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The audience said:
"If he had more than one show, I'd go for every one of them. I mean he does not play with a set list! Every performance is unique!" – Wendy Tan, teacher
"I've been to a few performances here, but I think I've never been kept out of my seat for as much as I did today. Dancing, rocking, cheering, standing ovations… whew! I'm still sweating" - Adeline Tomlinson
"Now I understand why Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck were awed by him as kids… He's like in his sixties now, and I'm still totally awed!" – Keith Chong, student and guitar enthusiast.
"Simply a great guitar player, using his signature Strat, into a vintage Fender tube amp. Pure tone, pure energy, pure music. A glimpse of pure heaven!" – Mervyn Selveraj
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Electric! – Buddy Guy
At last night's concert, five-time Grammy award-winning Buddy Guy showed once again why he deserves to be ranked among the greatest guitarists to ever pick up the instrument. Also, unlike some other bluesmen in his age bracket, the 71-year-old Chicago-based musician still has a mighty strong voice.
That very voice resonated with low, earthy moans as well as soared to buttery highs, as he and his four-piece backing band ran through a few of his own classic numbers along with a wealth of covers from Muddy Waters (a funked-up version of Hootchie Cootchie Man), John Lee Hooker (Boom Boom), Jimi Hendrix and even Cream.
His guitar playing was so crisp and emotional that it seemed Rolling Stone magazine had underrated him by placing him at No. 30 on the magazine's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. And he definitely supported that claim on tracks like (You Give Me) Fever from his 1968 live album and Mustang Sally from the Damn Right album when he turned some of his classic staples into drawn-out blues workouts that featured some of the most blistering guitar leads heard in years.
The only pitfall of the evening was that with such a huge catalogue of material, the blues singer only performed for an hour and a half. Except that Buddy gave them more than their money's worth the moment he picked up his electric guitar and rocked his way through the entire concert with scorching fervour.
About Buddy Guy
George "Buddy" Guy (born 1936) is one of the blues' and rock music's greatest living legends. The guitarist and singer is widely considered one of the most important exponents of Chicago blues, known for his progressive approach to music-making since his early, dynamic performances. His music can vary from the most traditional blues to a creative, radical gumbo of the blues, rock, soul and free jazz that morphs at each night's performance. Buddy's songs have been covered by Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jack Bruce and others. Buddy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, has won five Grammy awards, and received 23 W.C. Handy Awards (the most any blues artist has received), as well as Billboard Magazine’s The Century Award for "distinguished artistic achievement," the title of Greatest Living Electric Blues Guitarist, and the Congressional Medal of Arts. |
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The audience said:
"Excellent! There's variety and they really interacted with the audience really well!" – Leng
"It's too short! And they didn't perform I Got Cash but were fantastic nonetheless. I've seen them in concert before and they really don't disappoint!" – Clara Chua, singer
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Putumayo Party! With Brooklyn Funk Essentials
Last night at the Heineken Music Club, it was arms-in-the-air-and-shake-your-booty time all night, for Brooklyn Funk Essentials just makes you want to party!
Driven by the funky basslines and grooves of bassist Lati Kronlund and drummer Yancy Drew Lambert, the eight-member collective were like the ringmasters of a huge circus of party animals, leading them in grinding and two-stepping to their infectious and eclectic blend of ska, reggae, funk, jazz, and dub as heard on Magick Karpet Ride, Istanbul Twilight, Mambo Con Dancehall and Ska Ka-Bop. If you were not moved by the beat, you’d be swept to the side!
And Lati and Yancy were not the only ones in the limelight. Iwan Van Hetten's trumpet solos and ability to play the wind instrument and the keyboards at the same time, Desmond Foster funk guitar styling, and Philippe Monrose's percussive moves showed them to be utterly worthy of the accolade that Brooklyn Funk Essentials are made up of the finest musicians from New York City. And while vocalists Papa Dee and Hanifah Walidah sung and MC-ed with killer rhymes, vocalist and dub poet Everton Sylvester surprised the pumped crowd to hushed silence during the encore with his spontaneous poetry - "Another hotel room, yet another city. It's not that I'm not happy... There's nothing I really need. I need to be with you."
