Friday, December 26, 2014

Congrats to Dato' A Rahman Hassan and Datin Fadhilah Mansor

Photo from http://mediahiburan.karangkraf.com




Articles from Kosmo.com.my translated by guest blogger Ghaz! 



Monday, October 20, 2014

DI MANAKAH CAHAYA? (WHERE IS THE LIGHT?) by Guest Blogger Ghaz :



Being blind is indeed hard. In older days, a blind person was perceived by his own family and community as a fully handicapped individual with limited capabilities to survive on his own, and therefore, could not go far. The disadvantage of being blind was reflected in many of Malay films during its golden era in late 1940s up 1960s. 
Among them include those acted or directed by P. Ramlee, which include Juwita (1951), Miskin [Poverty] (1952), Ibu [Mother] (1953), Siapa Salah [Who Is Wrong] (1953), Ibu Mertuaku [My Mother-In-Law] (1962) and the last film of that kind produced by Shaw Brothers called Sayang Si Buta [Love of the Blind] (1965). Not to forgotten, the Indonesian film which featured a story of a blind girl searching for true love called Akhir Sebuah Impian (The End of a Dream) [1973] which contains hit songs sung by Broery Marantika, Emilia Contessa and the Favourite’s Group.

However, such perception was proven wrong when quite a number of blind singers and musicians in both Malaysia and Singapore who managed to record their songs which became top hits in the radio charts in the 1960s up to the early 1970s, and a few of them in 1980s. While enjoying songs by American’s remarkable and talented blind singers of the 1960s like Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Jose Feliciano and the like, I will never forget our own talented blind vocalists back in my country and its neighbouring territories.

S. Jibeng (1942 – 2006)
Born Jaafar Sidek in the city of Medan in Indonesian Sumatera island to a family of five children, S. Jibeng lost his eyesight at the age of two after an injury.  After he turned five, Jibeng was then brought to Singapore by his family and was raised in the colony until he reached adulthood. In late 1966, Jibeng secured a recording contract with Suria Records where he and another lady singer, S. Latifah shared the same EP recording with a band called Sri Arjuna. His debut number, Musafir Di Aidilfitri (A Traveller in Aidilfitri) became an instant hit and was regarded as one of the festival theme until today. Another song from the same EP was Terimalah Laguku (Please Accept My Song). Due to this success, Jibeng recorded his first full EP of four songs with the same band, and from it, Selamat Tinggal Pujaan (Goodbye My Love) became his second hit.

S. Jibeng & Sri Arjuna – Musafir Di Aidilfitri
 
S. Jibeng & Sri Arjuna – Terimalah Laguku

S. Jibeng & Sri Arjuna – Selamat Tinggal Pujaan
 
Jibeng's singing talent, despite his complete blindness, was brought to the attention of film-maker Shaw Brothers in 1967, from which he was invited to be a special guest star in its film A-Go-Go 67. The song Nasib Si Buta (A Blind Man’s Fate), jointly composed by Kassim Masdor and Yusoff B. and companied by the former's Dendang Perindu Orchestra, became another hit both in the film and on its soundtrack SP. The song earned Jibeng a VIP treatment by the then Malaysian Education Minister, Tan Sri Khir Johari, who requested him to perform it once again at the end of a concert in Kuala Lumpur in the same year. 

S. Jibeng & Dendang Perindu Orchestra – Nasib Si Buta (from the film A-Go-Go ‘67)
 
Between 1968 and 1970, Jibeng had another contract with Times Record to record songs for the company's Olympic album. This time, he teamed up with The Mountaineers, from which a few more hits were issued, including Inai Di Jari (Henna Leaves on Your Finger) and Cik Ainon Janda Muda (Cik Ainon The Young Widow) . After the end of pop-yeh-yeh craze, his popularity began to fade.

S. Jibeng & The Mountaineers – Inai Di Jari
 
S. Jibeng – Cik Ainon Janda Muda
 
The revival of pop-yeh-yeh in 1985 was a good chance for Jibeng to regain his popularity. As a result, his songs Inai Di Jari, and Selamat Tinggal Pujaan was re-recorded by Life Records. In 1986, Jibeng recorded a full LP of new songs under the title Di Manakah Cahaya.




