Post by anastasia on Jan 21, 2015 8:28:58 GMT 7
Johor Bahru Jazz Fest 2015 @ Double Tree By Hilton, Jalan Ngee Heng, Johor Bahru (26/2 - 1/3/15)
The Johor Society for the Performing Arts (JSPA), organisers of eleven years of the JB Arts Festival, is proud to present a new event set to bring live, improvised music sure to quicken the pulse of jazz fans around the region - The Johor Bahru Jazz Fest 2015. The JB Jazz Fest 2015 is the first of five (5) festivals included under the 12th JB Arts Festival 2015, which is featured in the calendar for Malaysia Tourism's MYFest 2015 as an official event in the state of Johor. Living legends are coming to JB! The JB Jazz Fest 2015 will feature world-class saxophonist Sadao Watanabe, and Italian acapella group Mezzotono, along with well-known jazz names from around the region such as Steve Thornton and Afro Asia with Razak Rahman, Jeremy Monteiro and Alberto Marsico with the Jazz Blues Brothers, The David Gomes Jazz Ensemble with Junji Delfino, Xiong Quintet, and The Rustika Quartet.
Sadao Watanabe is a titan in the world of jazz music. His talent has seen him perform in some of the biggest cities and most prestigious festivals in the world, including Tokyo, New York and London. And come February 2015, one more city will be added to that list – Johor Bahru!
The world-renowned jazz saxophonist will headline the inaugural Johor Bahru Jazz Festival, a four-day jazz music extravaganza from Feb 26 to Mar 1, which will be held at the Doubletree by Hilton, Johor Bahru.
A Star-Studded Line Up:
The festival will feature a star-studded lineup of local, regional and international jazz artists, led by Sadao Watanabe, widely recognised as one of Japan’s greatest jazz musicians. The 82-year-old’s music encompasses and blends a wide variety of styles, and he has collaborated with leading musicians from all over the world.
“We are excited to welcome Sadao Watanabe to Johor Bahru. Sadao is indisputably a legend in the jazz scene, and we are honoured to have such a big name to mark the first ever JB Jazz Festival,” said Mr Yap Siong Cheng, founder of the Johor Society for the Performing Arts, organisers of the JB Jazz Festival.
Joining Sadao at this year’s festival are Italian a-cappella group Mezzotono, who last year performed to a rapturous reception at the Kota Kinabalu Jazz Festival. The five talented singers reproduce the sounds of musical instruments, while their often comical approach encourages audience participation in a fun and unique way.
Also appearing at the festival is Singaporean musician Jeremy Monteiro, who is one of the best-known jazz pianists in Southeast Asia. He will be performing alongside organist Alberto Marsico, Shawn Letts on saxophone, guitarist Teriver Cheung, guest vocalist Rani Singam and Bangkok-based American drummer Shawn Kelley. Malaysian jazz great David Gomes also returns to Johor Bahru, with the David Gomes Jazz Ensemble featuring Junji Delfino.
Renowned percussionist Steve Thornton, who has worked with greats from Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis to Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey, will also be returning to Johor Bahru after his performance at last year’s JB Arts Festival. He will be joined by his band Afro Asia, as well as local saxophonist Razak Rahman.
Rounding up the lineup are Xiong Quintet, who will be presenting various genres of music from Brazil mixed with a healthy dose of jazz harmonies and improvisations; and RustiKa Quartet, a young jazz group that will bring their originals and arrangements of jazz standards in the spirit of youthful exuberance of today’s generation, while paying tribute to the roots of the Jazz genre.
“We have a fantastic lineup, featuring a good blend of established stars and up-and-coming talents, from Malaysia and overseas. Jazz as a genre is also a broad church, and it will be a real treat to see the many different styles on show throughout the four days,” Mr Yap said.
(See the full programme attached)
Putting Johor Bahru on the world map
The inaugural JB Jazz Festival will be the first of a series of Festivals under the JB:IFC (Johor Bahru: International Festival City) umbrella. JB:IFC is a bold initiative by the Johor Society for the Performing Arts to catapult and position the city of Johor Bahru as a leading festival city in the region, hosting world acclaimed arts, music, cultural and lifestyle events.
The upcoming festivals under JB:IFC slated for later this year include: the JB Classical Music Festival in May, the first-ever JB Film Festival in June, the Unity Drums Festival with JB’s own 24 Festive Drums in June, the 12th JB Arts and Fringe Festival in September, and the JB Food & Visual Arts Festival from October to December.
