Sing-Jazz 2014 Day 1: Jamie Cullum: Jazz's contemporary cool?

There are too many pictures and stories to tell to produce anything all encompassing within a time span where Sing-Jazz is already a few months ago. I normally assume my pictures tell a better story then my writing therefore without further ado!!

Jeremy Monteiro: THE Trio’s “Last Hurrah”

When you have a visitor from out of town you tend to go more  often on, what one could call excursions. Places that you do not visit for any other reason than showing it to someone of whom you think they have never seen something like it before. Like MBS.

I have a friend from Berlin visiting and I happened to know, from all the banners there was also the extreme sailing event on at Marina Bay, so there was a different view to offer from the normal glance on the iconic buildings of Singapore.

 I had also read a post by Jeremy Monteiro  that it was the last performance of him and his Trio

Brian Benson

Tamagoh

 at The Shoppes at MBS, and logically I planned to stop by there as well. This way I had the full afternoon planned to entertain my friend. As so many days in the past period in Singapore it was a beautifully sunny breezy day. Good day for a sail!

As far as the music is concerned? Of course the band was fabulous. I guess the intent of many of the malls that offer this kind of entertainment, is for people to walk by and think how nice, or how classy. It is clearly not to sit down and listen for 20 minutes or more, because there is hardly any seating available.

I was a little bit embarrassed to be told by Jeremy that the trio had been playing this gig for the last 2 years. I had never visited before and here I was for the last one?! Jeremy mentioned he did not have any pictures of the gig. I did bring my camera, be it with a lens more suited for the action outside, and I took a few shots to try to capture some of the atmosphere. I did become painfully aware that in many of pictures I also saw an exit sign. The Shoppes were clear about that last gig.

This probably is not as sad for the musicians as it is for the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.

The musicians they dream of greener pastures

They embrace the future

And see things are bright outside of the mall.

For instance I know Jeremy will be back… next week…at MBS, at what looks like it will be a most spectacular Jazz festival in Singapore ever Sing-Jazz.

So there is reason to smile

 

 

 

Fendi's fuze collective

I wrote this a while ago, before I knew I had to go to the Netherlands on a bit of an emergency family visit. In case you are concerned all is well. So please ignore any confusion in timing.

“I went way out of my comfort zone last weekend and visited Wala Wala in Holland Village. Never been much excited about the area, I don't think there is anything worth the schlep westward however I have to admit that Wala Wala created a nice music space on the second floor.
Just the way I like it, no lounge style couches or chesterfield style chairs but a lot of bar high tables and stools. I believe that live music should have the objective to get people to the tip of their seats so there may as well be no other option! I went on a Facebook announcement by Fendi, who said he would be playing with his band Fuze Collective:

Fendi

Mohamed Noor

ET “Bad Boy” Kim

I hadn't heard Fendi sing in a long time and with some of my regular spots closed for CNY and others pricing themselves out of frequent visits, I thought why not. As I arrived on the second floor of Wala Wala it appeared they had even arranged for a pre-program there. A one-man band - singer was entertaining the still limited audience.
Clearly the one man band has changed over the years, they do not look like the goofy street musicians from way back when, with a drum on their back, a head and with bells and cymbals on their knees singing while blowing the harmonica through their nostrils with admirable circular breathing technique.

But this guy at Wala Wala looked cool. 

Apparently quite an expert at music electronics he had created an instrumentarium, I know, this word is Dutch but we are in Holland V., that looked capable of generating every imaginable sound and regenerating it in any unimaginable  way. By looping his guitar licks he created a full band sound for his interestingly rearranged pop and rock songs. 

 

I found Fendi in the audience he told me we were listening to Randolf Arriola

Although I was initially sitting with my back to the stage chatting with Fendi. Randolf continued to draw my attention with his music, and as I turned around with his pleasant demeanor. 

Fendi, by the way, is not much different on stage, visibly friendly, amazingly soulful and hugely entertaining.

 It was a nice feature for me taking pictures that except for the, always colorful, Mohamed Noor all performers were wearing black. With the stage background being a black foamy padding, the shots came out with a bit of an impression of portraits I think… a bit mysterious.  In spite of it being weeks past I thought I could not refrain from sharing this. Enjoy