Jaraseom (Jara Island), meaning "turtle island," is in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi-do (Gyeonggi Province), about 65 kilometers northeast of Seoul.
It is a pretty place to visit at this time of the year with the cosmos-lined roadsides and a gentle breeze blowing as the weather stands on the threshold of turning away from summer and into autumn.
But there is one more reason that makes the place very attractive.
Namely, a groovy jazz festival where visitors can enjoy non-stop jazz played against the beautiful backdrop of Jaraseom. Yes, the 5th Jarasum International Jazz Festival is to begin on Oct. 2 for a four-day run (Jarasum is an alternative romanization).
The festival started in 2004, and has been held every year since, offering a fun time where people can enjoy listening to the music or just simply relax.
Today it is considered Korea's best music festival, and also the top jazz festival in Asia. It has become a large-scale event with over 100,000 visitors.
This year's festival is expected to showcase about 120 musicians from 30 jazz groups from all around the world at six venues, including Jazz Street in front of Gapyeong Station and the Jara Island Jazz center.
Featured Artists this year include John Scofield, the John Abercrombie Quarter, Andy Narell, Victor Bailey, Sadao Watanabe, Joe Lovano, Nils Petter Molvaer, Lars Danielson, Youn-sun Hah, Kenji Omae, Jean-Michel Pilc, Jojo Mayer and many more local and foreign performers.
John Scofield is considered one of the greatest guitarists of this era, along with Pat Metheny and Mike Stern.
The American jazz guitarist and composer has played and collaborated with Miles Davis, Joe Henderson, Joey Defrancesco, Herbie Hancock, and Pat Metheny among others.
Joe Lovano, who studied at the Berklee College of Music with John Scofield, is considered one of the top saxophonists of the 1990s.
He has a husky tenor tone and takes a modern approach to improvisation.
Victor Bailey is another big name to excite jazz fans.
Bailey is an American electric bass player who made his recording debut in 2003 with “Bottoms Up” in 1989. He has lots of fans here in Korea for his splendid bass techniques and great rhythms.
The Jarasum Jazz Festival is a chance not only for the Korean public to hear established artists, but it's also an opportunity for young musicians to find an international audience.
There will be a contest for aspiring jazz musicians. Anybody can participate for a prize of about US$20,000 and a chance to perform at next year's festival.
Other festival highlights include up-close and personal workshops with world-famous musicians such as Joe Lovano, Jojo Mayer and John Abercrombie.
If you like water sports, bring a towel and something to swim in when coming to the Jarasum International Jazz Festival, because you can also enjoy all kinds of activities from banana boat rides to water skiing.
A jazz musician photo exhibition and an exhibition of the world's percussion instruments, which displays around 1,000 instruments, are also to be held during the festival.
Details of participating artists and the festival schedule can be found on the festival's English Web site at
http://www.jarasumjazz.com (Korean, English)
How to get there from Seoul: By bus: take the bus to Gapyeong from the Express Bus Terminal. From there take the Shuttle bus to the festival.
By train: take a train bound for Namchuncheon from Cheongnyangni Station (runs 19 times daily between 06:15-22:20; travel Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes; fare 3,500won). Get off at Gapyeong Station and walk about 100m to the Gapyeong Bus Terminal. From there take the Shuttle bus to the festival.
Shuttle Bus: The Shuttle Bus for Jaraseom runs constantly to and from Gapyeong Bus Terminal during the festival.
By Han Aran
Korea.net Staff Writer