Borneo Jazz 2011 – Eight Performing Groups – No. 4/8 – 徳田雄一郎 RALYZZ DIG ＠マレーシア - Yuichiro Tokuda’s RALYZZ DIG

By Anthony Tan email:anthonykhtan@yahoo.co.uk

Jazz seems to have established a strong footing in Japan, especially in Tokyo, and attracted a large audience. Tokyo has a large number of entertainment hangouts and its jazz clubs spin out some of the best of jazz concerts over the last few decades.

One of the best jazz joints to hang-out with top jazz groups is Shinjuku Pit Inn, a jazz and blues club for over 35 years. Most major jazz musicians have played at least once in this classic Tokyo club including Yuichiro Tokuda RALYZZ DIG’s.

Yuichiro Tokuda RALYZZ DIG, an upcoming jazz group, will be making its debut concert performance outside of Japan at Borneo Jazz 2011 on May 14 from 8.15 pm – 9.15 pm at ParkCity Everly Hotel in Miri, Sarawak in Malaysia.

Tokuda, born on March 9, 1980, returned to Japan after completing his study at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He plays the saxophone, a composer and a vocalist as well.

He formed the Yuichiro Tokuda Quintet on his return. Tokuda cut his first album, Initial Impulse, in August 2006 and the Jazz Life magazine reviewed it as "the cutting edge of the present progressive form of jazz".

His second album, Urban Lights or Umi Toki Kaze Iro in Japanese, was released July 2007.

In 2008, Tokuda decided to change his band’s name to Yuichiro Tokuda’s RALYZZ DIG and received an award as the “New Face of the Year in Art & Culture” from the Chiba-City Government, the first time ever for a jazz artiste.

The others members of his band are Naoto Suzuki, who plays the guitar, Kazuhiro

Tamura on the piano while Kumpei Nakabayashi plays the bass and Gaku

Hasegawa is on drums.

Yuichiro Tokuda RALYZZ DIG’s third album, Imagination Live @ Shinjuku PIT-INN, was released in May 2010.

The same year, Tokuda released his fourth album, Imagination, which spins for 73 minutes of jazz music and was acclaimed by CD Journal Japan as “enormously impressive, definitely as excellent work assured and it is ahead of a couple generations”.

2010 was a busy year for Tokuda and his band. They performed in numerous small music festivals throughout Japan and to top it all was their performance at the jazz festival, Yokohama Jazz Promenade.

In January 2011, Imagination was awarded a prize at Mike Pinder's SONGWARS 2010 song writing competition in alternative category.

If you are jazz fan and enjoy a fabulous outdoor music, Borneo Jazz is one jazz festival that you should not miss. Check out three sample pieces of Yuichiro Tokuda below.

徳田雄一郎/Yuichiro Tokuda : "Nothing There"


徳田雄一郎/Yuichiro Tokuda: "Brunei" 1/2 Dairo, Naoto Solo


徳田雄一郎/Yuichiro Tokuda : "Home"

Hope to see you at BORNEO JAZZ 2011 from 12 - 14 May at Miri City.

Borneo Jazz 2011 – Eight Performing Groups – No. 3/8 – SUI2

By Anthony Tan email:anthonykhtan@yahoo.co.uk

Ng Cheuk-yin playing the “Sheng”(Right)

Members of the SUI2 (Below)

Another performing band that is coming to Borneo Jazz 2011 is a group of young Hong Kong music enthusiasts who got together in 2008 to form SIU2.

Leader of the group Ng Cheuk-yin is a composer himself who specialises in blowing “Sheng”, a mouth organ which is believed to be first played 5,000 years ago.
Cheuk-yin reintroduced “Sheng” into the 21st century to produce a unique and rich sound to the new jazz music. He also plays the Chinese percussion and keyboard.

The other band members are Cass Lam who plays the sanxien, Jason Lau (zheng), Peter Fan (piano), Liang Chun Wai (bass) and Melchior Sarreal (drumset).

Cass Lam plays the sanxien (Right)

SIU2 augments the traditional jazz rhythm section of bass, drums and piano with other traditional Chinese instruments such as the “sanxien” and the “zheng” to come up with exciting, new jazz melody.

The band has introduced Chinese style jazz into something totally different. It is not a mere crossover of rock, classical, Chinese and another western music unlike what most bands tried to do.

Powerful, inventive, enticing and aggressive, their music takes you into exciting new sonic spaces yet with a familiar framework.

Their concerts and CDs are a ground-breaking melting pot of musical genres from the east and west, which serves as a sonic portrayal of the juxtaposition of disparate cultural elements in Hong Kong.

Ever since its acclaimed debut performance in the 2008 at the Hong Kong Arts Festival, SIU2 has been creating and refining their innovative music and style.

The Flower Music Co Ltd, set up by them, produces, distributes and promotes innovative music as well as supports composers and artists in fulfilling their aspirations.

SIU2’s debut album, Open Door, released in 2008, received unanimous accolades from both music critics and fans.

Its second album, Kon Fusion, scored with music genres with its mixture from the east and west. It reflects very much Hong Kong’s amazing wide array of disparate cultural elements with its historical past and ultra modern existing side by side.

The best way to describe SUI2 is they have their very own music. Paradoxical as it may sound but this is exactly what is so unique about their music.

View their performance video selections below and see how it would entice you to be at Borneo Jazz.

SUI2 will be honouring us for the opening act on Friday 13 May at ParkCity Everly Hotel, Miri from 7-8 pm.

If you want to have good time, better make your travel plans to Borneo Jazz early, especially your hotel accommodations and flights arrangements.

See You there!

For more details about the Borneo Jazz, info@jazzborneo.com or call the Miri Visitors Information Centre at
+6 085-434180/81.