19 juni 2009 01:00

Music `Muhibbah`

The many percussion instruments in Apu`s energetic ethnic
showcase make for an invigorating experience for audiences

Petaling Jaya, Malaysia - The Aseana Percussion Unit (Apu), Malaysia‘s foremost contemporary jazz-world music fusion group, will take the spotlight at CeeJay‘s in Petaling Jaya tomorrow night.

The nightspot‘s boss, Christopher Joseph, said the show is part of CeeJay‘s Saturday Surprise lineup.

“We‘ve been trying to do this on an ad hoc basis for a while and we had songstress Datuk Khadijah Ibrahim and Alleycat Datuk David Arumugam go up and jam a few weeks ago,” said Joseph, adding that the Alleycats performed regularly on Saturdays until they played at a Kuala Lumpur hotel under a six-month contract.

“We hope to make the Saturday Surprise show a regular event,” he said, adding that there would be no cover charge for the Apu performance this weekend.

Apu regards itself as Malaysia‘s music ambassador by incorporating various ethnic musical instruments from the the nation‘s respective cultures, including the Malay kompang, gendang and serunai, the Indian tabla and thavil, and the Chinese erhu and dizi in their performances.

“By fusing the country‘s many rhythm and music traditions into a contemporary world music style, we hope to introduce Malaysian music to the world,” said Apu leader Edwin Nathaniel.

The group, comprising a host of musicians who are also multi-instrumentalists, released its debut album Colours of Rhythms in 2002 and a second album last year in conjunction with its 10th anniversary.

It has performed all over the country and at a number of international music festivals, including the Sunrise Jazz Festival, Rainforest World Music Festival, Penang Island Jazz Festival, Johor Arts Festival, Malaysian Drum Festival, KL Music Fest, Singapore Arts Festival, Peace Festival and Jarasum International Jazz Festival (South Korea) and the Zhu JiaJiao WaterVillage World Music Festival (China).

“The many percussion instruments in our ethnic showcase make our performances highly energetic, making for invigorating experiences for our audiences,” said Nathaniel.

“A mixture of original compositions and cover versions of popular songs re-arranged in our distinctive style create a wonderful vibe reflecting the rhythms and melodies of Malaysia,” added Nathaniel.

Apu‘s repertoire includes originals such as Raga 5, Eastern Groove, Eagle, Jungle Walk, Colours of Rhythm and Malaysian Rainbow and several medleys, including Malaysian Folk Medley, Asian Pacific Medley, KC and the Sunshine Medley and the Miami Sound Machine Medley.

Covers include What A Wonderful World, Sway, Mas Que Nada, Brazil and Caravan. Errol de Cruz

For more information, call 012-306-1769. ERROL DE CRUZ

Source: http://www.nst.com.my (19 June 2009)

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