Mr Yap explained that JB:IFC was, in many ways, a natural step forward following the strong foundations laid down by the annual JB Arts Festival, which will enter its 12th edition later this year. It is the longest-running arts festival in Malaysia that offers content from all disciplines and genres of the performing arts.
“In the last 12 years, the JB Arts Festival has grown in size and stature, while the city of Johor Bahru itself, driven by Iskandar Malaysia, has also grown rapidly.
“JB:IFC is important because as the city expands its local and international reach, so must it continue to embrace and promote the arts, as well as showcase the rich historical culture of Johor and Malaysia to its many residents and visitors,” Mr Yap said.
Mr Yap added that JB:IFC perfectly complemented the government’s initiative in promoting Malaysia Year of Festivals (MYFest) 2015.
Jazzing up JB!
With so much to look forward to, Mr Yap stressed that the JB Jazz Festival was simply a not-to-be-missed event.
“It will be a historic event, both in terms of the stars and talents that will gather in our city for the jazz festival, as well as marking lift-off for JB:IFC and the push to finally put JB on the world map,” he enthused.
Programme:
Line Up:
RustiKa
The RustiKa Quartet is a collaboration between Karen de Silva from the AcoustiKa Jazz Quartet on Jazz Violin and Xanthus Ching of Rustic Vibes on Electric Bass. Featuring Joel Chua on Keys and Anson Koh on Drums, RustiKa Quartet will bring to the audience their originals and arrangements of jazz standards in the spirit of youthful exuberance of today’s generation, while paying tribute to the roots of this genre. Their repertoire also includes a dash of local flavour with a jazzy arrangement of Getaran Jiwa, and the premiere of Zapin Grooves in salutation to Johor’s cultural vibrancy.
Razak Rahman
Razak Rahman was already an established jazz star at age 12 when he made his first appearance on the first ever talent time contest (Bakat TV) over Malaysian television, emerging as the winner. In the same year, he was taken to London to perform at the Malaysian Hall for the Malaysian students there. It was then that he was offered a scholarship to study music at the Royal College of Music, London.
Razak has performed in albums of a long list of local Malaysian artistes throughout his career. As a sessionist he has been invited to perform with many legendary international artistes from the world over, including Shirley Bassey, Chick Corea, David Sanborn, Steve Thornton, Eric Marienthal and many others. Furthermore, he was a member of the country’s National Broadcasting Station (RTM) Orchestra under the lead of Dato Mokhzani Ismail for a decade. His very personalized sound on the tenor saxophone, heavily influenced by Stan Getz, will surely leave audiences awed and entertained.
www.facebook.com/rarjazzstereo
Xiong Quintet
Xiong Quintet will be presenting music that falls under the shade of the huge umbrella known as ‘Musica Popular Brasileira’. This term is widely used to describe all the various genres of music from Brazil, which includes Sambas, Bossa Novas, some Partido Altos and other various rhythms indigenous to that country, mixed with a healthy dose of Jazz harmonies and improvisations. There will not be any ‘played – to – death’ pub staples, but there will be infectious rhythms, beautiful melodies, and music sure to move the audience. Xiong Quintet consists of Xiong Lee, Justin Lim, Wei Li Cheah, Azmi Hairudin and Norman Rahman.
Steve Thornton
Percussionist Steve Thornton is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Before moving to Malaysia in 1997, Thornton lived and worked in New York. In the course of his formidable recording career he has worked and recorded with saxophonist Sadao Watanabe, and continues this gig today. Thornton has also worked with and appeared on albums by Herbie Hancock, Mongo Santamaria, jazz legend Miles Davis, and pianist McCoy Tyner, as well as Tracy Chapman, Mariah Carey, and Michael Jackson. His playing is particularly well displayed on albums by jazz vocalist Tania Maria and by romantic crooner Jon Lucien. Most recently, Thornton released an album under his own name ("Nature's Plan"), and appeared on CDs with Keiko Lee, a jazz vocalist popular in Japan. Now in Malaysia Steve Thornton has produced shows for NTV 7 and has performed and recorded for artists as Siti Nurhaliza, Raihan, Zainal Abidin, Roslan Aziz, Sheila Majid and many more.
stetea.tumblr.com/
twitter.com/stevetea
www.facebook.com/steve.thornton.7796
David Gomes
David Gomes is very much an established name in the KL jazz scene. Highly regarded in his field, he is renowned not just as an accomplished pianist & singer, but also as a composer, arranger & producer. He has travelled extensively in the span of 3 decades reaching as far as Australia, Holland, UK, Germany, Singapore & Thailand. For two consecutive years, in 1990 & 1991, he fronted the only two Malaysian jazz outfits to perform at the world’s biggest music festival in Holland, The North Sea Jazz Festival.