Since the Pop Yeh Yeh revival, Jibeng's popularity had never ceased to grow and he continued to perform on-stage with his fellow pop-yeh-yeh colleagues. He was also co-opted as a resident artist at Juwita Lounge in Johor Bahru for a while.
His very last recording was with Malaysia's nasheed group Raihan where they grouped together to re-record the song Taqwa Dan Iman (Taqwa and Faith), which was earlier recorded by Ahmad Jais. 

S. Jibeng & Raihan – Taqwa Dan Iman
 
Jibeng died in 2006 at 64 after a series of diabetic complications upon his return from a show in Batu Pahat.
Throughout his life as a singer, he had never made a fortune. In his dilapidated house in Johor Bahru's Dewata slum, he raised his own children with his wife who was coincidently one of his fans.
Regarding his hardship, a printed mainstream media concluded that only Jibeng is the rightful person to perform his signature tune Musafir Di Aidilfitri, as it reflects his real life situation, both as a handicapped and a hardcore poor individual.
Jibeng had once requested a magazine reporter: "Please write in your magazine that 'S. Jibeng Is In Dire Need'."

 
The Braille Boys featuring A. Kadir Jailani
Despite being blind, all members of The Braille Boys, including their leading vocalist, A. Kadir Jailani, are very talented musicians. Due to this fact, they were invited to accompany M. Osman in one of his recordings, among which include Mencari Sinar Bahagia (Searching for the Light of Happiness) and Mini Skirt.
M.Osman & The Braille Boys – Menjelang Hari Bahagia
M. Osman & The Braille Boys – Mini Skirt
After the success of this record, The Braille Boys were given the opportunity to record their own songs. One of its members, Jihi Anak Merjin, a Sarawakian Iban who received his education at Queen Elizabeth School for the Blind in Johor Bahru, acted as the composer and wrote the lyrics. One of their hits, Desiran Ombak, is in fact, a Malay cover version of an Iban popular song.
The Braille Boys featuring A. Kadir Jailani – Desiran Ombak
The Braille Boys featuring A. Kadir Jailani – Debaran
The Braille Boys featuring A. Kadir Jailani – Rintihan Sukma
I love their song called Dia Ku Rindu (She’s The One I Miss), which has been aired by Radio Klasik many times on its daily programme Masihkah Kau Ingat (Do You Still Remember).
The Braille Boys featuring A. Kadir Jailani – Dia Ku Rindu
(Note: The young A. Kadir Jailani is the second from left in the photo on the record sleeve.)
There has been no news about the rest of The Braille Boys, but A. Kadir Jailani is still active and performing in various functions, mostly in wedding feasts.
A.Kadir Jailani performing at a wedding party in 2010 with D’Aromas
  
M. Rashid Noor
I believe he was the only male blind singer being accompanied by Orkes Zindegi, and recorded only one EP. His one hit wonder was Taqdir Tuhan (God’s Plans), which was recorded together with other three songs which Rashid himself composed and wrote, issued by Great Union Organisation (GUO). Taqdir Tuhan was then re-recorded by S. Jibeng in 1985 on Life Records.

 











(The sleeve reads: “The Blind Star, M. Rashid Noor”.)

M. Rashid Noor (featuring Suhaime Roa) – Taqdir Tuhan

Alfred Ho
Alfred Ho’s talent was discovered from his participation in RTM’s Bakat TV contest in the early 1970s where he managed to qualify up to the semi-finals, before being given the opportunity to a series of shows on the Malaysian now-defunct private radio station called Rediffusion.  The show was called The Take 5 Show. Then, he was given the opportunity to record on small local labels, including Malaysian Musical Industries (MMI). Being non-Malay, Alfred is more inclined to record in English, and he used to record his own compositions of English songs - Train To Tennessee, Lillian, Wendy's Song and Love Is Strangeand current popular English hits those days.
Photos of Alfred Ho’s EPs
Alfred Ho – Wendy’s Song
 

Suhaime Roa
Suhaime Roa was a blind Malay composer and songwriter. He was featured in an album joinly recorded with A. Romzi in the 1980s, a Pop Yeh Yeh singer who recorded many songs in the previous two decades.


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The songs from Suhaime Roa in solo and duets could be listened from the following URL:


(Photos and songs courtesy of Muzik Nusantara.)

