Impact Of A Soul To A Soul From A Soul

The Jazz festival on Saturday, 5th august 2006 was seen with 3 group of performers. They consist of Sharizan Borhan with the Swing Inc, Shelley Leong with Jazz Odyssey and then John Thomas’s Funk Mob. The night started off with Sharizan Borhan and the Swing Inc but I missed it as I arrived late. However my past experience going to his gigs tells me that it was a great performance. Sharizan’s voice coupled with the Swing Inc which includes Julian Chan on the Saxaphone, John Thomas on drums and Tok Khon on keyboards was like a perfect combination. Sharizan is know for his beautiful voice and the songs he sings from Frank Sinatra is totally mesmerizing. I managed to catch up with him just before he leaves and had a bit of a chat.

After that it was Shelley Leong and the Jazz Odyssey to take the stage. The band included Michelle on keyboards, Alda Tan on bass, Az Samad on guitar and Stephanie on drums. Shelley has got a very sweet voice and the crowd was just blown away, even me while I was snapping away. I did not catch the names of the songs as I was busy snapping pictures but whenever she sang, the crowd went wild and cheered along. I believe that there are a lot of supporters of Shelley Leong and the Jazz Odyssey and a big hand of applause to them.

After the break from Shelly Leong, then came John Thomas’s Funk Mob. The band consisted of John Thomas on the drums, Julian Chan on the saxophone, Tok Khon on keyboards, Fly on bass and Wan Zafuan on guitar. John Thomas has been labeled the best drummer in Malaysia and boy was he good. His handwork on the drums as just astonishing and the speed he was playing amused everyone in the crowd. Julian Chan played the saxophone tremendously well and it just soothes the crowd as he played some solo part and duel with John Thomas on the drums. Not forgetting is Tok Khon and his fantastic skills on the keyboards as well as Wan Zafuan playing the electric guitar. I believe at one point he did played the guitar with his tongue, super cool. One of the guests that caught the crowd during this performance was Jose Thomas, a renowned guitar player that got the crowd roaring. Jose played the guitar very well and he got the crowd to participate along. The crowd even encore and wanted more when they played the last song, one that I have not seen during my last two trips here.

I have just started my journey on live jazz and I believe the performances that I have seen so far has done enough to make me like jazz of live gigs. It’s just astounding and to see them play live is just like one of life’s luxury. I must say, Jazz has definitely made a mark in me, definitely.