A whole lot of fun and two encores later, the fervent crowd was still screaming for more. There’s no doubt about it. Experienced live, Brooklyn Funk Essentials was earth-shattering!
About Brooklyn Funk Essentials
Comprising 12 of New York City's finest musicians, singers, rappers, dub poets and DJs, Brooklyn Funk Essentials (BFE) is a huge melting pot of different cultures and musical genres – acid jazz, funk, latin, reggae, jazz, house, dub, electro and hip-hop. Originally conceived by producer Arthur Baker and music director Lati Kronlund as a series of studio jam sessions in 1993, BFE released its debut album Cool & Steady & Easy in 1994/1995 and became a New York club staple. A series of world tours saw the collective in the company of acts such as Parliament Funkadelic, The Roots, James Brown, Spearhead and Ben Harper. Given a warm reception at the Fuji World Music Festival in Istanbul, BFE collaborated with Turko-Romanian folk musicians for their 1998 In The BuzzBag which received a Grammy nomination. After their third album Make Them Like It, BFE took a break to pursue their individual interests. By 2006, the collective had reunited for another world tour. Currently, its core members are working on a new album.
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The audience said:
"Indescribable." – Cheryl
"Abit strange but so fantastic!" – GH Grewal
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'Weird' Wonderful - Youn Sun Nah 5
It was a concert of surprises when Youn Sun Nah 5 took to the stage last night. Starting with tripping drumbeats, a walking bassline and Youn Sun Nah's mellifluous vocals, the introductory piece began as a jazz ballad (Jet Lag), and then peaked in an instrumental cacophony that died down into a barely-audible hum. "Is that jazz or not jazz?" came a whisper from the seat ahead.
Well, it was that and more as the quintet ran through a repertoire that became more fascinating by the minute as it bridged jazz, funk, pop and rock in unusual ways. In the second piece, Cut, Copy & Paste, Youn Sun Nah's alternate singing, cooing and whispering brought to mind Björk, as the four musicians introduced themselves with short, spectacular solos.
It wasn't until the end of the second song that Youn spoke and when she did, the audience sat up in surprise for, despite the mastery of her singing, Youn is bashfully, painfully soft-spoken. "Hi… I'm very happy to play here…tonight…It's my…my first trip to Singapore and such a beautiful place it is…"
The next song, Rooftop, was a slow, romantic ballad, written by English vibraphonist David Neerman, which saw David modestly take a backseat to his colleagues' rolling drumstrokes, quiet double bass and melodious piano. The number that followed, composed by Israeli double bassist Yoni Zelnik, was a compelling part-jazz, part rock opera that built up to a stormy crescendo, then wound down into an unearthly hush and an eerie assembly of utterances, knocks, taps and random notes.
And throughout the rest of the performance, a beautiful discordance and haunting disquiet underlay the quintet's music. From the fun, funky News from the Gutter, to the darkly melancholic Don't Look Back, a rock ballad with unique jazz voicing, to the haunting, folk-inflected Toda ("Now I sing in Hebrew but…I don't speak Hebrew, said Youn apologetically. "I think Toda means thank you.") written by Yoni, to rock song, Angels driven by French drummer Laurent Robin, to the angsty lament, Dirge, which combined rock rhythms with jazz piano, the quintet's songs were tight, masterful works of nuance and suspense.
The last song – Pancake - was written by Youn herself. With quirky lyrics ("Pancake ice-cream / French fries hamburger / Milkshake doughnuts / Chocolate chocolate") and even quirkier piano playing that saw the French pianist Benjamin Moussay play a rapid-fire trickle of notes with fingers that ran past the highest note on the ivories, up into the air and onto the piano strings themselves, Pancake showcased the quintet's huge talent, wide range of expression and imagination. "Weird, unusual!" uttered someone after the concert. Yes, it was more than a little peculiar but all the more compelling because of it.