The blind individuals share something in common with their normal human kind – their interest in a universal language called music. Though living in darkness, they have a light in their heart that many people hardly have. As such, these unique creatures of God deserve a right of respect and acknowledgement by their communities surrounding them.
In this case, my advice to my fellow human being on earth is very simple. Regardless of how ugly or deformed your appearance could be, or how imperfect you are in the eyes of other people, just accept yourselves for what you are, as beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.
Ghaz, KL
 



Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Guest blogger Ghaz writes on Celebrating Malaysia's Independence (Merdeka) through music!



(The above photo came from a yearbook that Adnan Othman had saved from his school days - possibly from 1957!)  

Hi Carl,

How's life in Richmond? I think of you when Richmond or Virginia is mentioned in any current US TV series shown on our Malaysian television channels.

My country has just celebrated its National Day on 31 August, which is about 3 days ago. 


[NOTE: I'm late posting Ghaz's blog entry here so it was actually more than a week ago. Also, in case you don't already know... Malaysia first gained independence in 1957 - and the day is referred to as Hari Merdeka in Malay.]  


Coincidently, Hari Merdeka fell on a Sunday, which means we had another holiday the next day.

On 16 September, there will be another holiday called Malaysia Day, in remembrance of the formation of our country on the same date in 1963. 

Here we are, 30 million people living in a wonderful country in peace and harmony, despite our differences in race, religion, language, dialects and culture.
This is reflected in this year's National Day theme, "Malaysia, Here Is Where Love Is Born."

The excitement of witnessing the independence of Malaya from the British rule and the formation of Malaysia was also translated into songs by our creative composers back in the 1950s and the 1960s. Among them include the following:

(a)
Songs on Independence
Momo Latiff - Menanti Saat Bahagia (Waiting For The Happy Moment)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z_HmWEXB5I

(I believe that this song is recorded in 1957, in the midst of the Merdeka spirit.)
Ahmad C.B. - Tanggal 31 (The 31st Day)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn2sk8qBeTA

(The modern version of this song was recorded by Sudirman, the Asia's No. 1 Performer, which remains popular till the present day.)

Ahmad Jais - Bahtera Merdeka (Sailing to Independence)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkXcUavOdCI

(Recorded in 1969 on EMI, accompanied by Dendang Perindu Orchestra led by Kassim Masdor.)

(b) Songs on the formation of Malaysia

The Sundowners & The Tornadoes - Malaysia Wonderful
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6tLBcNngY8

(A 1963 recording by The Sundowners, a Singaporean male singing trio, accompanied by a band called The Tornadoes. A rare song on Malaysia formation sung in English.)

Anneke Gronloh - Oh Malaysia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-FI4Z7kBaM

(Another English song glorifying Malaysia, sung by Anneke Gronloh, an Indonesian Dutch singer who recorded many Indonesian and English songs in Singapore, before returning to Holland and continued her singing career there.)

Bob Smit - Malaysia Satu Padu
http://muziknusantara.com/Muzik/andromeda.php?q=f&f=%2F02+Artis+Malar+Segar+-+B

(Go to the above URL, click song no. 69. This is a 1963 recording by Bob Smit, another Indonesian Dutch singer.Unfortunately, this song is not available on YouTube. Perhaps you can do something to make it available on the said website.)

Aziz Jaafar - Malaysia Baru (A New Malaysia)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dEWyvUtAUM

(Taken from Shaw Brothers' 1963 film called Kaseh Tanpa Sayang or Love Without Affection; the late M. Bakri re-recorded this song in his 1965 EP accompanied by The Swallows' Combo)

P. Ramlee & Saloma - Zapin Malaysia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gfb6HEeqz7I

P. Ramlee & Saloma - Joget Malaysia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPMCz6MotN8

(Taken from Studio Merdeka's 1965 film called Ragam P. Ramlee or P. Ramlee's Variety.)

(c) Patriotic songs of Malaysia

Ahmad Daud - Nusajayahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AO6OdomZH8

(Taken from his 1965 EP accompanied by The Swallows' Combo, which also include the song Si Manis 17/Sweet 17 taken from the Shaw Brothers' film Pusaka Pontianak or The Vampire's Fortune.)

Ahmad Jais - Kucupan Azimat (The Kiss of Strength)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEyedgla-3E

(From Ahmad Jais' debut EP in 1965, accompanied by John Lee Orchestra.)

