Jazzing with new sounds Articles / Jazz News Date: Mar 13, 2005 - 12:24 PM BY CHOY SU-LING But do not let his appearance fool you into thinking that he’s another run-of-the-mill sedentary forty-something relaxing in his comfort zone. On the contrary, he is actively involved in music and has his fingers in many pies. Singapore-born Farid lives in Malaysia and has permanent resident status. Over the past 12 years, he has lectured on jazz improvisation at the Department of Performing Arts, University Institute Technology Mara (UITM), and taught more than 200 guitarists, many of whom make a living in the music industry. Farid Ali “While there are the MPO, theatres and other ‘hardware’, I contribute towards the development of ‘software’, the youth,” said Farid, taking a pause from tuning his gambus at the Avanti Italian-American Ristorante in Sunway Lagoon Resort Hotel, Selangor. “At the end of the day, we need a cultured society. Even a non-musician should have an awareness and an appreciation of the performing arts.” Farid is also involved in Asian Spirits, a prestigious jazz group comprising established musicians from Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and China. This project is the brainchild of a Korean jazz promoter, who was then joined by two promoters from Malaysia and Hong Kong. Asian Spirits had its debut concert in Seoul Korea on Oct 1, 2003, with its own brand of jazz. The response was so positive that it was invited to the Pori International Jazz Festival in Finland. This year, the group plans to record its debut CD. “Musicians for Asian Spirits are hand-picked. I am very honoured to be selected because I feel that most of those in the project are way better than me,” said Farid. “With them, I play the gambus 60% of the time, and the guitar, 40%. This is a very important platform to introduce the gambus to a global audience. There were easily 25,000 people at the Pori Festival.” When asked how he got involved in music, he said: “I first laid hands on a guitar at 11 and began performing soon after in school talent contests and at small parties. My parents had hoped that I would become a lawyer.” However, Farid's destiny was decided five years later when he was introduced to George Benson's album, Weekend in LA album. Soon, he began listening to Jose Feliciano, which made him turn his focus to the guitar. Among other musicians who have influenced him are Chet Atkins, Earl Klugh, Toninho Horta, Joe Pass and Pat Matheny. Farid studied at The Guitar Institute of Technology in California, United States, and obtained a diploma in performance in 1983. He then obtained a degree in commercial arranging and composition at the Berklee College of Music, Boston, in 1988. These days Farid listens to anybody and everybody, especially those involved in world music and music of his origins. A few years ago, he started playing the lute (oud or gambus in Malay). After 20 years of performing and studying the western classical and jazz genres, he felt it was time to look towards his roots and heritage to develop a trademark and move forward with that. “My father was born in Muar and as a child, I often went back there. I grew up listening to ghazal music and was familiar with the gambus,” Farid recalled. But he only picked up the instrument 15 years ago, and learnt the basics from a visiting professor at UITM. Since then, it has been a long, self-taught journey. Travelling the world over has opened up his mind. Being an Asian and a Muslim with a Western outlook on life has made him yearn for a better understanding of his own culture. He felt compelled to concoct his own voice in jazz by blending traditional, cultural and modern elements. “You can’t give ice to the Eskimos,” said Farid. “We can’t go to the West trying to sound ‘white’ or ‘black’. Nor will they accept something that is too traditional. What intrigues them is when you fuse our music with theirs.” In February last year, Farid performed with Bobby McFerrin at the Singapore Esplanade. That boosted his confidence with the gambus and spurred him to record his first solo CD, Turning Point. He wants to develop Jazz Gambus and create awareness on how one can play jazz using this ancient instrument. He hopes to pursue a doctorate on the gambus and revive interest in it. This article comes from eJazzNews.com : The Number One Jazz News Resource On The Net http://www.ejazznews.com/ The URL for this story is: http://www.ejazznews.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=4138