Blowin' the House Down!

Stan thinks I'm a bit off  today. 

When our female jazz trumpeter guest, Michi Fujii, said she chose to play the trumpet because "she liked the sound of it", I remarked, "Oh, because it sounds like an elephant?"

ALRIGHT. 

It's not the smartest thing to say on air. But hey, at least it got everyone laughing! *sheepish grin* 

You know, when we think of famous jazz trumpet players, often Louis Armstrong or Miles Davis come to mind. But an Asian jazz trumpeter, and a female one at that, is pretty darn rare. 

Well, this Berklee College of Music alumnae has won several awards in her career and was even invited by the Cuban government to perform in Cuba!

The good news is that she's currently in town and performing at Jazz@SouthBridge from tonight till Saturday 30 May. Showtimes at 9.45pm. 

So if you're in the mood for a swingin' good time, don't miss Michi Fujii and SouthBridge's very talented & animated resident pianist, Aya Sekine. These girls will have you tappin' your feet and bouncin' on your seat - I guarantee! *wink*

Jazzin' It Up! Female trumpeter Michi Fujii & pianist Aya Sekine.

Sand-sational Jazz!

The first time I saw Aya Sekine play the piana at Jazz@Southbridge, I sat up. She's a slip of a woman, but there was this amazing raw energy about her. During her piano solos, her fingers were running all over the ivory keys and she was literally bouncing up and down the seat. I was mesmerised, to say the least.   

Women in Jazz: Walking on Water's Audrey Tang, Wendy Phua & Ruth Ling, with Jazz@Southbridge's resident pianist, Aya Sekine (green hat).

To learn that Aya will be playing at Sentosa's Jazz By The Beach on Sat 11 April with her band Ayaschool was definitely a treat. Imagine: Sea breeze. Lapping waves. Fine sand between your toes. An alfresco F&B setting @ Cool Deck. And a lineup of talented musicians filling the cool night air of Siloso Beach with jazz. What can be better than that? 

We found out more about this beach jazz event with Aya on our couch, together with 3 members of the all-girl band Walking On Water: Producer-singer-songwriter Ruth Ling, drummer-vocalist Audrey Tang & bassist-songwriter Wendy Phua. They brought along an Esplanade 'live' recording for us to play on air, and I loved their sound. The girls will be performing at Jazz By The Beach on 25 April. 

Aya Sekine and Walking On Water are just two acts in a stellar lineup of musicians. For the full programme, click here. So if you love jazz and you love the beach, don't miss this one. Every Saturday evening in April @ Siloso Beach, Sentosa.