Jazz It With Double Take

While many of us think that the local entertainment industry has long gone frozen, once in a while somebody/something comes along and melts a fraction of that ice. Jac Victor, Adibah Noor, Bernard Chauly, The Actor's Studio (and the who's-who behind it e.g Jit Murad, Jo Kukathas), Sepet, reruns of P.Ramlee movies on Astro Ria and heck, even Siti Nurhaliza (I HEARD that).

And on the list I would add Mia Palencia, the pretty lass from KK who has been jazzing around KL for several years now. I have been listening to Mia since my IPBA days - was introduced to her by my KK friends - but only fell in love with her deep satin voice when I bunked in at Nette's place (a big fan and an ex-school mate of Mia herself) in Auckland recently. So when I heard of her Double Take concert, I knew I had to be there.

And am I glad I did. Together with local guitarist Roger Wang, who is also from KK (apparently Sabah is a rich pool of local talents - remember Linda from AF2?), Mia Palencia sang out a memorable night for local jazz fans. The stadium was barely filled (jazz has yet to reach the KL masses I guess) but for those who were there, we were pretty sure that her next concert is one that is not to be missed.

But judging from the increasing number of jazz clubs and bars in KL, I suppose the genre is slowly making its way here. The Oasis opens recently at Bangsar, (near Bangsar Village) and so does The Cotton Club at Maju Junction. Both plays live jazz on the weekends. A few other places like Alexis Bistro and La Bodega have been supporting local jazz acts for years, providing a platform for homegrown jazz musicians to share their talents with others.

Though not a mainstream genre, jazz would probably continue to grow in Msia. It has always been associated with the high culture and spoken about with a degree of sophistication (which is an irony, considering that jazz actually started among slave workers). This itself has drawn the attention of the young urban crowd - especially those who had recieved overseas education - who are constantly on the lookout for everything cool and cultured. And for club retirees like me (and I'm only 21!), jazz bars certainly provide a more attractive alternative to the overrated Zouk.