In recent years, David expanded his jazz reach venturing far up north to Thailand’s jazz epicentre, Bangkok, holding court at The Grand Millennium Hotel’s InBlu Jazz Lounge in 2008 and from mid-2010 to 2013, was swinging to the rhythm of the Bangkok jazz circuit at The Living Room, the premier destination for serious jazz lovers located at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit.
Junji Delfino started out singing in jazz clubs in the Philippines back in the 1980s, following in her father’s musical footsteps. In the 1990s, she moved to Malaysia and landed at the famous All That Jazz club in KL. Soon after, she began her long-time association with renowned composer/pianist David Gomes. Together they have produced such celebrated shows as “A Tribute To Ella Fitzgerald”, “A Tribute To Nat King Cole”, “Quite Frankly (A Tribute To Frank Sinatra)”, “All About Eve (A Big-Band Extravaganza)” and the 2004 album recording “It’s Christmas Time Again”. Junji has been invited to perform at numerous jazz festivals in and around the Peninsula and, together with David Gomes, she was featured at Singapore’s premier Jazz@Southbridge club for a couple of years.
David Gomes is very much an established name in the KL jazz scene. Highly regarded in his field, he is renowned not just as an accomplished pianist & singer, but also as a composer, arranger & producer. He has travelled extensively in the span of 3 decades reaching as far as Australia, Holland, UK, Germany, Singapore & Thailand. For two consecutive years, in 1990 & 1991, he fronted the only two Malaysian jazz outfits to perform at the world’s biggest music festival in Holland, The North Sea Jazz Festival. In recent years, David expanded his jazz reach venturing far up north to Thailand’s jazz epicentre, Bangkok, holding court at The Grand Millennium Hotel’s InBlu Jazz Lounge in 2008 and from mid-2010 to 2013, was swinging to the rhythm of the Bangkok jazz circuit at The Living Room, the premier destination for serious jazz lovers located at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit. Junji Delfino started out singing in jazz clubs in the Philippines back in the 1980s, following in her father’s musical footsteps. In the 1990s, she moved to Malaysia and landed at the famous All That Jazz club in KL. Soon after, she began her long-time association with renowned composer/pianist David Gomes. Together they have produced such celebrated shows as “A Tribute To Ella Fitzgerald”, “A Tribute To Nat King Cole”, “Quite Frankly (A Tribute To Frank Sinatra)”, “All About Eve (A Big-Band Extravaganza)” and the 2004 album recording “It’s Christmas Time Again”. Junji has been invited to perform at numerous jazz festivals in and around the Peninsula and, together with David Gomes, she was featured at Singapore’s premier Jazz@Southbridge club for a couple of years.
www.junjidelfino.com/
twitter.com/junjidelfino
www.facebook.com/pages/Junji-Delfino/136207326410657
Jeremy Monteiro
Jeremy Monteiro (Pianist, Co-Leader) comes from Singapore and is one of the best-known jazz pianists in South-East Asia. He has played with many jazz greats like James Moody and Toots Thielemans and continues to perform regularly with two-time Grammy Award winning saxophonist Ernie Watts who he has collaborated with since 1987. In 1988, he performed a landmark concert with his band Monteiro, Young & Holt on the mainstage of the Montreux Jazz Festival on a show that included Chick Corea, The Yellow Jackets, Crowded House and Mongo Santa Maria. Montreux Jazz Founder Claude Nobs hailed the concert as “one of the best shows of the first 22 years of Montreux”.
Alberto Marsico (Organist, Co-Leader) hails from Turin in Italy and is one of the most sought after jazz and blues organists in Europe. Most recently, Alberto performed and co-produced the Verve-label album “Purple” by famed Italian trumpeter Fabrizio Bosso.
