Remembering Yaacob Bakaar, bassist of Orkes Teruna Ria

 Yaacob Bakaar, bassist of Orkes Teruna Ria, passed away at the end of March. He was such a sweet, kind person and he had a "heart of gold" in my humble opinion. When I met him in KL, Malaysia in 2014, Encik Bakaar invited me to meet with him at Saloma Bistro with his wife June Izzudin and several other members of Orkes Teruna Ria, who started out in Penang Malaysia back in the 60s backing singer L. Ramli on vocals. June Izzudin (who passed away a couple of years ago) was also a singer and recorded a few incredible EPs backed by various groups like The Wanderers with songs co-written by Yaacob Bakaar. 

 Encik Bakaar treated me with such kindness, I am sorry that I wasn't able to keep in touch with him better in the years since I last met him. He had a wonderful sense of humor and a warmth that made me like him immediately. He was also a fabulous bass player who truly loved music. I will keep my promise to share the interviews with Yaacob Bakaar and his band-mates some day soon. Hearing the stories he told about the golden years of Pop Yeh Yeh was a dream come true. Thank you Encik Bakaar. Rest in Peace.

Me, with Mamu Abbas (top row - 2nd from left), Pop Yeh Yeh historian Ghaz,  Yaacob Bakar (top row - far Right), Mrs. Abbas bottom left, and June Izzudin (bottom Right) at Saloma Bistro - 2014. 

Remembering Cikgu Yusnor Ef

It was very sad to hear the news that Cikgu Yusnor Ef passed away last week. Yusnor Ef was a veteran composer and lyricist who started his career working with the legendary P. Ramlee and many other great singers, composers and groups. He was a champion of Malay Culture and worked hard to promote, preserve, and celebrate all the great Malay musicians of the past several decades through his books and TV documentaries, as well as helping to get the younger generations involved in music. According to the article in the Straits Times, "He was president and co-founder of Perkamus, the Association of Malay Singers, Composers and Professional Musicians; chairman of the National Arts Council’s Malay Music Development Committee; and had served on the board of directors of the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore (Compass)." When I first visited Singapore in 2010, he was the first person to meet me and show me around. We met in Malay Village (Kampung Melayu) at an outdoor Malay restaurant, and to my surprise he had invited Pop Yeh Yeh legends Zam Zam, Kassim Selamat, and M Ishak that evening as well (photo below). I did my first interviews for my Pop Yeh Yeh documentary with him, and these artists. Soon after that, he introduced me to Osman Ariffin of Life Records, who would end up connecting me with many other Pop Yeh Yeh artists in Malaysia and Singapore. "Cikgu" - meaning honorable teacher, as many called him, truly loved to teach people about the vibrant history of Malay music. I was so lucky to meet him, and honored that he wanted to help me in my goal of preserving the history of 60s singers and groups of Singapore and Malaysia.

"Ku Pohon Restu Ayah Bonda (Mutiple Genre Cover)" - a unique version by Basement Studio Sg. of a classic Raya song

The Basement Studio (Singapore) has just released an exciting and creative new cover of “Ku Pohon Restu Ayah Bonda”, originally a popular Hari Raya song, recorded in 1980 by Al-Jawaher, an all-female Islamic “nasheed” group from Singapore, celebrating family, while also reflecting on the absence of loved ones no longer with us. The song skillfully blends the more traditional style of the original into a truly impressive mix of other musical styles from around the world, reminding us that we are all connected in some way - especially through music.

The opening verse is sung in a beautiful, soulful style that could easily stand on its own, but then the song morphs into a groovy 60s Pop Yeh Yeh sound (60s rock from Singapore and Malaysia), before nimbly shifting again to funky reggae, Brazilian Samba / Batucada (complete with a Cavaquinho player!), 80s synth wave, and a blazing melodic metal section with a cameo by vocal powerhouse Noor Elsa (who also helped me interview several Pop Yeh Yeh singers back in 2010 when I first visited Singapore).

After all of these stylistic transformations, the musicians “bring it all back home” to a gorgeous heart-felt outro. All of these changes are seamlessly blended in a glorious collage of styles. The musicianship is virtuosic, including some shredding guitar solos, frenetic percussion, chunky bass lines, mesmerizing keyboards, and amazing vocal cameos. The mind-boggling combination of styles on “Ku Pohon Restu Ayah Bonda” is ambitious for sure, and on paper would seem to be a recipe for disaster, but somehow it all flows together perfectly with expert production and mastering by Yazzit Ismail.

This impressive recording is also paired with a music video filmed by Matt Rahman and edited by Hosni Altway that gives the viewer a glimpse of each of the talented musicians involved in this project as they add their talents to the mix.

As a fan of all of these styles, I am really excited to hear more from this unique group who have created something totally new and original, while also respectfully paying homage to talented Malay musicians and singers of the past, and reminding us that all musicians of the world are part of “one big family”.

The song “Ku Pohon Restu Ayah Bonda” is now available for radio play on the Youtube channel : The Basement Studio sg.