KOTA KINABALU, SABAH, 14 June 2013 – The Kota Kinabalu Jazz Festival (KKJF) returns bigger, better and bolder with rhythm and beats that will guarantee festival goers a toe-tapping good time.

KKJF, now in its seventh year, is an annual affair that will feature performances by international and homegrown bands like Mia Palencia In Good Company, Moscow Fish, Humanfolk and Kekko Fornarelli Trio among others.

Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD) is proud to announce its sponsorship of KKJF, which is jointly organised by the Rotary Club of Kota Kinabalu (RCKK) and the Society of Performing Arts Kota Kinabalu Sabah (SPArKS), for the second year.

The RM100,000 sponsorship for the 7th KKJF 2013 is in line with YSD’s guidelines under the Arts and Culture pillar, where YSD promotes programmes that benefit the development of arts and culture to encourage creativity amongst the diverse multicultural society of Malaysia and seeks to foster the development of artistic talents among the young and old alike.

The sponsorship covers the festival expenses including fees for artistes and performers, logistics expenses as well as marketing and promotion costs.

YSD Governing Council member Datin Paduka Zaitoon Dato’ Othman praised the organisers of KKJF, calling the event a celebration of diversity through music as this year will see the inclusion of bands from as far as Canada, Italy, Australia and Philippines.

“KKJF is everything a good music festival should be and more. Aside from being a place for likeminded fans to gather and be entertained over the course of two nights, KKJF is also a place where new local talents are born, providing them with a launchpad that will catapult them to international audiences and stardom,” she said.

Zaitoon added that establishments, such as hoteliers and food and beverage outlets, also looked to KKJF as a “scouting” ground for local acts to hire to entertain guests at their premises.

“Events such as KKJF also contribute to the tourism of Kota Kinabalu, which is already famous among tourists for its eco-tourism, environmental and cultural heritage which are unique to this part of the world.”

The event organiser also ensures that at least 40 per cent of KKJF’s performers are Sabahans to give the event a more definitive, localised flavour.

In addition to the benefits that YSD’s sponsorship of KKJF brings to the music scene, the sponsorship creates a cascading effect as proceeds from ticket sales also go towards benefiting the underprivileged communities in and around Kota Kinabalu.

This year, KKJF hopes to raise at least RM100,000 from ticket sales to fund its various community projects.

Some examples carried out last year include a medical outreach programme under RCKK that benefitted 1,500 villagers in Sipitang, Sabah with free eye examinations, medication, reading glasses and cataract surgery to almost a dozen people diagnosed with the disease.

Other arts and culture projects supported by YSD include supporting the operations of KL Performing Arts Centre (klpac), the award-winning Broken Bridges The Musical by The Actors Studio, ASWARA Dance Company: Connecting Communities, Yao Lee - The Legendary Rose Musical, the 9th JB Arts Festival 2012 and the 4th Marketplace of Creative Arts. To date, YSD’s commitment in supporting the arts is over RM5 million.