Also in the band are, Shawn Letts on Saxophone, a prolific composer himself and elder brother of Pulitzer Prize for Drama (2008) and Tony-Award winning actor/writer Tracy Letts; and Bangkok-based American drummer Shawn Kelley who has performed with the likes of Ernie Watts, James Moody and Toots Thielemans. On guitar is one of the most promising jazz guitarists in the region, Teriver Cheung, from Hong Kong. Also performing will be guest vocalist Rani Singam, one of Singapore's most prominent and soulful jazz singers.
The show will feature funky, swinging, bluesy tunes from their album "Jeremy Monteiro & Alberto Marsico - The Jazz Blues Brothers".
dl.dropboxusercontent.com
twitter.com/jeremymonteiro
www.facebook.com/JeremyMonteiroFanpage
Mezzotono
The Mezzotono Show is entirely executed by five voices a-cappella, which means without the use of any musical instruments, because the voices reproduce the different instruments and the often comical approach of the five interpreters encourages audience participation in a nice and never pushy way.
Mezzotono has performed not only in Italian theatres, but 32 countries in 4 continents around the world have hosted their music. The originality of their performance is evident in their repertoire which consists solely of defining Italian music sung in many styles.
From jazz to bossa nova, from mambo to tango, from big band style to classical music, all songs have very different impacts from their original versions, because of the arrangements and the unpredictable contribution of the rhythmic-vocal section.
www.mezzotono.eu/
twitter.com/mezzotono
www.facebook.com/MezzotonoMusic?ref=ts&fref=ts
Sadao Watanabe
Sadao Watanabe is one of Japan’s greatest jazz musicians. By 1958, he had established himself as a world-class saxophonist, having performed with leading musicians and quartets. He moved to Boston in 1962 to study at Berklee College of Music. His work encompasses a large range of styles, and he has collaborated with musicians from all over the world. A top Japanese musician, Sadao Watanabe also served as Executive Producer of the Japanese government’s Exhibition Project in 2005, advocating the message of "World Peace" through music.
twitter.com/Sadao_Watanabe
Ticketing Information:
Ticket Prices:
Layout:
Ticketing Hotline： +603 78807999
Online Booking: www.ticketpro.com.my
For More Information:
Phone: +6019 7139900 / +6019 7169900
Email: jbartsfest@hotmail.com
URL: jbartsfest.com/ / www.jspa.org.my/
TW: twitter.com/jbartsfest
FB: www.facebook.com/jbartsfestival?ref=stream
The Johor Society for the Performing Arts (JSPA), organisers of eleven years of the JB Arts Festival, is proud to present a new event set to bring live, improvised music sure to quicken the pulse of jazz fans around the region - The Johor Bahru Jazz Fest 2015. The JB Jazz Fest 2015 is the first of five (5) festivals included under the 12th JB Arts Festival 2015, which is featured in the calendar for Malaysia Tourism's MYFest 2015 as an official event in the state of Johor. Living legends are coming to JB! The JB Jazz Fest 2015 will feature world-class saxophonist Sadao Watanabe, and Italian acapella group Mezzotono, along with well-known jazz names from around the region such as Steve Thornton and Afro Asia with Razak Rahman, Jeremy Monteiro and Alberto Marsico with the Jazz Blues Brothers, The David Gomes Jazz Ensemble with Junji Delfino, Xiong Quintet, and The Rustika Quartet.
Sadao Watanabe is a titan in the world of jazz music. His talent has seen him perform in some of the biggest cities and most prestigious festivals in the world, including Tokyo, New York and London. And come February 2015, one more city will be added to that list – Johor Bahru!
The world-renowned jazz saxophonist will headline the inaugural Johor Bahru Jazz Festival, a four-day jazz music extravaganza from Feb 26 to Mar 1, which will be held at the Doubletree by Hilton, Johor Bahru.
A Star-Studded Line Up:
The festival will feature a star-studded lineup of local, regional and international jazz artists, led by Sadao Watanabe, widely recognised as one of Japan’s greatest jazz musicians. The 82-year-old’s music encompasses and blends a wide variety of styles, and he has collaborated with leading musicians from all over the world.
“We are excited to welcome Sadao Watanabe to Johor Bahru. Sadao is indisputably a legend in the jazz scene, and we are honoured to have such a big name to mark the first ever JB Jazz Festival,” said Mr Yap Siong Cheng, founder of the Johor Society for the Performing Arts, organisers of the JB Jazz Festival.