About Youn Sun Nah 5
The much-acclaimed Youn Sun Nah 5 has been described as "one of the most innovative combos in today's Europe jazz scene" (KBS). The quintet is Korean vocalist Youn Sun Nah, Israeli double bassist Yoni Zelnik, English vibraphonist David Neerman, French pianist Benjamin Moussay and drummer Laurent Robin. Besides its superb musicianship, the quintet is famous for its award-winning frontwoman's unique vocal abilities. In 2005, Youn Sun Nah became the first woman to win the grand prize at the Antibes International Jazz Festival. As a jazz ensemble, Youn Sun Nah 5 is known for its precision, articulation and creativity. Brisbane Powerhouse has noted. "They are at their best when they find themselves together on stage, testing their creative limits, developing new arrangements, and losing themselves in improvisation." |
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6.30pm A Team comprising of Mathilda de Silva, soulful funk and blues singer (and Singapore Idol contestant) indie rock guitarists Patrick and James Chng opened their performance with the Beatles' While My Guitar Gently Weeps. "When we were thinking up of names for our band I suggested A-team, (a popular 80's television show) as a joke but they took me seriously and well, the name just stuck!", said Mathilda. Their repertoire included Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan's Like a Rolling Stone and a soulful rendition of Bob Marley's Redemption Song. "I heard Mathilda on Singapore Idol and even back then thought she had a lovely voice and charismatic personality. I really liked the way she interacted with the audience", commented student Linda Tham.
8pm While funny man Najip Ali had his guests (Futon, Rachael Yamagata and Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra) squirming in their seats and bracing themselves for his next barrage of strange questions, the audience had a laugh riot! He asked Futon's frontman Gene why the band had song titles and lyrics like I Wanna Be Your Dog, Never Mind The Botox and "I don't wannna be straight/football makes me masturbate" to which Gene replied, "We don't write that kinda stuff anymore. We talk about love these days, except for a few songs like maybe Strap It On!" Before the audience's laughter could subside, Najip began teasing Rachael Yamagata - "If anyone says 'you're like durian', they're telling you that you smell very good"! Najip also taught the artists Singlish - "To mean 'Why are you behaving in such a manner', say 'Why you so like that?'" While Najip's antics had almost every passerby at the Concourse stop to watch his comic act, he ended the half hour of revelry by getting the audience to teach the artists how to sing Rasa Sayang, which they did most sportingly.
9pm Singer/songwriter Ernie Halter from Los Angeles held the audience's attention throughout his performance. Singing pop covers and his own compositions, the conversational Ernie built great rapport with the audience. His repertoire included Yesterday and Blackbird by the Beatles, Hard Times by Ray Charles ("I think we all know about hard times especially when we receive that credit card bill that's a few hundred dollars more than what you thought it would be!"), George Michael's Father Figure ("I used to sing this song as a joke but I really like it now"), Wade in the Water ("a negro spiritual, neither o f which I am"), and his own songs, Melissa ("for all the Melissas in the house tonight") and Whisper ("about losing someone and not knowing how to get him or her back"). Ernie even coaxed the audience to sing along. Members of the audience were treated to free Ernie Halter T-shirts for being good. |
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Indie-Mand
7pm Letting the music to do the talking, Goose frontman Nares Vorojtanachai was a man of few words, addressing the audience only to say "thank you." And that seemed fine with the audience as the quintet whipped up a dark and intense five-song set of heavy balladry and one fast rocking number that displayed the band's influences from shoe-gazer, post-rock and indie. Drummer Apichart Ngamloet's frequent use of note displacement also lent an interesting element.
8pm Formed out of the ashes of the now-defunct Auburn's Epiphany after "a series of unfortunate events," Allura was ready to shake off their previous band's shadow by playing completely new songs by the new band. Lead vocalist Inch's dynamism and the band's youthful exuberance showed as they blasted through their set with songs like Ladida, Diary Page No. 13, and Closure. One might be compelled to peg them as an alternative emo band, but the band proved they were capable of jazzier arrangements with the song Clandestine.
9.15pm "We are infusing…more soul elements, and we call it indie soul!" announced lead vocalist Ric Low. Lilac Saints certainly didn't disappoint with catchy pop tunes and soulful vocals when they took a trip down memory lane with old favorites such as Gina, Nightfall, and the languidly beautiful Wasting Time. And if the new songs (Me V.S. You, To Be The One) are any indication, it looks as if the band's forthcoming album will be something to look forward to in the local scene. |
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