Arthur Kam, born with a right ear deformity (a medical condition known as congenital right microthia), which leaves him 30% deaf, is an 18 year old child prodigy who has been drumming since his parents discovered his talent at the age of 6.
At the age of 11, Arthur passed his Grade 8 (Pro Zone) drum exam (equivalent to a performer’s certificate) with distinction under the Rockschool Examination Board, validated by Trinity College, London. He was the first and youngest candidate to sit for this professional exam since its introduction in Malaysia. He breezed through Grade 1 to Grade 8 in a record time of only 6 months! His score remains the highest
ever since its inception in the country in 1996.
In 2003, his achievements got him into the Malaysia Book Of Records as ‘’THE YOUNGEST PERSON TO COMPLETE A PROFESSIONAL DRUM COURSE’’. The Royal Commonwealth Society of Malaysia also awarded him a CERTIFICATE OF MERIT for this amazing achievement.
As a result of his achievements, Arthur was awarded a full scholarship to Sri Cempaka International School in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, from secondary school to A-Levels. Arthur has built a name for himself on drums and percussion by his many public performances and winning competitions in and outside of school.
At present, he is an endorsee of SABIAN cymbals and also LP PERCUSSION (A brand of percussion from USA).
Arthur has performed with many international artistes such as Hong Kong superstar, Jacky Cheung; world renown Japanese saxophonist, Sadao Watanabe ; Indonesia’s Harvey Malaiholo; Singapore’s Ramli Sarip; Anita Sarawak; Taiwan’s Fong Fei Fei; Philippines ‘ contemporary jazz legend, Boy Katindig: Jerico Rozales and Sarah Geronimo under renown music director, Louie Ocampo. Among world class drummers he had played alongside were, Teddy Campbell(resident drummer of the ongoing American Idol show), Akira Jimbo , Billy Cobham and Tommy Campbell.
In the local scene Arthur has performed for most of the country’s top artistes such as Siti Nurhaliza,Mawi,Jaclyn,Victor,Zainal Abidin, M.Nasir, Ning Baizura ,Lisa Hanim ,Shafinaz, Camelia, Reshmonu , Adibah Noor, Vince, Aizat, Faizal Tahir, etc. He has sessioned for many big award shows like Anugerah Juara Lagu( AJL), Anugerah Bintang Popular Berita Harian (ABPBH), Anugerah Industri Muzik(AIM), Chinese Golden Melody(CGM) and Astro Talent Quest(ATQ).
In 2008 he was selected by top arranger, Ramli MS to be the drummer for the biggest reality show in the country, ’’Akademi Fantasia 6’’ which ran for 10 weeks. Later in the same year, Arthur achieved a world record. He was acclaimed the undisputed WINNER of the UNDISCOVERED DRUMMER CONTEST,2008 (under 18 category), organized by the MODERN DRUMMER MAGAZINE based in New York. Arthur beat hundreds of drummers from all over the world to win this coveted title, thus making him the 1st Asian and the 1st drummer outside the Americas to achieve this fantastic feat!
In 2009, in the Rakan Muda Programme, Arthur was selected as a role model for the youth and for those who aspire to take up music professionally like him.
Arthur has been interviewed by most of the television and radio stations in the country. Documentary films on him and his music such as ‘’A Day in The Life Of Arthur Kam’’ were aired on television programmes like OBOR,MUSIC WAVE, YOU ASK FOR IT, WIRA REMAJA, etc. He has also appeared in most of the nation’s newspapers and in magazines like KIDZ, SEVENTEEN, HARPERS BAZAAR,MAS inflight magazine ,GOING PLACES, etc.
At present he is touring with rock star.Faizal Tahir nationwide, promoting his latest album, ADRENALIN, which just captured the BEST ALBUM OF THE YEAR award in this year’s Anugerah Muzik Industri (AIM) on the 2nd of May.
This August No Black Tie & JAZZCOMM pays tribute to Arthur by hosting a 2 night performance at NBT. Arthur will perform with a JAZZCOMM All-Star selection and dazzle you. It’s the least we can do to help him further his studies at Berklee College of Music and be a greater musician. All proceeds from the performance will go to the JAZZCOMM Scholarship for Arthur Kam.
Arthur Kam, born with a right ear deformity (a medical condition known as congenital right microthia), which leaves him 30% deaf, is an 18 year old child prodigy who has been drumming since his parents discovered his talent at the age of 6.
At the age of 11, Arthur passed his Grade 8 (Pro Zone) drum exam (equivalent to a performer’s certificate) with distinction under the Rockschool Examination Board, validated by Trinity College, London. He was the first and youngest candidate to sit for this professional exam since its introduction in Malaysia. He breezed through Grade 1 to Grade 8 in a record time of only 6 months! His score remains the highest
ever since its inception in the country in 1996.
In 2003, his achievements got him into the Malaysia Book Of Records as ‘’THE YOUNGEST PERSON TO COMPLETE A PROFESSIONAL DRUM COURSE’’. The Royal Commonwealth Society of Malaysia also awarded him a CERTIFICATE OF MERIT for this amazing achievement.