Joining Sadao at this year’s festival are Italian a-cappella group Mezzotono, who last year performed to a rapturous reception at the Kota Kinabalu Jazz Festival. The five talented singers reproduce the sounds of musical instruments, while their often comical approach encourages audience participation in a fun and unique way.
Also appearing at the festival is Singaporean musician Jeremy Monteiro, who is one of the best-known jazz pianists in Southeast Asia. He will be performing alongside organist Alberto Marsico, Shawn Letts on saxophone, guitarist Teriver Cheung, guest vocalist Rani Singam and Bangkok-based American drummer Shawn Kelley. Malaysian jazz great David Gomes also returns to Johor Bahru, with the David Gomes Jazz Ensemble featuring Junji Delfino.
Renowned percussionist Steve Thornton, who has worked with greats from Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis to Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey, will also be returning to Johor Bahru after his performance at last year’s JB Arts Festival. He will be joined by his band Afro Asia, as well as local saxophonist Razak Rahman.
Rounding up the lineup are Xiong Quintet, who will be presenting various genres of music from Brazil mixed with a healthy dose of jazz harmonies and improvisations; and RustiKa Quartet, a young jazz group that will bring their originals and arrangements of jazz standards in the spirit of youthful exuberance of today’s generation, while paying tribute to the roots of the Jazz genre.
“We have a fantastic lineup, featuring a good blend of established stars and up-and-coming talents, from Malaysia and overseas. Jazz as a genre is also a broad church, and it will be a real treat to see the many different styles on show throughout the four days,” Mr Yap said.
(See the full programme attached)
Putting Johor Bahru on the world map
The inaugural JB Jazz Festival will be the first of a series of Festivals under the JB:IFC (Johor Bahru: International Festival City) umbrella. JB:IFC is a bold initiative by the Johor Society for the Performing Arts to catapult and position the city of Johor Bahru as a leading festival city in the region, hosting world acclaimed arts, music, cultural and lifestyle events.
The upcoming festivals under JB:IFC slated for later this year include: the JB Classical Music Festival in May, the first-ever JB Film Festival in June, the Unity Drums Festival with JB’s own 24 Festive Drums in June, the 12th JB Arts and Fringe Festival in September, and the JB Food & Visual Arts Festival from October to December.
Mr Yap explained that JB:IFC was, in many ways, a natural step forward following the strong foundations laid down by the annual JB Arts Festival, which will enter its 12th edition later this year. It is the longest-running arts festival in Malaysia that offers content from all disciplines and genres of the performing arts.
“In the last 12 years, the JB Arts Festival has grown in size and stature, while the city of Johor Bahru itself, driven by Iskandar Malaysia, has also grown rapidly.
“JB:IFC is important because as the city expands its local and international reach, so must it continue to embrace and promote the arts, as well as showcase the rich historical culture of Johor and Malaysia to its many residents and visitors,” Mr Yap said.
Mr Yap added that JB:IFC perfectly complemented the government’s initiative in promoting Malaysia Year of Festivals (MYFest) 2015.
Jazzing up JB!
With so much to look forward to, Mr Yap stressed that the JB Jazz Festival was simply a not-to-be-missed event.
“It will be a historic event, both in terms of the stars and talents that will gather in our city for the jazz festival, as well as marking lift-off for JB:IFC and the push to finally put JB on the world map,” he enthused.
Programme:
Line Up:
RustiKa
The RustiKa Quartet is a collaboration between Karen de Silva from the AcoustiKa Jazz Quartet on Jazz Violin and Xanthus Ching of Rustic Vibes on Electric Bass. Featuring Joel Chua on Keys and Anson Koh on Drums, RustiKa Quartet will bring to the audience their originals and arrangements of jazz standards in the spirit of youthful exuberance of today’s generation, while paying tribute to the roots of this genre. Their repertoire also includes a dash of local flavour with a jazzy arrangement of Getaran Jiwa, and the premiere of Zapin Grooves in salutation to Johor’s cultural vibrancy.
Razak Rahman
Razak Rahman was already an established jazz star at age 12 when he made his first appearance on the first ever talent time contest (Bakat TV) over Malaysian television, emerging as the winner. In the same year, he was taken to London to perform at the Malaysian Hall for the Malaysian students there. It was then that he was offered a scholarship to study music at the Royal College of Music, London.
