B IG B AND @ S INGAPORE
Saturday, 16 September 2006
Jazz For The Aspiring – The Event
In Aug 2003, Wes Anderson, Walter Blanding Jr. and Marcus Printup from the renowned Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra came to NUS to conduct the Jazz for the Aspiring workshop.
The founder of Jitterbugs Swingapore, Sing, and her student, Jo Dong (also the lead vocalist of the NUS Jazz Choir), also gave the audience an impromptu Lindy Hop performance.
The musicians also played at Chijmes (accompanied by the NUS Jazz Band) as well as Harry’s. Lindy Hoppers from all over Singapore also joined in the celebration. It was certainly a week for musicians, Lindy Hoppers and listeners to remember.
Jazz for the Aspiring - The Documentary
By nu(STUDIOS) Film Productions, the NUS student film-making arm.
The documentary focuses mainly on the NUS Jazz Band and Choir, and features interviews with several members such as Wee Siang (pianist and ex-President), Daniel (trumpeter and immediate past President), Lin Chow (drummer), Joel (bassist) and Yvonne (vocalist).
In the first section, the members told us what is jazz, how is it different from the other genres, why they like it, how they got into it, etc. That was followed by highlights of the workshop conducted by the Lincoln Jazz Trio. Here, the participants shared the joys of learning from members of the renowned LCJO.
The last part of the documentary featured the performance at Chijmes. Here, the performers from NUS recollected the experiences of preparing for and executing the performance.
On the whole, the documentary is quite enjoyable.
© Copyright April 2000
Anthony Chia Chwee Kiong