Jeremy Monteiro, Swinging in the Heartlands
On a balmy saturday evening, a group of lucky residents chased the heat-wave away with the refrains of cool, blue jazz. Serenading the heartlands with his own brand of jazz was Singapore’s King of Swing. He was at the Siglap South Community Centre for his “Swinging in the Heartlands” concert together with his band, Jeremy Monteiro & friends, made-up of Tama Goh (drums, Brian Benson (bass), Andrew Lim (guitar) and Shawn Letts (tenor sax). Jointly organised by the National Arts Council (NAC) and the Siglap South CC’s Indian Activities Executive Committee, the concert, held on the 25th of April is part of the NAC’s efforts to bring the arts to the people.
This performance marks Mr Monteiro’s return to perform in the heartlands, some 15 years since he last did. Mr Monteiro is no stranger to the East Coast, visiting friends and seeking out his favourite Laksa. Mr Moteiro was absolutely delighted by the reception the East Coast residents gave. They thrilled him with their enthusiasm, warmth and love, bobbing, snapping and clapping to pieces such as “Singapura” and “Mona Lisa”, just to name a few. Monteiro & Friend’s sublime performance even had guest of honour, Mr Chan Soo Sen charmed by the magic of jazz.
Mr Monteiro himself was full of praises for the audience. “I can really feel the warmth and love here. There was this connection between us [the band] and the audience, and we had this exchange going [between the audience and band].”
The King of Swing himself has some fond recollections of the East Coast, and recorded his own improvisations on the iconic “Di Tanjung Katong” and “Geylang Sipaku Geylang” on his latest album, Singapore Swing (Download the album online for free at www.mysingapore.sg). It is wonderful knowing that the East Coast inspires the arts, and to have the sentiment affirmed by none other than one of Singapore’s biggest musical icon is a testament to the magic of the area. When asked if he would be performing here again, Mr Monteiro beamed and said with a twinkle in the eye “definitely!”
