Media Review of "The Awakening"
Electric intimacy
By : SUBHADRA DEVANJan 20, 2008
THE jazz is smooth. The audience is lively. The band and the crowd are in the groove. It may be only a recording but when the album is made at a “live” session, the electric intimacy fairly sizzles.
Independent band GruvAvénue’s latest offering, The Awakening, offers urban jazz with a clean sound. It was recorded in October at the band’s concert at The Actors’ Studio in Bangsar Shopping Centre.
The concept for the album percolated through about three years, says 32-year-old Ong.
“Our first album was a studio recording.” The self-titled debut album, released in August 2005 under Black Machine Music Production, had entirely original compositions.
“Doing a live concert recording brought that concert energy home,” he says.
“It’s a lot more fun to do but technically more difficult. It was pretty tough for our engineer Vincent Lim. For us musicians, we could see each other and that made the music flow easier.”
Once known as Black Machine, GruvAvénue entered mainstream music consciousness with its inaugural performance at The Actors Studio, Plaza Putra in 2001.
They’ve kept themselves busy since, with many special appearances around the local jazz circuit. These include Avanti Italian American Ristorante in Sunway Resort & Hotel and the Sunrise Jazz & Rhythm Festival.
The Awakening ’s tracks are loaded with instrumental blocks with solid sound from pianist Tay Cher Siang and leader-bassist Vincent Ong, sax solos by Shazee Ishak and snappy drum beats by Martin Ngim.
Shazee also raps while singer Vanessa Tan weaves her take in a sometimes husky, other times throaty style.
Judging by the music sheet for the album, the band members all seem to have had a hand in writing the music or the lyrics.
Ong says his favourites on the album are Time For Change and Mountain, which music he wrote last year.
“Most of the others are also written just for the concert,” says the Petaling Jaya-born Ong who now resides in Cheras.
Time For Change , he says, was inspired by the development in front of his condominium. This is the only track on The Awakening with a message.
“There used to be a golf course but day by day the landscape changed. And I couldn’t do anything about it.”
Shazee raps it the lyrics for this save-the-earth track. Some of the lines are: “ As I rise in the morning, vision start to play, have these become rituals every day, every day…
“We take we take but we never give back... now we’re slowly dying...”
The chorus –“ we all need to possess greater love" – is sung in a nice mellow contrast by Tan.
From the start with the warm-up number Let’s Play, the album doesn’t fail to please.
Standout tracks include the lively Mamacita with a funky samba beat, snazzy One Town, the danceable Highlife and 34 seconds of the electronica-like Salty Man Can’t Come In where Ong shows his fret work.
“Three of the tracks had to be cut short because it was a live performance and we played two sets of 45 minutes each.
“The full version of those three tracks can be heard on amp.channelv.com/gruvavenue.”
“The best thing is the chemistry and the energy you’ll hear on the album,” says Ong.
Not true. The music plays hard for first place.
The Awakening is available at Tower Records. The band will perform at Alexis Bar & Bistro on March 21-22.
Independent band GruvAvénue’s latest offering, The Awakening, offers urban jazz with a clean sound. It was recorded in October at the band’s concert at The Actors’ Studio in Bangsar Shopping Centre.
The concept for the album percolated through about three years, says 32-year-old Ong.
“Our first album was a studio recording.” The self-titled debut album, released in August 2005 under Black Machine Music Production, had entirely original compositions.
“Doing a live concert recording brought that concert energy home,” he says.
“It’s a lot more fun to do but technically more difficult. It was pretty tough for our engineer Vincent Lim. For us musicians, we could see each other and that made the music flow easier.”
Once known as Black Machine, GruvAvénue entered mainstream music consciousness with its inaugural performance at The Actors Studio, Plaza Putra in 2001.
They’ve kept themselves busy since, with many special appearances around the local jazz circuit. These include Avanti Italian American Ristorante in Sunway Resort & Hotel and the Sunrise Jazz & Rhythm Festival.
The Awakening ’s tracks are loaded with instrumental blocks with solid sound from pianist Tay Cher Siang and leader-bassist Vincent Ong, sax solos by Shazee Ishak and snappy drum beats by Martin Ngim.
Shazee also raps while singer Vanessa Tan weaves her take in a sometimes husky, other times throaty style.
Judging by the music sheet for the album, the band members all seem to have had a hand in writing the music or the lyrics.
Ong says his favourites on the album are Time For Change and Mountain, which music he wrote last year.
“Most of the others are also written just for the concert,” says the Petaling Jaya-born Ong who now resides in Cheras.
Time For Change , he says, was inspired by the development in front of his condominium. This is the only track on The Awakening with a message.
“There used to be a golf course but day by day the landscape changed. And I couldn’t do anything about it.”
Shazee raps it the lyrics for this save-the-earth track. Some of the lines are: “ As I rise in the morning, vision start to play, have these become rituals every day, every day…
“We take we take but we never give back... now we’re slowly dying...”
The chorus –“ we all need to possess greater love" – is sung in a nice mellow contrast by Tan.
From the start with the warm-up number Let’s Play, the album doesn’t fail to please.
Standout tracks include the lively Mamacita with a funky samba beat, snazzy One Town, the danceable Highlife and 34 seconds of the electronica-like Salty Man Can’t Come In where Ong shows his fret work.
“Three of the tracks had to be cut short because it was a live performance and we played two sets of 45 minutes each.
“The full version of those three tracks can be heard on amp.channelv.com/gruvavenue.”
“The best thing is the chemistry and the energy you’ll hear on the album,” says Ong.
Not true. The music plays hard for first place.
The Awakening is available at Tower Records. The band will perform at Alexis Bar & Bistro on March 21-22.
posted by Sunny Side Up at 11:12 PM
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