Razak has performed in albums of a long list of local Malaysian artistes throughout his career. As a sessionist he has been invited to perform with many legendary international artistes from the world over, including Shirley Bassey, Chick Corea, David Sanborn, Steve Thornton, Eric Marienthal and many others. Furthermore, he was a member of the country’s National Broadcasting Station (RTM) Orchestra under the lead of Dato Mokhzani Ismail for a decade. His very personalized sound on the tenor saxophone, heavily influenced by Stan Getz, will surely leave audiences awed and entertained.
www.facebook.com/rarjazzstereo
Xiong Quintet
Xiong Quintet will be presenting music that falls under the shade of the huge umbrella known as ‘Musica Popular Brasileira’. This term is widely used to describe all the various genres of music from Brazil, which includes Sambas, Bossa Novas, some Partido Altos and other various rhythms indigenous to that country, mixed with a healthy dose of Jazz harmonies and improvisations. There will not be any ‘played – to – death’ pub staples, but there will be infectious rhythms, beautiful melodies, and music sure to move the audience. Xiong Quintet consists of Xiong Lee, Justin Lim, Wei Li Cheah, Azmi Hairudin and Norman Rahman.
Steve Thornton
Percussionist Steve Thornton is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Before moving to Malaysia in 1997, Thornton lived and worked in New York. In the course of his formidable recording career he has worked and recorded with saxophonist Sadao Watanabe, and continues this gig today. Thornton has also worked with and appeared on albums by Herbie Hancock, Mongo Santamaria, jazz legend Miles Davis, and pianist McCoy Tyner, as well as Tracy Chapman, Mariah Carey, and Michael Jackson. His playing is particularly well displayed on albums by jazz vocalist Tania Maria and by romantic crooner Jon Lucien. Most recently, Thornton released an album under his own name ("Nature's Plan"), and appeared on CDs with Keiko Lee, a jazz vocalist popular in Japan. Now in Malaysia Steve Thornton has produced shows for NTV 7 and has performed and recorded for artists as Siti Nurhaliza, Raihan, Zainal Abidin, Roslan Aziz, Sheila Majid and many more.
stetea.tumblr.com/
twitter.com/stevetea
www.facebook.com/steve.thornton.7796
David Gomes
David Gomes is very much an established name in the KL jazz scene. Highly regarded in his field, he is renowned not just as an accomplished pianist & singer, but also as a composer, arranger & producer. He has travelled extensively in the span of 3 decades reaching as far as Australia, Holland, UK, Germany, Singapore & Thailand. For two consecutive years, in 1990 & 1991, he fronted the only two Malaysian jazz outfits to perform at the world’s biggest music festival in Holland, The North Sea Jazz Festival.
In recent years, David expanded his jazz reach venturing far up north to Thailand’s jazz epicentre, Bangkok, holding court at The Grand Millennium Hotel’s InBlu Jazz Lounge in 2008 and from mid-2010 to 2013, was swinging to the rhythm of the Bangkok jazz circuit at The Living Room, the premier destination for serious jazz lovers located at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit.
Junji Delfino started out singing in jazz clubs in the Philippines back in the 1980s, following in her father’s musical footsteps. In the 1990s, she moved to Malaysia and landed at the famous All That Jazz club in KL. Soon after, she began her long-time association with renowned composer/pianist David Gomes. Together they have produced such celebrated shows as “A Tribute To Ella Fitzgerald”, “A Tribute To Nat King Cole”, “Quite Frankly (A Tribute To Frank Sinatra)”, “All About Eve (A Big-Band Extravaganza)” and the 2004 album recording “It’s Christmas Time Again”. Junji has been invited to perform at numerous jazz festivals in and around the Peninsula and, together with David Gomes, she was featured at Singapore’s premier Jazz@Southbridge club for a couple of years.