Jamaluddin Alias - Malaysia Berjaya (Malaysia's Success)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBq7DqVEZ1U

Jamaluddin Alias - Perajurit Tanah Air (Our Country's Fighters)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6yP1ZOo7XI

(Jamaluddin Alias, one of the RTM retirees, has always been identified by his soprano-like voice and he is well-known for his rendition of Malaysian patriotic songs aired on radio and TV in the 1960s. The songs Malaysia Berjaya and Perajurit Tanah Air are the most favourite ones and even the kids love to sing them every time they play "soldiers' game" among themselves by marching around their neighbourhood. Although Jamaluddin's singing has always lifted up the patriotic spirit among Malaysians, he prefers to remain low-profile.)

Hopefully, you will enjoy these songs, too.
Warmest regards,
Ghaz, KL

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Interview on WAVELENGTH with Ali Johan on BFM in PJ, Malaysia - August 16, 2014



Here's a link to the INTERVIEW on WAVELENGTH with Ali Johan on BFM from Aug 16, 2014, last week!!

Many thanks to Ali Johan, and BFM for inviting me to be on Wavelength.

And thanks also to Joe Chelliah for making the special effort to contact BFM on my behalf to suggest that they interview me.

Friday, August 15, 2014

Giving a talk about my research project in Singapore tomorrow evening!


MORE INFO HERE

Took a bus back to SIngapore the very next day.. toured Jalan Ampas studios, and met the Rythmn Boys!

 BACK IN SINGAPORE FOR TWO MORE DAYS.....
 JALAN AMPAS STUDIOS - Where Tan Sri P Ramlee's films were made for SHAW STUDIOS. 
(thanks to SHAW BROTHERS for giving me an exclusive tour and entry to the grounds)


Then the very same day, I went to Geylang Serai (the seedy red light district of Singapore - once called THE LIVERPOOL of Singapore) to meet the legendary Rythmn Boys - one of the absolute TOP bands from those days - and backing band for Adnan Othman for 4 EPs.

MEETING Zaleha Hamid again, and one day in Cool, Funky Johor Bahru

My sole mission in going to JOHOR was to meet up with 60s and 70s pop star Zaleha Hamid again. However, as a huge bonus, I also met up with a young lawyer in JB name Yi who bought my Pop Yeh Yeh comp and contacted me via Instagram.  He offered to show me around JB and also took me to the location for the interview with Zaleha.


The interview was AMAZING.  I will post some more anecdotes from this talk with Malay pop and "Dangdut Queen of Malaysia" very soon.
It also turned out that a really cool artists collective called JOHO (named for the local pronunciation of JOHOR) was right next to the shop where I did the interview with Zaleha Hamid.

Me and Yi
One of the artists for GOOGLE DOODLE visited JOHO's new location recently and decorated one of the walls.  It's really impressive close up but I couldnt manage to get a very good shot.



After the interview with Zaleha, Yi gave me his "Ten Cent Tour" of all the hip cool spots in JB (will post photos and links soon!), and then, offered me a spare bed to crash on at his family home.  SO GRATEFUL TO THIS GUY!!



Parting is such sweet sorrow....

Finally, the time to leave KL arrived and I had to say goodbye to Adnan and Fatimah, who have shown me the most incredible kindness and generosity in the past week.  Here's a photo taken the morning they drove me to the bus station (where I departed for Johor Bahru, and the Singapore the next day).  Words cannot express how grateful I am to them for all the help they gave me this past week.   I hope to see them again soon.   THANK YOU ADNAN and FATIMAH.

Of course, I also had to take a photo with Adnan's super-cool daughter Ariana who plays guitar in the power pop group COUPLE and also in the moody, experimental group The Venopian Solitude.


Interviews at THE STAR and BFM

BU 8 Building in PJ  - Home of BFM -  the Business Station
 A peek inside the BFM office
 ADNAN chatting with ALI JOHAN - host of "The Muddy Confluence" on BFM (among other productions he contributes to there)
I was invited by Ali Johan to do another interview at BFM (I did one with She Fah Szetu back in 2010) a day or so before I left KL.  Adnan came along and talked with Ali Johan a little bit before our interview (he said he didnt want to be interviewed and would rather that I do the talking for now.)

