The Star Online: Entertainment: Music
The Star Online: Entertainment: Music |
| Posted: Tony Bennett's upcoming concert in Kuala Lumpur is proof that the man enjoys nothing better than singing for an appreciative audience. THE United States of America has given the world many a great thing – basketball, Coca-Cola, Google, iPhones, the cast of Jersey Shore … so much awesome stuff. But if you asked Tony Bennett, there's one thing that just has to be way up there in that list – jazz. "I feel jazz is one of the greatest contributions America has given to the world. It really is our classical music," he said in an e-mail interview with Star2. "I love the spontaneity of jazz music. Jazz musicians are consummate instrumentalists, and their level of skill is so high they can improvise all the time, which, in my mind, keeps every performance very much in the moment. They never play the song twice. "I spent so many great hours in the jazz clubs of New York City on 52nd Street where you wouldn't walk out of the clubs until four in the morning." And that's exactly the kind of music – and that level of performance – that Bennett, still going strong at 87, hopes to bring to Malaysia when he does his first show here at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on Sept 9. "I always have said there are no bad audiences – only bad performers," he said. "Currently, I have a magnificent jazz quartet with me on the road that have been with me for quite some time and they are master musicians. I think the audience in Malaysia will love them." For most music-lovers, the chance to watch his quartet alone would be pretty cool already. Throw in the greatest jazz vocalist of our time, and you're looking at a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Humble beginnings As an artiste, Bennett is quite simply in a league of his own. His career has spanned seven amazing decades, which have included soaring highs and debilitating lows. Having dropped out of high school at 16 to help support his family, Bennett was forced to do a variety of odd jobs, including one as a singing waiter. But during World War II, he was drafted into the army and even fought on the frontlines in Europe. It was an experience that would change him forever. He once described it as a "front-row seat in hell". "It affected me mostly as a human because it instantly turned me into a pacifist, and taught me that violence is the lowest form of human behaviour. "But as an artiste, it was a very good training ground as I had the opportunity to perform in Army bands throughout the time of my service and met some very talented musicians as a result," he said. After being discharged from the army, Bennett returned to the United States and immediately started formal music training (making use of the new Servicemen's Readjustment Act for returning WWII veterans) while continuing to perform at small venues. American comedian Bob Hope was at one of those venues, and that's when Bennett got his lucky break. "He liked my singing so much that after the show, he came to see me in my dressing room and said, 'come on kid, you're going to the Paramount to sing with me'," he recalled, referring to New York city's famous Paramount Theatre, where Bennett often sang on the same stage as Frank Sinatra – who called a young Bennett the "best singer in the business". Troubled times ... and the turning point But the rock invasion of the mid-1960s preceded a dark decade in Bennett's career. Jazz was considered outdated and Bennett was forced by Clive Davis, president of his record company at the time, to record two ill-fated pop-rock albums which left him so disgusted he decided to leave the label. "Young people are absolutely programmed," he once said. "They're still being told, 'This is your music, and that other stuff is for your parents'." He also added that all Grammys might as well go to the distributors rather than the artistes. Bennett stuck stubbornly to his guns throughout the 1970s – with little success. He created his own label, Improv, to record the music he wanted, but it soon went bust with no distributor willing to come on board. At one point, he was reportedly shut out from Las Vegas. He was also struggling financially, and had a near-fatal cocaine overdose in 1979 that became a turning point in his career. He reached out to his son Danny, who became his manager and helped sort out his financial affairs and started booking Bennett in colleges and smaller theatres where his artistry could be fully appreciated. Danny believed that younger audiences would fall in love with the traditional jazz his father embodied – if only they gave it a chance – and set about booking him on shows like The Late Show With David Letterman in the 1990s. He would even do an MTV Unplugged concert later on in 1994. "If the music is good, then that's all that counts," he said. "A good song written 