Young Jazz Musicians Showcase Talent to Celebrate Indonesian Independence

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – Dozens of young Indonesian jazz musicians showcased their talents at the Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) office in Jakarta on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, as part of celebrations marking Indonesia’s 81st Independence Day. The closing event of FreedomsJazz Festival 2026 featured curated jazz groups collaborated with leading Indonesian musicians, including Dwiki Dharmawan and Barry Likumahuwa.

Dwiki is a prominent Indonesian jazz composer, songwriter, and producer, known for his band Krakatau and his scores across several films and television works. Meanwhile, Barry is an influential jazz musician known for fronting the Barry Likumahuwa Project (BLP).

One of the highlights of the event, presented by Jakarta-based iCSL Studio was Spirit of XI-5. Though consists of relatively young members, they have collaborated with Yenny Wahid, activist and daughter of former president Abdurrahman Wahid, via the song "Juwita Malam" (Night Beauty).

Another highlight was the all-women group ADWARKAL, which collaborated into well-known Indonesian women musicians Endah Widiastuti – of the musical duo Endah n Rhesa – and Sheila Permatasaka. Besides them, groups such as Clay David & The Backbeat, Barry's group B.A.E., and FJF Collective are also performed.

During the event, Yenny expressed her opinion about the meaning of freedom. She said that everyone is free to seek their own happiness, but there are still limitations imposed by society and the circumstances around them.

"For me, the first limitation is that our freedom is constrained by our obligation not to hurt other people," she said.

Yenny said she was very happy to collaborate with young musicians at the 2026 FreedomsJazz Festival. She said she always enjoys spending time with musicians because it immediately helps lower her tension and stress.

"I really admire the talent of Indonesian musicians (here), they’re incredibly cool young people. You can really see that they have passion and are committed to continuously honing their skills and producing extraordinary work," she said to RRI Voice of Indonesia.

Similarly, Director of Programs and Production of the RRI, Mistam, said that independence is not absolute freedom, but rather freedom that must be accompanied by wisdom. He hoped the event would bring happiness to all listeners of RRI Programa 1, the radio network on which the event was broadcast.

“I see freedom not as absolute freedom, but as freedom that is packaged with wisdom,” he said.