a weekend of thoughts

I had a very nice relaxing and eventful weekend. I went to the Eastend Jazz Festival. My first jazz festival outside of Malaysia. What can I say.. Philips Jazz Festival is still much better, but than this is Adelaide, so if I have to compare with a Malaysian Jazz Festival, I'll have to compare it to an Ipoh Jazz Fest. Anyhow, it was still worth going to. The international acts from all over Scandanavia and New York was a flop though but some of the local acts were quite good. I particularly enjoyed this band called FUD. The band leader Leo Auri's first opening remark was "if you enjoy music with no chord progression, this set is for you." I thought, I have to stay for this set. Indeed, their blend of music really blew me away. They play if I can call experimental jazz, mixing electro and advant-garde in jazz. But what really impressed me were the High School Big Bands. You see bunch of 14-17 year olds pulling of music pieces from Charles Mingus, Count Bassie, James Morrison was really impressive. Sounded almost like the big bands themselves. I really wanted to quit playing the bass after seeing 15 year old chicks playing much better than me. Makes me wonder why Malaysian Education system never introduced music classes of this nature.

Only thing I remember from music classes was in primary school was blowing that stupid recorded playing "ba ba black sheep" and "marry had a little lamb". Music in High School was totally extinct. Makes you wonder why when you look at the Malaysian Jazz Scene, you can count the number of musicians with probably 3 pairs of hands. It's really impressive that the school systems here in Australia introduce their kids to music at such an early age and allow them platforms to showcase their skills. In Malaysia, only way to showcase your musical skill is playing in a "pancaragam" band. Arts is certainly lacking in the Malaysian soil, but thank God it has come up a bit in the last 2 years, very much thanks to our late First Lady Kak Endon. I hope what she started will not stop.

I just wonder, if we had those opportunities in school, would I have been a better musician today? Would I at least have known how to read notes. I mean... those kids performing in the Jazz Fest were sight reading and playing note for notes. Even some of the musicians in the Malaysian scene can't read notes

Makes me wonder, if this music corricular was introduced in school.. where would Malaysian music be today? Could we be on par with or maybe at least just slightly behind America, England or on par with Australia, Japan or leaps ahead of our neighbouring Singapore. I wonder, would I have been a better musician if those music corricular were introduced in school. The Music and Arts industry in Malaysia in general needs catching up but I do thank God that in the last two years it has and it's mostly thanks to our beloved late first lady Kak Endon. I just what she started will not die.

Music scene in Adelaide is just behind Kuala Lumpur. But again, like I said.. this is Adelaide.. so if you want to compare I have to compare Adelaide with the likes of Ipoh and Malacca. Kuala Lumpur stands no where near Sydney and Melbourne at the moment. So I pray for the future of the Malaysian Music scene that it will continue to catch up and move ahead.