drummer Reli De Vera of Spy, Kalayo and SinoSikat, bassist Rommel Dela Cruz of Barbie’s Cradle and Freestyle, and keyboardist Niki Cabardo, who has also played with Pinoy Brazilian fusion artist Nyko Maka, SinoSikat and Freestyle.
Jazz roots evident
Ferry’s exposure to jazz preceded his shift to performing island music.
When he plays the Kaya originals “Love Can Make You,” “Tons of Cigarettes” and “Asterita,” among others, you can hear the overpowering simplicity of the music which makes it universal.
Yet when you embrace the music in its entirety, you can hear the underlying complexities of the jazz arrangements.
Universal appeal
Kaya’s music is a delight for those who appreciate the technicalities of sound without having them overwhelm the essence of the music.
The universal appeal is obvious when you see Kaya live and enjoy their music.
And it’s good to know that there are a lot of Filipinos here, including Ferry’s band mates, who are only happy to have his music reach a much wider audience.
To listen to the music of Kaya, visit KayaMusic on Soundcloud. To watch their live videos, visit KAYA Music on Facebook.
