Looking for sax venue in singapore

[MrZ]

Hi,

Anyone know where around Singapore clubs featuring saxophone, jazz music? Anybody knows Nicole Duffle, sax diva from perth Australia? She had a stint at Somerset bar in Singapore a few months back.

Thanks in advance :wink:

[Silhouette]

Hi Mr Z are you based in Singapore. I am living there also.
From what i know, the places are Somerset Bar, Harry's Bar at Esplanade.

Also for free sax gigs, check out esplanade, they always have pple like Eddie Sangcap, stephen rufus playing there. Cool stuff!

Also check out chjimes every 3rd sun of the month, there is also a free performance every this time :lol:

regards.

[Diaspora]

I know this is a pretty late reply, but I play at a club called Liquid Room, with a *gasp*.....DJ! Gets quite fun actually, if the DJ is in tune with your style...I'm there every Friday and Sat....but if you're looking for Jazz, then there really aren't many places....Jazz at Southbridge (Boat Quay), Harry's (at Boat Quay and Esplanade)...and there are some hotel lounges with expat bands....that's about it I think...

[freeman]

hello, my fellow singapore-dwellin' dudes!!! i'm both surprised and glad to find some people here...

i went to Jazz at Southbridge once, but i heard sometimes they have these "open" jazz sessions when anybody can go up to jam with the band or something. Is that true? anybody know anything about it?

Silhouette, where might i get more info about the sax gigs at the Esplanade? are they still ongoing?

[Diaspora]

If you want to jam you can always go to Harry's on Sundays or Swing (duno which day though..just real late!)

[tubbycub]

The jam sessions at Harry's used to be after 10pm on Sundays, I don't know if they have changed the timing recently.

As for Jazz@southbridge, I was last told that the jam sessions were held on Thursday evenings. Perhaps you can visit http://www.southbridgejazz.com.sg/ for more info.

[freeman]

The jam sessions at Harry's used to be after 10pm on Sundays, I don't know if they have changed the timing recently.

As for Jazz@southbridge, I was last told that the jam sessions were held on Thursday evenings. Perhaps you can visit http://www.southbridgejazz.com.sg/ for more info.

oh hey cool! thanks for the info. However, is it just me, or does the website have no navigational elements? I see a flash with the words "jazz@SouthBridge", but that's about it...

[tubbycub]

Sorry, outdated info posted.

I met the boss of jazz@southbridge yesterday and was told that the jam sessions are held on Sundays from 7pm to 9pm.

There is a 3 piece rhythm section (piano, bass, drums) to back up jammers and they are good!

Piano: Weixiang
Bass: Colin
Drums: Boon Gee

[freeman]

If you want to jam you can always go to Harry's on Sundays or Swing (duno which day though..just real late!)

oh hey is that Harry's at boat quay, or Harry's at the Esplanade? or both?

regarding Swing, where is it? (paiseh)

[julianchan]

Hello Singaporeans...

I'm from KL. Sorta noticed this particular thread today. So, I just wanted to say hi.

One good thing about Singapore is that it has more places with live (good) music! And places to jam, too. Here, it's probably only 2 interesting places...No Black Tie, and THe Jazz Bar @ Orange. Other than that, it's your typical hotel lounge.

I'd love to play in Singapore, truth be told. ONly time I played there was Chijmes Jazz Fest 2001 with Greg Lyons' Biophonics, and New Year's Eve last year. The crowd at Chijmes was really fun man... can get that kinda crowd once a blue moon in K.L...believe it or not.

Diaspora: Just wondering, are you the sax player Kevin that plays with da DJ?

Anyway, if any of you guys are in KL, we should hook up or something, can go for jam sessions. Gimme a buzz, or something. My email is jcsax78@yahoo.com.

Well, catch y'all later... have fun.

JULIAN

[freeman]

well hey, nice of u to drop in, Julian. Cant believe you just spent your first forum post, lol..

[julianchan]

LOL... yeah, my first...

Oh well, I do come to this forum a lot, but it's just that I read off them, than really post anything on it. I just get information, ideas, you know.. stuff like that.

Anyway, freeman, if you didn't know it by now, Swings, if I'm not mistaken, is at Cuppage Terrace, Orchard Rd. I think it should be near the Somerset MRT. Long time ago, I went to that area, and there was the Saxophone Bar. OD Levy was playin' there. Now there's Swings, upstairs. Went there in 2001, I think. Although I've managed to drop by in Singapore many times since, I hadn't actually had the chance to go there... odd. May have forgotten about it.. Harry's come to mind first, somehow.

Any other good live music place in Singapore?

