George Shearing: Jazz Piano Legend: 1919-2011

Thursday, February 17, 2011

SONGS I LOVE:

Gone! One of the greatest musicians, truly. I often listened to him in the 50s on the family radio and was the first time I heard Lullaby Of Birdland. The radio announcer (we call them DJs now) would always say, "Ladies and gentlemen, here's the George Shearing Quintet with, Lullaby Of Birdland." It could be from the BBC? Can't remember.

PARKER, ARMSTRONG, ELLINGTON:

It was one of the first few jazz standards I was introduced to, composed by Shearing himself in 1952. I later found out that the title referred to Charlie 'Bird' Parker, another jazz great who was together with Louis Armstrong and 'Duke' Ellington.

COLE, LEE, TORME:

Britisher Sir George Shearing, who was blind, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II lately. He was one of the best jazz pianist and concert performer having recorded over 300 songs. Legends who had appeared and recorded with him would include Nat King Cole (image), Miss Peggy Lee and Mel Torme.

UNIQUE SHEARING SOUND:

As a teenager he received only 3 years of formal training at a school for the blind. He was a natural and his musical education came from listening to Earl Hines, Fats Waller, Art Tatum and Teddy Wilson. He developed the special 'Shearing sound' characterised by the distinctive sound of the Glen Miller big band.

SEPTEMBER IN THE RAIN:

Also recorded by Shearing, Russ Hamilton and so many others, September In The Rain (1937), is another personal favourite. His repertoire of songs would definitely have been played in the dance cabarets of the Great World, Happy (Gay) World and New World amusement parks in Singapore in the late 50s and 60s in Singapore.

Images: Google Search.

Original Article (Website/Newspaper Information): Andy Lim

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Song About Singapore Covered By Top US Artistes Or "Why Our Music Appeals To Western Ears."

Saturday, December 4, 2010

On A Little Street In Singapore:

It's a well-known fact. A song about Singapore has been covered by top US bands and groups. And it was covered a long time ago. On A Little Street In Singapore is a very old song by Peter Derose and William J. Hill and was popular in the 30s and 40s.
Dorsey, James, Sinatra, Miller:

It was revived in 1978 by the Manhattan Transfer and when the group was here, the song became their trademark. Besides the Manhattan Transfer, Jimmy Dorsey, Harry James, Frank Sinatra, the Ames Brothers, Bert Kamfert and Glen Miller have covered it.
Exotic East:
The lyrics are typical of songwriters from the West when they interpret the exotic East, 'We'd meet beside a lotus covered door' and 'My sails tonight are filled with perfumes of Shalimar/With temple bells that guide me to her shore...' I am wondering if the cruise ships currently plying our shores are aware of this practice.

Suzie Wong:

Would be a great idea to boost tourism but shouldn't we have church bells too? And Christmas bells? Songs about Asia by Westerners will always have this cliched viewpoint and Singapore is no different, a sunny island in the mysterious East with its slant-eyed, cheongsam chicks called Suzie Wong. By the way, have you seen 'a lotus covered door' lately?

Charlie Chan:

To be fair, On A Little Street is a great song from the 40s, with its razzmatazz and jazzy, finger snapping composition but I am not too sure about the lyrics. Seems like Charlie Chan is still lurking around in some corner with his moustache and greasy hair. And Singaporeans are still wearing coolie-hats and samfoo!!!

Bootleg CDs:

Is this the Singapore some Western listeners are interested in, when they buy bootleg CD selections lifted from 60s Asian music vinyls? No wonder our 'older' songs are still selling. All for the wrong reason. Or is it for the 'Wong' reason?

Click: Movie Theme Songs Label below to check similar article about song Sayonara. (July 3rd, 2009).

Image/Movie/Singapour: http://www.doctormacro.com/
Original Article: Andy Lim.

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(7) Peter Chan's Love Story With 70s Music

Saturday, February 6, 2010

(Image: Peter Chan at the Club Elite, 5th floor Supreme House Building, which is now Parkmall. Club Elite was a Japanese lounge which was part of Okoh Restaurant, owned by a Mr. Sato from Japan. Mr. Sato also ran the Orchid Inn Hotel at Dunearn Road in the 1970s.)

Dear Andy,

Raymond G. Rees-Oliviere (Lance Raymond as featured in previous postings), a friend of mine was with the British Army. He got involved with the music scene in Singapore and Malaya in the late 1950s. He knew some local musicians like the Solianos; they played cha-cha-cha and latin music.

Ray has written an article with many photographs. Golden Venus, where Ray used to play, was at the former Orchard Hotel and it still goes by the same name, situated at the corner of Orchard Road and Orange Grove Road.

When I took up music at Foorman's Music School, many of the teachers were Pinoys (Phillipinos) since there were many of these musicians from the 30s through the 60s. By associating with the Pinoy musicians I was introduced to contemporary music.

Thanks to my late father who gave me a start in music at an early age, I was able to find a safety net after National Service. I soon became a lounge pianist, not with a disco band this time because the government closed down many discos from 1974 onwards.

With the closure there were few opportunities for pop bands. The government's actions were in response to the hippie sub-culture and growing prevalence of drug addiction.

By the way, my own repertoire then was influenced by the Dragons, the Solianos and big band sounds like Glen Miller. When it comes to Chinese pop, it was more like the 40s and 50s because I used to spin records from Poon Sow Keng (Pan Xiu Qiong), Love Without End type of music and Bobby Darin, etc.

Cheers!

Peter.

PS: Ray made a reference to a jazz pub down at Boat Quay. It was after reading an article last month that I found where the place was. It's just after North Bridge Road going towards South Bridge Road after the bridge at the first building on the left.

7th in the series under 'UK/US Bands in Singapore'. Click under 'Labels' below to read series.

Image/Original Article: P.C. Collection.

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Glenn Miller (1904 -1944) A Great Influence

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

His orchestra swings like no other. Listening to Glenn Miller is going back to the days of cabarets and night clubs in Singapore 50's and 60's where bands played to crowded dance floors.

The trombone was like live-wire in his hands and he was one of the top recording artistes in the early 40's. The records were 78s (post on January 14th, 2009) and came way before the LP (Long Play Records) and EPs (Extended Play Records).

Glenn Miller definitely influenced the 60s pop music scene in vintage Singapore.

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Gene Krupa - Rim Shot - Syncopater - Drum Kit

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

I listened to Gene Krupa in the late 50s when he was with Benny Goodman and their recording of the hit, 'Sing, Sing, Sing' (1937)*. It is legend that this piece gave birth to swing and it remains my favourite to this day. He also appeared as himself in a movie, 'The Glen Miller Story' (1954), played beside Louis Armstrong and 'Basin Street Blues' became cult classic.

Krupa was the man behind the drum kit setup as it became standard equipment for most drummers after him. Zildjian, the drum company, learnt a lot from Krupa.

His compositions include, 'Some Like It Hot', 'Drummin' Man', 'Drum Boogie' the enthusiast's ultimate drum dream.

He has a movie to his name, 'The Gene Krupa Story' starring Sal Mineo (who recorded, 'Mack The Knife'), a street after his name in New York and was the first drummer to be in the corridors of the Modern Drummer Hall Of Fame.

He shaped my love for drums. Danny Boy (Silver Strings drummer) reveres Krupa. Was Krupa better than Brian Bennett, Tony Meehan, Howie Johnson and Mel Taylor of guitar groups fame?

Gene Krupa was their biggest influence. Oh yes, and Buddy Rich...

Video: http://www.youtube.com/ key in: gene krupa sing sing sing

Gene Krupa: 1909 -1973

*100 most important American musical works of the 20th Century.

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