Singapore tunes up for jazz festival

A whole lotta music will be going on at the Singapore International Jazz Festival when it opens next Friday. The Jakarta Post's Harry Bhaskara was invited to a preview of the event, courtesy of Singapore Airlines and the Singapore Tourism Board.

SINGAPORE (JP): Anyone happening to pass along the shopping paradise of Orchard Road these days will quickly learn that a big musical event is in the offing.

Banners in the street, a modest size by Jakarta standards, bear the picture of renowned trumpeter Terumasa Hino and proclaim the upcoming Singapore International Jazz Festival.

The three-day festival, featuring world class jazz musicians such as Lee Ritenour, Terumasa, Ernie Watts, Eldee Young, Indonesia's Ireng Maulana as well as hometown celebrity Jeremy Monteiro.

One of the world's best a cappella groups, Take 6 from the U.S., will also be taking part.

"Of course, I'm exceedingly happy," said Monteiro, who was met at Harry's music bar on Boat Quay, a nightlife center on the banks of the Singapore River.

"I can recall the days when only a few people attended my jazz shows here and I wondered what was wrong with my love of jazz music," he added, echoing a common grievance among his Indonesian counterparts.

Monteiro, who has won critical acclaim in many parts of the world, is the festival's artistic director. Most of the top musicians in the festival, he said, are his close friends.

"I called them by phone and told them about the festival. After they learned about the program, they were very enthusiastic about it," he said.

The festival will open with two big bands on the evening of May 18, namely the Thomson Home Big Band and Woody Herman Orchestra.

Next will be a contemporary jazz night featuring Tuck & Patti and Lee Ritenour and Friends.

Tuck & Patti is a husband-and-wife team of guitarist Tuck Andress and vocalist Patti Catchcart. They have produced such cherished standards as They Can't Take That Away From Me and My Romance, along with jazz interpretations of everything from the Beatles' Honey Pie to Jimi Hendrix's Castles Made of Sand/Little Wing.

Ritenour is one of jazz's most celebrated guitarists. His nearly 2,000 recordings include artists ranging from Barbra Streisand, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder and Quincy Jones to Steely Dan, Herbie Hancock and Pink Floyd.

The third and last night will involve a long and intense program, with an all-star variety show starting in the afternoon followed by acoustic jazz at night.

The variety show will feature Vanessa Rubin, Eldee Young, Ernie Watts, Lee Jung Chic, Tots Tolentino, Terumasa Hino, Redd Holt, Michael Carvin, Mei Sheum, Eugene Pao, Michael Verapen, Jay Anderson, John van Deursen and Jeremy Monteiro.

Terumasa will again appear at an acoustic jazz night with the Asia/America All Stars with guest artist Jacintha Abisheganaden.

They will be followed by the Dizzy Gillespie All Star Alumni- Jazz Living Legends, featuring James Moody, Slide Hampton, Jon Faddis and John Lie.

All performances will be given in the Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Center (SICEC) and Suntec City.

There will also be other stages which will feature both regional and international artistes, including Tots Tolentino from the Philippines, Michel Veerapen Trio from Malaysia, Ireng Maulana, Eugene Pao Quartet from Hong Kong, Frock from Australia and Two from Brazil.

Ireng is one of Indonesia's most noted musicians who helped found the JakJazz festival in Jakarta in 1988. The festival was last held in 1997, with the sharp economic turndown being one of the reasons for its demise.

Monteiro said he considered JakJazz as being among the best in the world.

"JakJazz consistently brought together the best jazz musicians from around the world," he said.

The Singapore festival (www.singaporejazzfestival.com), the first on such a large scale in the city-state, is expected to reinforce the region's place on the world's jazz music circuit.

Singapore seems to be vying with Hong Kong as the major cultural hub in the region. In September, for example, Singapore is planning to hold the world's first fair for Asian contemporary art, ARTSingapore 2001.

Are these cultural events meant for locals or tourists?

"Both," said Belinda Choo, public affairs assistant manager of Singapore Airlines, which is a sponsor of the event along with Heineken and American Express. "Singaporeans travel a lot. They watch important cultural events in many countries. They would only be happy to have such events at home."

As for tourists attending performing arts shows, she said, the market is big enough for both Hong Kong and Singapore.

Singapore performers also taking part in the upcoming jazz festival will include Chromazone, k'Ass, Groove Approve, Thomson Swing Band, Singapore Stompers and O'Deney Levy.