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.

Borneo Jazz 2011 – Eight Performing Groups – No. 2/8 – State of Monc

By Anthony Tan - anthonykhtan@yahoo.co.uk

The State Of Monc, with their unique, innovative sound and striking position within the band collective, the Dutch Nu-Jazz Movement, will certainly put the Netherlands firmly on the map of the future of jazz.

This seven-strong member band from Amsterdam and Rotterdam was formed in 2000 by trumpet player Arthur Flink and electronics soundsmith/beat-maker Hielke Praagman.

Its other members are Robin Koerts on bass, Ben van den Dungen, who plays the tenor sax, Milan Bonger on alto sax, Tuur Moens on drums and Johan Hendrikse fingering the keyboard.

This group fuses slick electronic sound with pure jazz on acoustic instruments for the perfect balance between electronic beats and sounds.

Its brass instrumentation, acoustic bass and drums open up new directions and appeal to fans of jazz, dance and experimental music.

Since State Of Monc’s formation, its members have been working very hard to establish a strong profile. They have had performances sold out in top clubs and rocked major music festivals.

The band not only took their vision to fuse together complex, impassioned jazz with adventurous, dance-rooted electronics “nu-jazz” at the Amsterdam dance event and North Sea Jazz Festival but has also performed in most prestigious clubs such as Paradiso, Melkweg and 013.

In 2006, their first album “Hand To Mouth” released by EDM/City Groovez was launched.

Their impressive debut was followed by Clippertron and Clippertron Extended in 2008. Both albums were released by Challenge Records and produced jointly with Michel Schoots, formerly of Urban Dance Squad.

In 2010, they did a live CD/DVD Phantom Speaker on Sound Camp Records with half of the tracks on the CD unreleased before. It was a combined effort with Michel Schoots again.

Having performed in Germany, Morocco and Ukraine, the group is now coming to Malaysia for the Borneo Jazz festival to build up their international audience.

Let their dynamic and amazing music enthrall you. With their cutting edge pumping dance and complex breakbeats, this Dutch band spins a unique sound that ushers in a new era,

As children of the dance age trained in traditional jazz, State of Monc has seen their music reformed over the years.

Get a taste of their music with just a few clicks below. While you warm up for the coming Borneo Jazz, don’t forget to make your reservation early & See you there!







If you like their music catch the STATE of MONC "Live" on Saturday May 14, 2011 at 9.30 - 10.30pm at Borneo Jazz in Miri, Sarawak.

Borneo Jazz 2011 - Hello Borneo Jazz, goodbye Miri International Jazz Festival

Following the growing success of the Miri International Jazz Festival after five years, the organiser, Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) has decided to adopt a new title, ‘Borneo Jazz’ (BJ) this year.

Minister of Tourism and Heritage for Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan, who announced this, said the rationale for the name change was to capitalise on the destination Borneo, a name which is associated with the images of a magical destination and to reflect the vibrancy of this festival altogether.

STB is now in the midst of reorganisation to further improve its overall tourism activities and see BJ become a viable commercial venture.

Effective 2011, BJ will be managed by STB subsidiary STB Leisure & Properties. With this move, STB will focus on the marketing and promotion of the event itself and tourism.

It has kick-started BJ’s transformation by extending the festival to become a three-day event with its Opening Night on Friday (12 May) having new features with activities happening around a few venues in the resort city of Miri.

The epicentre of the BJ’s happenings remains at the Parkcity Everly Hotel from 13-14 May. There will also be musical meetings on the Saturday afternoon of the festival followed by a Sunday Matinee.

According to STB chief executive officer Dato’ Rashid Khan, the board aims to attract 10,500 visitors to BJ with 60% of the crowd expected to be foreigners.

“STB is working with the private sectors to design tour packages to attract jazz enthusiasts from Peninsular Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Australia and Europe.

“With these packages, the visitors would be able to attend the festival at night, while during the day they can visit places of interest or participate in the local activities.”

Besides good jazz music and great company, he added, “We will also have stalls selling a wide variety of local and fusion food and beverages as well as festival memorabilia at the venue”.

BJ will have performances from various countries that will feature a wide range of jazz genre from gypsy jazz to traditional jazz. Grammy nominated Maria Muldur from the United States will be main attraction among the BJ performing groups.

Other selected jazz groups are Cunha & Piper from Brazil, SIU2 from Hong Kong, State of Monc from Holland, Les Doigts De L'Homme from France, Yuichiro Tokuda's RALYZZ DIG from Japan, Dhruv from India, Miri born Victor Yong, the Electric Carnival from Malaysia/Canada and C'QUENCE, a mixed group from Malaysia, Columbia, Venezuela, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

With BJ expected to be “sold out” music festival, it is advisable to book your admission tickets and confirmed your accommodation early to avoid last minute rush and disappointment.

Visit www.jazzborneo.com, email info@jazzborneo.com or call the Miri Visitors Information Centre at +6 085-434180 / 81 for more details.

Tickets will also be available at the Visitors’ Information Centre in Kuching, Sibu and Miri from March onwards.