Cuban jazz pianist Alfredo Rodriguez closed out day two of the 32nd Jarasum Jazz Festival with a headlining set built around jazz reimaginings of rock and pop classics.
According to Sports Kyunghyang reporter Son Bong-seok, the festival’s second day took place on Oct. 10 on Jarasum island in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi, with rock and pop melting into jazz across the main stage.
Rodriguez, who wrapped up the night on the main stage, opened with a jazz arrangement of “Final Countdown” by the heavy metal band Europe that had the audience locked in from the start. He followed it with jazz reinterpretations of familiar tunes such as “Besame Mucho,” driving the performance with a percussive, hard-hitting piano touch, and even showed off what the report described as top-tier vocal skills. Near the end of his set, he paid tribute to “the king of pop” Michael Jackson with an instrumental variation on “Thriller” that sent the crowd wild, then kept Jarasum’s autumn night going with a string of encore songs.
Sub-headliner Kimokireobeob charmed the audience with tight playing, steady stage manners, and warm, humorous banter. Day two was also filled out by the playful, experimental groove of the Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra and an unusual acoustic-leaning set from Jambinai, with the opening act warming the stage early on.
The 32nd Jarasum Jazz Festival wraps up on Oct. 11 with more jazz performances across its final day.