As a result of his achievements, Arthur was awarded a full scholarship to Sri Cempaka International School in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, from secondary school to A-Levels. Arthur has built a name for himself on drums and percussion by his many public performances and winning competitions in and outside of school.
At present, he is an endorsee of SABIAN cymbals and also LP PERCUSSION (A brand of percussion from USA).
Arthur has performed with many international artistes such as Hong Kong superstar, Jacky Cheung; world renown Japanese saxophonist, Sadao Watanabe ; Indonesia’s Harvey Malaiholo; Singapore’s Ramli Sarip; Anita Sarawak; Taiwan’s Fong Fei Fei; Philippines ‘ contemporary jazz legend, Boy Katindig: Jerico Rozales and Sarah Geronimo under renown music director, Louie Ocampo. Among world class drummers he had played alongside were, Teddy Campbell(resident drummer of the ongoing American Idol show), Akira Jimbo , Billy Cobham and Tommy Campbell.
In the local scene Arthur has performed for most of the country’s top artistes such as Siti Nurhaliza,Mawi,Jaclyn,Victor,Zainal Abidin, M.Nasir, Ning Baizura ,Lisa Hanim ,Shafinaz, Camelia, Reshmonu , Adibah Noor, Vince, Aizat, Faizal Tahir, etc. He has sessioned for many big award shows like Anugerah Juara Lagu( AJL), Anugerah Bintang Popular Berita Harian (ABPBH), Anugerah Industri Muzik(AIM), Chinese Golden Melody(CGM) and Astro Talent Quest(ATQ).
In 2008 he was selected by top arranger, Ramli MS to be the drummer for the biggest reality show in the country, ’’Akademi Fantasia 6’’ which ran for 10 weeks. Later in the same year, Arthur achieved a world record. He was acclaimed the undisputed WINNER of the UNDISCOVERED DRUMMER CONTEST,2008 (under 18 category), organized by the MODERN DRUMMER MAGAZINE based in New York. Arthur beat hundreds of drummers from all over the world to win this coveted title, thus making him the 1st Asian and the 1st drummer outside the Americas to achieve this fantastic feat!
In 2009, in the Rakan Muda Programme, Arthur was selected as a role model for the youth and for those who aspire to take up music professionally like him.
Arthur has been interviewed by most of the television and radio stations in the country. Documentary films on him and his music such as ‘’A Day in The Life Of Arthur Kam’’ were aired on television programmes like OBOR,MUSIC WAVE, YOU ASK FOR IT, WIRA REMAJA, etc. He has also appeared in most of the nation’s newspapers and in magazines like KIDZ, SEVENTEEN, HARPERS BAZAAR,MAS inflight magazine ,GOING PLACES, etc.
At present he is touring with rock star.Faizal Tahir nationwide, promoting his latest album, ADRENALIN, which just captured the BEST ALBUM OF THE YEAR award in this year’s Anugerah Muzik Industri (AIM) on the 2nd of May.
This August No Black Tie & JAZZCOMM pays tribute to Arthur by hosting a 2 night performance at NBT. Arthur will perform with a JAZZCOMM All-Star selection and dazzle you. It’s the least we can do to help him further his studies at Berklee College of Music and be a greater musician. All proceeds from the performance will go to the JAZZCOMM Scholarship for Arthur Kam.
Natasha has a signature crystal clear voice with a unique style that can adapt to the genre of music she sings. Her perfect English and wide range of repertoire ranging from Jazz Standards, Be-bop, to Brazilian Music, have afforded Natasha the opportunity to be recommended by dozens of eminent musicians in Bangkok. Natasha’s voice is warm, soothing, and down-to-earth. Her vocal quality and musicality has enabled her to transcend esoteric jazz audiences and reach crossover mainstream appeal.
This round, she will be performing with renowned Malaysian Jazz pianist Michael Veerappan.
NBT sees the return of legendary jazz singer MARGIE SEGERS, this time teaming up with her long time partner in crime IDANG RASJIDI TRIO. This Indonesian collaboration offers some funky arrangements of jazz standards as well as their rendition of Nusantara jazz. Expect a twin-extraordinary-night.
Hey folks,
Some of you in the scene may have heard about Hiro from Tokyo Blue (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTQfKzI8wmc) being surrounded and robbed of RM12k worth of music gear (a Yamaha TRB5 Japan red/orange color bass, a Moon 4 string fretless Japan sunburst color bass and an Aguilar Tone Hammer preamp) by mat rempits after a show a few weeks ago.
Hiro is a talented bassist, a hardworking band leader, a full-time musician and above all a nice guy who didn’t deserve what happened to him. A few of us decided to come together to help out and we’re hoping you can too.
