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

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

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!

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