50 years ago sounds like it was written yesterday – that's what makes it a standard. Good songs from whatever era will always rise to the top. "I am not a fan of categories or demographics," he added. "(Italian conductor Arturo) Toscanini said music is either good or it isn't – it's not someone's opinion." Even if you asked him now what he considers the popular songs of today, his answer is, "Anything written by Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Harold Arlen, The Gershwins … there are just so many of them." All that jazz Now closing in on the big 9-0, Bennett is still as active as ever. His three Duets albums cleverly took advantage of the fact that even the biggest pop stars of today would jump at the chance to record with Tony Bennett, so the man himself can continue to keep his timeless art in vogue. Lady Gaga, John Mayer, Michael Buble, Carrie Underwood and Mariah Carey are just some of the names he's recorded with recently. But what about his favourite collaboration of all time? "There are so many, but I have to say recording Body And Soul with Amy Winehouse will always be a very special memory for me. She was a true jazz singer and a genius at improvisation. It was so tragic to lose her at such a young age." Recalling his struggles in the 1960s and 1970s, Bennett's advice for young jazz artistes is to do what he did – just tough it out. "Jazz music is based on love. It's never been about being commercial, making a lot of money or playing stadiums; which is why it is still such a pure form of music "Most jazz artistes I know have a regular job to support themselves. It's very tough for them but I think if you have a passion for something, then you have to go for it as much as possible," he said. And if you want to know what passion really is, take a cue from Tony Bennett. "You know, I still get 'butterflies' before every show, which, I had learned from Frank Sinatra, is a good thing. He once told me backstage at the Paramount Theatre that being nervous shows that you care, and the audience will sense that you care and they will be on your side. So, I am glad I still have the butterflies." > Tickets for Tony Bennett Live in Kuala Lumpur on Sept 9 at Plenary Hall, KLCC, are available from www.ticketpro.com.my. For more info, call 03-7880 7999. |
| Posted: Up, up and away! Livewire indie act Kyoto Protocol readies up more sonic adventures. MUSIC for the people kind of genre. That was one of the notable responses Kyoto Protocol received from its Twitter follower @helmeeyo when the group asked its fans what kind of genre they think the band belongs to one fine Monday morning. It's a fitting answer, really. For a Kuala Lumpur-based indie rock outfit that fuses rock vitality with occasional lyrical references to local nostalgia, Kyoto Protocol's brand of music is distinctly Malaysian with a modern sensible edge that listeners from various divides could resonate with. Or in other words, music for the people. The five-piece band – which comprises frontman Fuad Alhabshi, 29, keyboardist Gael Oliveres, 30, guitarist Hairi Haneefa, 28, bassist Shakeil Bashir, 28, and drummer Shanjeev Reddy, 26, – recently solidified its all-inclusive musical status when it released its first Malay track Jelita. "I actually wrote the music somewhere in early 2012. I just had the idea about experimenting with the musical principles behind the sounds of electro/house/nu disco that I was in love with, but within the context of a band. The only way I could make that work was going retro with a minimalist pseudo-disco feel," reveals the bespectacled Fuad. While the song's arrangements came easy to the lead vocalist, the man struggled for a bit when it came to the track's lyrical content. "The track didn't have words for a really long time. That was until my girlfriend's birthday when it then became a song entitled Beautiful that celebrates her independence," he adds. In a larger context though, the number could be viewed as a song that celebrates the fairer sex's liberation in a world where they're more often than not objectified. It was the band's brush with the mainstream coupled with the the help of a translator that gave the tune a new facade. "When we entered TV9's reality music competition Versus, one of the final challenges was to perform a previously unreleased song that had to be in the Malay language. I decided to take the risk in translating Beautiful into Jelita. After all, both titles have the same syllables," Fuad jokes. The lead vocalist credits lyricist Shah Shamshiri for performing an amazing feat of translating the words and the track's core meaning into Malay. The studio version of Jelita sees the boys of Kyoto Protocol collaborating with local singer-songwriter Liyana Fizi. "Gael saw the lyrics and thought that some of the words would be suitable and empowering for a girl. After throwing around a few names, we