Then, the next day, I met up with Zack Yusof - a writer and producer for THE STAR.  He took me to HARD GRAFT RECORDS to do a video interview for THE STAR ONLINE  Zack also happens to do a show on BFM called 33RPM



I will post links to BOTH of these interviews as soon as they are available, but for now, I thought I'd just post some photos, and say THANKS to both of them for covering my POP YEH YEH Research project. 

Looking at photo albums with Adnan Othman

Adnan Othman and I are working on a compilation of his songs from the 60s which will be coming out very very soon on Sublime Frequencies. We spent a lot of time over the past week working on the liner notes for this comp and making sure everything was correct.  

On one of the last evenings I stayed at his house, Adnan brought out a few very precious photo albums and we went through them one by one and he told me stories about the photos.  We discussed various ways of preserving the photos in a better way also and he and I agreed that we should purchase some new photo albums for these rare relics from his personal, and pop star life.

It was really magical to look through these photos with him, and i really picked up on the "feeling" of those days from looking at them with him and listening to his stories.


Meeting members of L Ramli's "Orkes Teruna Ria" at SALOMA BISTRO in KL

A day before I left KL, I met members of Orkes Teruna Ria - including Mamu Abbas (top - 2nd from left), Yaacob Bakar (top - far Right), and June Izzudin (bottom Right). 

You can also see our favorite Guest Blogger and POP YEH YEH expert, Ghaz in this photo (2nd from right - top). He stopped by on his lunch break (he works close to KLCC)!

Encik Yaacob Bakar was the bassist for Orkes Teruna Ria and joined sometime in the late 60s (must verify all facts later as I'm posting on the run from my hotel before I have to go meet someone!).

  He suggested that we meet at SALOMA BISTRO -- an elegant restaurant with outdoor tables under canopies and a couple really beautiful indoor dining rooms as well.  Everywhere around this restaurant you can see photos from the golden years of Malay Film --photos of Tan Sri P Ramlee, Saloma (his wife and co-star) and many many other actors and actresses.  One could spend hours just looking at the photos.  But I was here to talk to these POP YEH YEH artists about their days with Orkes Teruna Ria.   This group was one of the formative bands of the POP YEH YEH sound - and they were all based in Penang back in the day.

Here's a snap.  Will post more detailed history here later.


 YAACOB BAKAR (an old photo of himself from his phone)
YAACOB and his wife and the singer of the group JUNE IZZUDIN today

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Interviews in Melacca and Seramban

After lunch in Melacca, we proceeded to a hotel at the suggestion of Joe Chelliah (Jayhawkers) to do some interviews in "library silence" as Joe put it.    This was an excellent alternative to filming the interviews in a hot crowded outdoor restaurant.

I interviewed A Halim, Hussaini B, and Zainal Omara here.  I was lucky that Adnan Othman agreed to help with translations because Zainal was not comfortable answering the questions in English although he understands English well.

Afterwards we toured around Melacca, which still retains much of its Portugese influence from the days when Portugal occupied this port city, and then proceeded to Seramban, where Joe Chelliah's house is.  Joe invited the lead singer of his old band, Roziah Latiff, and she showed up about an hour after we arrived at his house.  This day was long, and tiring, but extremely productive, and it wouldn't have been possible if Adnan, Joe, and the rest of the singers hadnt agreed to help me so much.

Top left : with Roziah Latiff of the Jayhawkers, Top right : Adnan assists with an interview in Malay
Bottom Left: after a long day on the road, Joe Chelliah's wife Nohamidah offered us tea and food ("Rendang"),  Bottom right: with Zainal Omara of the Dreamers






Monday, August 11, 2014

Met several more Pop Yeh Yeh artists!! (and interviewed them)

Yesterday, Adnan Othman decided to help me in a major way (again) by hooking me up with some more Pop Yeh Yeh artists who lived in Muar Johor.  We decided to meet them in Melacca instead though.  And we had planned to drive through Seramban on the way back to meet Roziah Latiff also - singer of the Jayhawkers.  

However, Adnan's car broke down on the way!!! so we were stranded, and it started getting late so I was really worried that we'd miss our appointments. 

We called Joe Chelliah (leader of the Jayhawkers) who lives nearby, and he offered to pick us up and take us to Melacca since he wasnt doing much that day anyway and thought it would be fun to see these other artists and also show me around in Melacca.

We decided to have lunch at a very popular Malaysian fish stand called "Asam Pedas Pak Man

The specialty dish is called  "Asam Pedas"

Here's a group photo with all the Pop Yeh Yeh legends after we ate Asam Pedas for lunch.  

