About Us

This festival is conceptualised for the following purposes:

1. Assisting the city of Ambon in particular and Maluku province in general to recover from the trauma of the impact of horizontal conflict between communities that occurred during the 1999-2005 period.

2. Assisting the government in developing the potential of the tourism industry and creative economy in Maluku.

3. Introducing Maluku to the national and international public.

4. Specifically helping to build the music and entertainment industry ecosystem in Maluku.

5. Preparing a vocational institution, named “Amboina Academy of Arts & Sciences” (ASSA).

The nation has come together when AJPF Team was able to convince the Association of Southeast Asia Nation (ASEAN) to bring in the ASEAN Workshop program into Ambon Jazz Plus Festival 2010. Amongst honoured guests were the Ambassadors to Indonesia Japan – Takio Yamada, from Vietnam – Vu Dang Zung, and New Zealand – David Taylor. Also attended the workshop were Indonesia’s Ambassador to Russia – Djauhari Oratmangun and the Ambassador of Indonesia to ASEAN – Ngurah Sanjaya.

This workshop is the first to be held in Ambon with the aim of strengthening the three pillars of the ASEAN Charter. Namely increasing ASEAN political and security cooperation, forming a common market and ASEAN social-cultural community.

During this year, children was part of the event where activities such as introduction of the history, book colouring and music were introduced to the children.

Bubi Chen, the No.1 Indonesian jazz pianist who longed for years to join AJPF was invited to perform. It was one of the last shows, that the late Bubi Chen has performed – whom has dedicated his life to music.

This is the year where all jazz musicians came to jam!

In the third season in 2011, the AJPF team prepared a vision and concept about Ambon as a “City of Music”, which was welcomed by the Maluku provincial government and the Ambon city government to declare “Ambon City of Music” by Maluku Governor Karel Ralahalu and Ambon Mayor Richard Louhanapessy, on October 8, 2011, at the opening momentum of the third AJPF.

“Through this AJPF event, the government and society agreed to make Ambon a city of music,” said Ambon Mayor Richard Louhanapessy (ANTARA – Maluku, 8/10/2011).

From 2009 to 2012, AJPF succeeded in bringing together more than 500 musicians, artists, and crews, national and international, to visit and perform music in Ambon.

At the end of 2019, based on the request of many parties, the AJPF team decided to track the “AJPF re-appearance”, which was planned to be held on 8 October 2020 in Ambon; after eight years of “hibernation”.However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, those “normal” plans were cancelled entirely.

We will be unveiling our plans for AJPF 2020 soon. Follow us on social media or check back this space for an update real soon!