David Gomes is very much an established name in the KL jazz scene. Highly regarded in his field, he is renowned not just as an accomplished pianist & singer, but also as a composer, arranger & producer. He has travelled extensively in the span of 3 decades reaching as far as Australia, Holland, UK, Germany, Singapore & Thailand. For two consecutive years, in 1990 & 1991, he fronted the only two Malaysian jazz outfits to perform at the world’s biggest music festival in Holland, The North Sea Jazz Festival. In recent years, David expanded his jazz reach venturing far up north to Thailand’s jazz epicentre, Bangkok, holding court at The Grand Millennium Hotel’s InBlu Jazz Lounge in 2008 and from mid-2010 to 2013, was swinging to the rhythm of the Bangkok jazz circuit at The Living Room, the premier destination for serious jazz lovers located at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit. Junji Delfino started out singing in jazz clubs in the Philippines back in the 1980s, following in her father’s musical footsteps. In the 1990s, she moved to Malaysia and landed at the famous All That Jazz club in KL. Soon after, she began her long-time association with renowned composer/pianist David Gomes. Together they have produced such celebrated shows as “A Tribute To Ella Fitzgerald”, “A Tribute To Nat King Cole”, “Quite Frankly (A Tribute To Frank Sinatra)”, “All About Eve (A Big-Band Extravaganza)” and the 2004 album recording “It’s Christmas Time Again”. Junji has been invited to perform at numerous jazz festivals in and around the Peninsula and, together with David Gomes, she was featured at Singapore’s premier Jazz@Southbridge club for a couple of years.
www.junjidelfino.com/
twitter.com/junjidelfino
www.facebook.com/pages/Junji-Delfino/136207326410657
Jeremy Monteiro
Jeremy Monteiro (Pianist, Co-Leader) comes from Singapore and is one of the best-known jazz pianists in South-East Asia. He has played with many jazz greats like James Moody and Toots Thielemans and continues to perform regularly with two-time Grammy Award winning saxophonist Ernie Watts who he has collaborated with since 1987. In 1988, he performed a landmark concert with his band Monteiro, Young & Holt on the mainstage of the Montreux Jazz Festival on a show that included Chick Corea, The Yellow Jackets, Crowded House and Mongo Santa Maria. Montreux Jazz Founder Claude Nobs hailed the concert as “one of the best shows of the first 22 years of Montreux”.
Alberto Marsico (Organist, Co-Leader) hails from Turin in Italy and is one of the most sought after jazz and blues organists in Europe. Most recently, Alberto performed and co-produced the Verve-label album “Purple” by famed Italian trumpeter Fabrizio Bosso.
Also in the band are, Shawn Letts on Saxophone, a prolific composer himself and elder brother of Pulitzer Prize for Drama (2008) and Tony-Award winning actor/writer Tracy Letts; and Bangkok-based American drummer Shawn Kelley who has performed with the likes of Ernie Watts, James Moody and Toots Thielemans. On guitar is one of the most promising jazz guitarists in the region, Teriver Cheung, from Hong Kong. Also performing will be guest vocalist Rani Singam, one of Singapore's most prominent and soulful jazz singers.
The show will feature funky, swinging, bluesy tunes from their album "Jeremy Monteiro & Alberto Marsico - The Jazz Blues Brothers".
dl.dropboxusercontent.com
twitter.com/jeremymonteiro
www.facebook.com/JeremyMonteiroFanpage
Mezzotono
The Mezzotono Show is entirely executed by five voices a-cappella, which means without the use of any musical instruments, because the voices reproduce the different instruments and the often comical approach of the five interpreters encourages audience participation in a nice and never pushy way.
Mezzotono has performed not only in Italian theatres, but 32 countries in 4 continents around the world have hosted their music. The originality of their performance is evident in their repertoire which consists solely of defining Italian music sung in many styles.
From jazz to bossa nova, from mambo to tango, from big band style to classical music, all songs have very different impacts from their original versions, because of the arrangements and the unpredictable contribution of the rhythmic-vocal section.
www.mezzotono.eu/
twitter.com/mezzotono
www.facebook.com/MezzotonoMusic?ref=ts&fref=ts
Sadao Watanabe
Sadao Watanabe is one of Japan’s greatest jazz musicians. By 1958, he had established himself as a world-class saxophonist, having performed with leading musicians and quartets. He moved to Boston in 1962 to study at Berklee College of Music. His work encompasses a large range of styles, and he has collaborated with musicians from all over the world. A top Japanese musician, Sadao Watanabe also served as Executive Producer of the Japanese government’s Exhibition Project in 2005, advocating the message of "World Peace" through music.
twitter.com/Sadao_Watanabe
Ticketing Information:
Ticket Prices:
Layout:
Ticketing Hotline： +603 78807999
Online Booking: www.ticketpro.com.my
For More Information:
Phone: +6019 7139900 / +6019 7169900
Email: jbartsfest@hotmail.com
URL: jbartsfest.com/ / www.jspa.org.my/
TW: twitter.com/jbartsfest
FB: www.facebook.com/jbartsfestival?ref=stream