Indonesian trumpeter and jazz musician

I hope that I’ve added some colour to Indonesia’s music market, and to the international scene in general.
Tell us your story – how did you get here?
I was born and raised in Surabaya, but I built my career on the Island of the Gods, Bali. Music has been a part of my life even when I was still in my mom’s belly. I seem to get it from my grandfather, Daryono, who was also a trumpeter and a big band leader. He introduced me to music and taught me to become an excellent trumpeter as well as giving me a strict education, a strong work ethic and commitment. My grandmother was a singer too, and my elder brother was a soap opera actor, and he even played the trumpet from 8 years-old. So I’m the third generation in music and I’ve been playing since I was 14 years-old.
Since then, I’ve collaborated with trumpeter Maurice Brown and the fab Incognito band at the Bali Live International Jazz Festival in 2014, and I’ve frequently appeared with the late legend Bubi Chen, Erwin Gutawa Orchestra and with my keyboardist Erik Sondhy. I’ve toured South Africa, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands and Russia, to mention just a few, and with my world music fusion band, Saharadja, I participated in the first Java Jazz Festival.
Interestingly though, jazz is not something I planned, but more that it simply seemed to flow naturally – jazz means freedom. But I don’t want to be labelled as a jazz musician, because I play all kinds of music and I’m willing to play other genres too – as long as it’s good!
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
I’m just happy when I get to share my music with more people.
What impact have you made in Bali?
I like to think that I’ve brought more people to Bali when they come to see my gigs here. I also hope that I’ve added some colour to Indonesia’s music market, and to the international scene in general.
What does the future look like for you?
Many more people are travelling to Bali, and that means I’ll have many more gigs to play, which is awesome! I also released my second album with my group, the Rio Sidik Quintet, titled “Sound of the Mystical Vibe”. This album was made as both audio and video recording, because I want my fans to capture the energy when we perform live on stage. CD is good, but it can’t hold the visual aspects. So I hope this album will continue to bring happiness to music lovers, and I hope it makes more people listen to my music in the future too!
What do you love most about Bali?
There are so many things to love about Bali, and one of them is the people.
Who is your Local Legend and why?
To me, my Local Legends are the ones still performing with me, and they are Gusti Aji and Erik Sondhy.