We headed to a hotel to do interviews afterwards (at the suggestion of Joe Chelliah) - what a day!!



Left to right: A. Halim, Adnan Othman, Zainal Omara, me looking very hot and tired, Joe Chelliah, Husaini B, and A Halim's wife Fatimah in Melaka. 

Note:  I tried to erase the sweat on my shirt with my phone although I dont have photoshop here... that's why it looks like a magazine cover Photoshop Fail!    The combination of super hot, humid Melacca weather and super Hot/Sour fish broth caused this -- plus the fact that I was feeling a summer cold coming on, and I was totally stoked to meet these artists.. but the pressure was mounting to interview them after lunch also.   

I will post more photos of Melacca (and maybe a few shots of the food) here ASAP!


Friday, August 8, 2014

Meeting Joe Chelliah (of The Jayhawkers)

Yesterday evening, I was invited to meet Joe Chelliah (founder and lead guitarist of the Jayhawkers, and also... music historian, scholar, and event manager) at the Royal Selangor Club -- a historic country club left behind from the days of British rule here in Malaysia. It is right next to Medeka Square aka Dataran Merdeka, where Malaysian Independence was declared and the Union Flag was lowered and the Malayan flag hoisted for the first time at midnight (time: 12:00 AM) on August 31, 1957.

Joe and I discussed Malaysian history and culture, and also the effects of European colonialism.

Joe is a fascinating person and I was very happy to see him also, four years after meeting him in JB in 2010.

Meeting Dato' A Rahman Hassan of Orkes Nirwana


Dato' A Rahman Hassan (left) and Adnan Othman (right)  

Yesterday, I had the good fortune to meet Dato' A Rahman Hassan again. It's been 4 years since I last saw him.  Dato' Rahman is the founder of the "Pop Yeh Yeh Welfare Club" which is an organization founded for the benefit of Pop Yeh Yeh artists.  He is also the leader, founder, and guitarist of Orkes Nirwana, one of the longest running Pop Yeh Yeh groups (next year will be their 50th Anniversary).

I was able to ask him some additional questions that I didnt get to ask him during my first visit in 2010, and he also played a few songs on a little acoustic guitar while we sat in his living room with him, Adnan, and two other friends of his.

Mandatory photo under KLCC Petronas Towers


Meeting guest blogger and Pop Yeh Yeh scholar, Ghaz in KL

Two days ago, I met Ghaz, who frequently writes for this blog, in KL for lunch. When I arranged the meeting with him the night before, he said that he stayed up late drawing up a mind-map of how the Pop Yeh Yeh artists and bands were all related to eachother.  You might say it was similar to a family tree of bands and performers. This document was very informative, and I am always so impressed by Ghaz's ability to clearly explain the history and important context and relationships of these groups.

After we finished lunch, he drew up an additional time line showing how the pop music changed from the 50s to the early 60s with film songs by legends like P Ramlee, Saloma, Fazidah Joned, etc, to the mid to late 60s when Pop Yeh Yeh had its golden era, and then on to the 70s when the style changed again to a more slick studio production and sound.

I look forward to reading more posts by Ghaz in the future here on this site and I consider myself very lucky to have such a knowledgeable friend.






Thursday, August 7, 2014

Adnan Othman!

Currently visiting Adnan Othman at his house ....  here he is with two young cats that were from a litter of four (two were given away) so Adnan's daughter Ariana named them after THE BEATLES.... this is Ringo and John! 


More interviews and meetings

To be honest, I'm sort of having trouble keeping up with everything since I got to KL...  and didnt have internet all day yesterday... So I'm just putting up a few photos for now just to keep things up to date, then heading out to see Adnan Othman's daughter Ariana play music tonight!

 Joe Pereira -  author of several definitive books about Singapore music- (at Tekka Centre - Little India)
 Famie, of modern Singapore pop yeh yeh influenced band "The Pinholes"- at a studio his friend of Stone Revivals is building. 
With Pop Yeh Yeh legend, Zam Zam (Zam Zam and the Twilites)

 Photo from popoknet.blogspot.com/


LIFE RECORDS SINGAPORE 
 Encik Osman Ariffin
 Manager
 Art Fazil - popular Modern Malay Folk Musician