Singapore's Esplanade deliver Mosaic music festival
Singapore's Esplanade deliver Mosaic music festival
Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta
Mosaic, a 10-day annual music festival that took three years to establish, kicks off -- for the very first time -- on March 11 at Singapore's Esplanade Theaters on the Bay.
The festival will commence with a performance at the Esplanades' Concert Hall to celebrate the 80th birthday of jazz icon James Moody. A saxophonist for nearly four decades, Moody has serenaded lovers with his signature song Moody's Mood for Love -- an improvisation on the chord progressions of I'm in the Mood for Love.
Moody will perform with the Singapore Jeremy Monteiro International Trio, with Belinda Moody on bass and Shawn Kelly on drums. There will also be guest appearances from Singapore's finest women of song: Jacintha Abisheganaden, Claressa Monterio, Rani Singam and Anne Weerapass.
On March 12, the Concert Hall will feature Barbara Hendricks, one of the leading and most active recitalists of her generation, lauded as a jazz crossover sensation, who is as at home in opera as she is in recital and jazz. Since her jazz debut in 1994 at the Montreux Jazz Festival she has performed regularly in renowned jazz festivals throughout the world. Hendricks will perform the works of George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Duke Ellington. She will be accompanied by Swedish Grammy winners, the Magnus Lindgren Quartet "Jazz Project".
Hendricks is also known for her commitment to improving the welfare of displaced people. Her 15 years of support for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) has earned her the UNCHR title of Honorary Ambassador for Life and in 1998 she founded the Barbara Hendricks Foundation for Peace and Reconciliation.
Surely a main attraction at the Concert Hall is Shirley Horn on March 19. Catapulted into the limelight by Miles Davis, who had been seduced by Horn's debut recording Embers and Ashes, Horn paid tribute to her mentor with her brilliant Remember Miles, for which she won the Grammy award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance. Horn has garnered seven consecutive Grammy nominations, and her albums Here's to Life, Light Out of Darkness (A Tribute to Ray Charles) and I Love You Paris -- all soared to number one on the billboard jazz charts.
Her soaring reputation is further marked by five Wammys, the Washington area's music industry award, and her album Close Enough to Love won the Academie du Jazz' Prix Billie Holiday, one of France's premiere music awards. In 1996 Horn was elected to the Lionel Hampton Jazz Hall of Fame. She has also earned the title of number one female vocalist in the New York Jazz Critics Awards. Voted the number one jazz vocalist in DownBeat's Critics' Poll, Horn is widely regarded as the premiere vocalist in jazz since Nat King Cole. At this event she is bound to once again connect with the audience in a sublime way.
The unique attractions at the Concert Hall also include Youssou N'Dour & The Super Etoile band ( 18 March) in collaboration with Putumayo World Music. The New York Times called N'Dour one of the world's greatest singers, an arresting tenor and a supple weapon with prophetic authority. With a unique rhythmic style known as mbalax, N'Dour has won international acclaim.
Using dramatic vocals in combination with different percussion instruments, mbalax evolved from the traditional rhythms of Africa's Mandinka people. N'Dour has been instrumental in making mbalax famous throughout the world for more than 20 years.
There is also the Tortoise (U.S.), one of the most singularly dynamic bands in modern music, comprising drummer and master producer John McEntire, percussionist Dan Bitney, guitarist Jeff Parker, John Herndon (drums, keyboards, vibes) and Doug McCombs (various basses). The opening act will be by the local band The Observatory.
In line with the idea of a mosaic, the Concert Hall also features the London Community Gospel Choir (LCGC), with 18 of its 50 members on March 15. The LCGC has transcended the limits of religious or gospel music, into pop music culture especially R&B.
Aside from what is happening in the Concert Hall, interesting performances are also taking place elsewhere in the compound.
The festival also features Dancing on Under The Stars at the Roof Terrace, as well as the screening of rare footage of live concerts from the Montreux Festival and a Miles Davis concert (1986).
An exhibition of black-and-white photos shows candid, offbeat shots of jazz legends Gillespie, Mingus Mclaughin, Davis and many more in the Concert Hall's main foyer. There is also an exhibition of Nicola Heindl's album covers made for Putumayo World Music.
Tickets at the Esplanade's Box Office (tel. +65-6828-8377), SISTIC Hotline (+65-6348-5555, website www.esplanade.com Contact: Pearl Lee tel +65 6828 8313 DID +65 96830097 MB, Fiona Soh +65 6828 8308, DID +65 93628312.