thought Liyana's trademark silky smooth vocals would really suit the track well. At the same time, it will transcend the genres that Liyana's typically associated with," Fuad reveals of the collaboration. Kyoto Protocol has maintained its status as an independent act since the band's formation in 2008, something that Fuad regularly reflects on. "I constantly wonder what my life would be like if I did music full time. Would my songwriting be better? Would I miss out on the experience that I could only get at a day job? Would I feel pressured to include more elements of conformity into my music? "It's all hypothetical scenarios to me at this point. As a band, I think we've done what we need to do. It's kind of like the road less travelled. People think it's about feeling empowered by making unconventional decisions, but it's more about inevitability," says the man who works as a research analyst on a full time basis. On that note, Fuad believes that more could be done about the lukewarm local music scene that thrives on survival of the fittest rather than nurturing lasting talents. "Basically our scene lacks investment. Not strictly in monetary terms, but it could extend to structural support as well. I get the feeling that the only thing that works for now are competitions. That's all well and good, but I do feel that there's little development on fostering musical talent rather than just pitting them against each other. "Perhaps that's why there's this strong sense of competition between bands. Not that it's anything new, band feuds are well documented. Just see how many feuds Green Day has," he says. "I worry that a lot of bands that came up around the same time as us have kind of faded into the background. It's not easy and there's not a lot of love going around to sustain our music scene," Fuad adds. Despondent insights aside, it does help that the band has a rather cheeky disposition when it comes to the group's public persona. "We like to have a bit of fun with our Twitter followers. There was a funny rumour going around that we were going to be the opening act for Metallica's concert in KL. So it was pure entertainment to get on social media and stir the pot even more! "We hope no one took offence, though. A society that can debate and after that agree to disagree is a mature one in my opinion," says the astute singer. While the band won't be opening for Metallica any time soon, it's one of the acts that will be performing at the upcoming Good Vibes Festival at the Sepang International Circuit on Aug 17. "It is completely unreal to be in the same line-up as the Smashing Pumpkins, a band that I listened to zealously in my musically-formative years," Fuad exclaims. "We've got a headache picking the setlist this time around because we realised that over the years, we've accumulated a lot of songs that won't fit into a 45-minute set. That should make for a never-before-seen gig from us," he adds. The band is bound to add more songs to its growing discography when it releases a five-track EP entitled Pahlawan on Aug 24 at a special open house event in Holy Smoke Cafe, Shah Alam in Selangor. "Our open house will stay true to the definition in that it's free entry and we provide the food and entertainment as a sincere thank you to everyone who supported us during our stint on Versus. "I hope this goes in some way to paying back the good deeds of all those SMS votes," Fuad cheekily concludes. Kyoto Protocol appears at Good Vibes Festival at Sepang International Kart Circuit on Aug 17. It is an all-ages event, headlined by international acts Smashing Pumpkins, Ash, Modest Mouse and Japandroids. Other local acts include MonoloQue, Pitahati, Pesawat, OJ Law, Pastel Lite, Liyana Fizi, Tenderfist, They Will Kill Us All and Impatient Sisters. Tickets, ranging from RM158 (pre-sale), RM188 (door) and RM258 (VIP), are available at myticket.my or all Rock Corner outlets in the Klang Valley. For the full band line-up and more info, go to goodvibesfest.com. |
| Posted: Check out some tracks by up-and-coming singer-actress Ariana Grande. Actress and singer Ariana Grande, 20, has been getting a lot of radio airplay these days and her debut album is not even out yet. Yours Truly is set for a US release early next month, preceeded by her two singles - The Way (featuring Mac Miller) and Baby I. She was also featured in Mika's hit single, Popular Song, which was taken from his third album, Origin Of Love. A remixed version of Popular Song will also be available on Grande's Yours Truly. If you're a fan of the teen show Victorious, you might remember Grande as the naive and not-so-bright character, Cat Valentine. Grande will be reprising the role in the show's brand new spin-off, Sam & Cat. Yours Truly is released here by Universal Music Malaysia. Follow Grande on Twitter: @ArianaGrande. |
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