SANDAKAN: About 3,000 people attended Sepilok Jazz 2026 at the Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC) here over two nights from Friday (Sept 4), reflecting the festival’s steady growth since its beginnings in 2022.
The international jazz festival featured three stages, 18 bands and more than 100 musicians across its two-night programme.
The line-up included Shila Amzah, Singapore’s “King of Swing” Jeremy Monteiro, Italy’s Mezzotono, Indonesia’s Class Act 80s, Janet Lee and Tay Cher Siang from the peninsula, as well as Sabah musicians Roger Wang and Yap Ling.
Among those in the crowd was Lysa Karen, 45, who has attended Sepilok Jazz every year since its first edition.
She said the event began on a small scale but had steadily developed into a festival drawing more visitors to the district.
“Now it has grown into a festival and is getting bigger, and I believe many visitors will be attracted, especially with invited artistes such as Shila Amzah and other performers who can draw people here,” she said.
Lysa said the turnout was particularly encouraging for Sandakan, adding that “people don’t even mind the rain” and that the district rarely sees large events attracting such crowds.
Dutch visitors Elise and Max discovered Sepilok Jazz after seeing a poster promoting the event during their stay here.
Max described the festival as “very dynamic”, while Elise said the atmosphere was “so nice”.
“We stayed three nights in Sandakan and coincidentally came here and enjoyed the festival as well,” the couple said.
For Sandakan-born music student Raynidah, 22, this year marked her first Sepilok Jazz experience.
“As a music student, Sepilok Jazz gives me a lot of information about jazz, and I am also happy to see so many jazz fans and performers here,” she said.
Friends of Sea Turtles Education and Research (Foster) president and Sepilok Jazz organising chairman Alexander Yee said the idea for the festival emerged six years ago during a drive from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan with music director Cheong Kok An amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We thought, ‘What can we do in Sandakan to make this place a livelier place?’” he said.
Yee, who has invested in tourism ventures in Kinabatangan and Sepilok and operates a sea turtle conservation park on Libaran Island, said his long connection with Sandakan helped shape the initiative.
He said the festival’s development was also supported by the community and institutions, particularly the Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry (Kepkas) and Sabah Tourism Board (STB).
Yee recalled being challenged by Kepkas Permanent Secretary Datuk Josie Lai about a year and a half ago to “bring it to the next level”, prompting organisers to strengthen the festival’s expertise and support base.
That effort led to Monteiro coming on board after Cheong approached the renowned Singapore jazz musician.
In May last year, Monteiro signed a three-year memorandum of understanding to serve as Sepilok Jazz’s technical adviser and mentor, with Yee saying his involvement was driven by his affection for Sabah.
Yee also thanked the Sandakan Municipal Council (MPS), Tourism Malaysia, local hoteliers and other sponsors and strategic partners for supporting the festival.
He said Sepilok Jazz also works with Sabah Institute of Art (SIA) and Trinity Art and Music Academy through Bakat Sepilok Jazz, which provides young musicians with a platform to compete and develop their skills.
Yee highlighted former Bakat Sepilok Jazz winner Ivan Ho, this year’s youth ambassador, as an example of the festival’s efforts to give young Sabah musicians wider exposure and opportunities to learn from experts abroad.
Beyond its performances and youth development programmes, Sepilok Jazz is also part of a broader effort to raise awareness of conservation and environmental issues through music.
The festival was officiated by Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Arifin on Saturday.