I sent a request out to all the KL-based musicians I know and the positive support I got back was simply staggering. The line-up would be twice what we have if I billed everybody. No Black Tie has come in as venue sponsor (they also put in a RM500 contribution) and so now we have a 19 act line-up. They are, in no particular order:
Isaac Entry (solo) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxNR0HSOWw0
Reza Salleh (acoustic band) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10Uta9AsOBQ
Seven (3-piece stripped down set) - http://www.myspace.com/sevenlah
Zalila Lee (solo) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwsIpJ9Mn5M
Jerome Kugan (solo) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GySjLoiNQ_8
Tragicomedy (solo) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF4NseucPzg
Najwa (backed by Thing One) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY1NzXFSgfQ
Liyana Fizi (acoustic duo) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWEo7MEr2uM
Elvira (solo) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pm7U4zK6Bs
Ida Mariana (solo) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6xiju9zaFA
Paolo Delfino (backed by band) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP7B20R_UVo
Azmyl Yunor (solo) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfuOV5fy1X4
Markiza & Peter Hassan (backed by band) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U36TvcC6jJI
Figure of Speech (spoken word/rap) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5c7ORrtM7s
Tilu (band) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJhC36TZjho
The Awesomeness of Her (Hanafi frm Estranged + Izwin frm Otherside Orchestra + Faiz Rosli)
Pitbull Inc (band) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z16bxoC_ePI
Deja Vodoo Spells (band) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6xQIrj3jQw
Bassment Syndicate (bass duo by Fook and Fly)
*THERE IS A RM20 COVER CHARGE AT THE DOOR*
Acts play a short 2 song set each and all proceeds go to Hiro. We’ll also be making collections at the following NBT shows:
23rd May Zalina Lee & Ida Mariana Live at NBT
31st May Reza Salleh Live at NBT
I would also like to thank the following for their monetary contributions so far:
Zalina Lee
Junji Delfino
Prema Yin & Moe
If you can’t make the show but would still like to contribute send ‘em over to my CIMB acct – Mohammed Reza 14210068273527. Make sure you email me at moonshinekl@gmail.com to tell me when and how much you’re contributing!
Hope to see you guys at the show. It’s gonna be a good one!
- Reza
Born in Tokyo, Toshiki Nunokawa’s interest in jazz was sparked off after hearing Wes Montgomery when he was still in high school. After this first encounter with “Jazz”, he began to spend most of his time studying jazz music. When he was majoring in social engineering at Tokyo Institute of Technology, he belonged to the college jazz club and won the No.1 Prize in several jazz music contests.
In 1999, Nunokawa released his first solo album and a collaboration album with good friend Koichi Osamu. In 2000, this duo unit had concerts in Malaysia followed by his first guitar trio album in which he collaborated with an organ player for the first time. Then came 2 CD releases in a row in 2009. In addition to that, Nunokawa also successfully released three “Ultramanjazz” albums in which he arranged and played the theme songs of the TV program “Ultraman” series. It is also worth noting that he has published a lot of instruction books (including CD) videos & DVDs. Nunokawa has been teaching at the Senzoku Music College Jazz Course since 2000.
Here, Toshiki spares five minutes of his time to talk about the future of jazz and the cult TV series Ultraman!
When was the last you performed in Malaysia?
It’s been 10 years! I came here once in 2000 once, and 2001 twice. I came here with the bassist Koichi Osamu. He’s a close friend of mine. In 2000, we played a concert hall and in 2001, it was in the old No Black Tie.
How would you describe your experience performing in Kuala Lumpur?
I always enjoy playing in various places. In Kuala Lumpur, I don’t know most of the audience so it’s very enjoyable. In addition to that, this time I can play with musicians from four countries! It’s fantastic. It’s like an Asian Music Conference.
Yup there’s musicians from Malaysia, Indonesia and Japan! Are there benefits to playing in such an international ensemble?
I always want to experience something new and fresh, so I can be inspired by musicians I don’t know. I’ll be playing with most of these musicians for the first time. It’s fun!
You teach in a music college. What’s your opinion about jazz amongst the young. Do you think jazz has continuity in the years to come?
It’s a difficult question, even to think about in Japanese! [laughs] Jazz has developed in very high speed in the last 50 years. Considering jazz history: it was first born in New Orleans, when you had people like Louie Armstrong and Duke Ellington, then in the 1940s the genius Charlie Parker appeared with his bebop style. After that Miles Davis and John Coltrane came into the scene. Compare this with classical which music took 300 years to develop. But jazz developed in a very short period. After Miles, now our music is called contemporary jazz and fusion. I feel that some of our music is getting too difficult for the general public. Difficult to appreciate and understand. In my opinion, jazz is intellectual music but it is based on personal groove and soul. And that’s important for continuity. CDs are dying and there’s You Tube. The way of expressing ourselves is going to change, so we have to think of how to adapt to the new ways of performing and spreading your music. Maybe in five more years we’ll see a change.
There’s a jazz workshop this Saturday, what can we expect?
Well, right now I don’t know. [laughs] I’ll see what students are in attendance. I think I want to give them a performance. It will be my pleasure for the students to experience jazz and feel something.
Lastly, I wanted to ask you about your album “Ultraman Jazz” album. How did start on that project?
I’m from the Ultraman generation! Ultraman television shows started when I was in primary school and I love Ultraman! I know a lot of Ultraman songs. So when one producer asked me to arrange Ultraman songs in jazz, of course I said, okay! Okay! It sold well. Ultraman has lasted for more than 20 years!
No Black Tie is KL’s premier jazz club and gastro-bar.
