I had to check my own blog overview to see
how long it has been since I put something together. It’s been ages clearly.
Since I had no comments or specific requests I assume no one really missed it.
Which is a relieve because I don’t want to have any level of pressure around
this little hobby of mine.
I can help looking for reasons though, and
if I am brutally honest I sort of run out of subjects. Having posted about 140
times and trying to avoid repeating myself to often, it is difficult to keep on
finding interesting angles. Granted I dropped the ball on some real good stuff,
some international features at the Sing Jazz club for example. There is also still work to be done in the
Indie world, but I am still trying to figure that out; inch by inch.
I was really happy that last Friday I was
able to slip out of work on time to attend an early show at the venue soon to
be known as “formerly known as the music salon”. A, maybe, ambitious little, I suppose,
for profit project for music and other art forms.
Located in a shop house on Niven road the
Music Salon offers a cozy setting for music between the sliding doors (This is
a direct translation from Dutch. It’s an expression for live music at home.
There is regularly talk about what could
improve the music scene in Singapore. In my opinion there are various elements.
Firstly of course developing a, paying, audience and for that there need to be attractive
venues for the different styles of music. The homey feel of the Music Salon,
for instance, was very suitable for what was on the menu that evening.
I have often thought and maybe even occasionally
mentioned that there is a need for individuals or companies that manage either
musicians or small events. People that are willing to do the leg work to get
and keep a band together, get the suitable gigs and making sure that they are
properly represented and set up to play. Probably a relatively thankless job
apart from a mention at the end of a show but never the less vital for a more
professional and hopefully more successful gig scene.
That’s why I am also happy to see that Aya
Sekine under her brand Bon Goût Music is working with a small team of
entertainment enthusiast to pick up this challenge. Aya has a wealth of experience
in this field, from her old venture Aya School that showed bands of different
genres and configuration and with a very high entertainment value every week at
Blu Jaz and it is great to see she is spreading it.
Of course the need for artist with
interesting vision cannot be missed from the equation. Last night in my opinion was a great example.
Tim O’Dwyer put together a beautiful trio of two veterans, Tim himself and
Darryl Ervin complimented by a rookie, Joe Lee.
This is where my narrative gets a severely
tested because I am getting into a field where I cannot claim any knowledge. I
am not saying that my earlier statements are based on matter of fact but the
world of entertainment can be critiqued on sort of a gut feel. The work of
Anthony Braxton is a bit of a different story. Firstly I never registered the
name in the past as far as I remember. Secondly I did not expect the style of
music to be so different of what I would categorize as jazz.
What I experienced
as total improvisation had, I was later explained, a structure and clear
intention of a single composer. I heard
Tim play, is it experimental? music on several occasions, and he is giving me
less and less choice to not appreciate it. Intense
and maybe intent to make you
listen to something you never heard in your life and would not think you would
even find a way to bob or tap your feet to. But you do you. Some how you find your way into it
As for Joe, once in the hot seat he
admitted that new doors had opened while working on this gig. I cannot wait to see him on the other side.