Later..

JULIAN

[tubbycub]

Any other good live music place in Singapore?




Well, apart from the regular hotel lounges, basically all the popular places have already been mentioned in one way or another in this thread.

[Diaspora]

Haven't visited this forum in a long while...sorry Julian...yeah I'm the guy that plays with a DJ....though that Chijmes gig I did wasn't one of the best - terrible sound and monitors! :cry:

[julianchan]

Hey Kevin,

Nice to hear from ya, man! I like the sax + DJ concept, though. Not a lot of people here have done that, other than you guys, and once I've seen Greg Lyons play with DJ Bernie (and later a jam with DJ Jungle Jerry, didn't see that one, though).

Maria Angela told me about the gig you guys did a couple of months back, and she had a ball of a time!

Hey, care to share some info? How'd you get into doing that anyway, the sax + DJ concept? Getting started and all...

Later, y'all...

JULIAN

[Diaspora]

Luck really...got into the electronic music scene and suggested to some DJs that I try a jam sort of thing with them...haven't looked back since. I am trying to streamline the concept though. I won't play to ANY kind of electronic music nowadays - there're things that'll obviously sound funny with a sax over it.

The whole idea is to make the music and sax blend as one, so that's where working with a good DJ is very important. He has to understand concepts of musicality so that he can give you space to blow. I've played with too many DJs who are just too caught up with their own act they forget there's another "band" member right next to them....sounds like working with musicians doesn't it? Well I believe that a good DJ is just like a musician...

There are good House DJs in K.L - I've played there a couple of times (the gig with Maria was pretty fun) and planning to do more gigs there. My suggestion is to get into electronic music, listen to the various genres and decide where you want to establish your niche. Then hook up with a couple of DJs and try jamming with them to see if there's any chemistry. Finding a good DJ's gonna be hard, so don't give up too soon! Best of luck...

[julianchan]

Ahh, thanks for the tip.

I played once with a DJ playing HOUSE music. Bad idea, as I found out later. Was playing at Nuovo for two hours with a percussion player as well. Bad ****.. bad ****. OUt of the two hours standing there, I think I hardly played 30 minutes worth of jamming. Most of the stuff that comes out was pretty much.. uhhh... inappropriate for a saxophone. For percussion it was okay lah. Percussion's okay for any of it, really. Not sure, but seems that solo horns may fit better with chill-out kinda stuff more than the hard ones.

What about scratch DJs.. you worked with any of them? Would like to try that out as well. At least with a band. Hip-bop, Jazz-hop... hmm.. whatever it's called.

So when's your next trip up to KL, man? We could hook up or something!

Later...

[Diaspora]

Yeah...not all House music fits a sax. Especially those along the progressive/tribal kind of vibe. Nuovo's got a pretty hard soung generally...too pumping for my liking and the music hardly has space for sax. It's true that the sax might fit in better in a chill out kind of setting (I play at a bar regularly) so you might have better luck there initially. The scene in K.L for Soulful/Jazzy kind of House music is still very rare, but I've done a couple of sweet gigs there...and a lot of forgettable ones too! hahahaha....

I have played with scratch DJs, both local and international, and it can get pretty fun, but like I said, the most important thing is for the DJ to have some understanding of musicality so everyone can blend well together!

I'm waiting to go up again, but it's been pretty slack as far as high profile events are concerned - my agent hasn't called me up for gigs in a looong time! I'll definitely let you know though...

[julianchan]

Hey Kevin, some more questions:

What mics do you use for your horns in your gigs?

I wanna check up the prices for sax mics in Singapore. Anyone knows the average retail price for a Samson wireless set for saxophones/winds? What about sound? How well does the saxophone sound come out using them Samsons?

Does anyone know the address/email/phone no for that shop that sells instrument mics and stuff at Sim Lim Tower???

Another question: Do you get to do other kinds of gigs (acoustic gigs, jazz, etc) as well? Or are you focused entirely on sax + DJ format? By far, are you the only guy in town doin' it?

Thanks, mate... sorry la, so mah fan.

Ciao.

[Diaspora]

no worries! Always happy to help out :lol:

Regarding mics, I use an Audix OM2. Pretty warm sound for me, which is what I like. I don't use wireless (can't afford them just yet!) and I haven't tried Samsons...sorry about that.

Sim Lim Tower? I'm not sure about that place either....though for wireless I might go for a Shure or Senheiser - I think I can get pretty good prices on those.

I Do play acoustic gigs as well, at a bar called Balaclava at Suntec City every Tuesday. However I do know much more DJs than I do musicians since that's my niche...

I'm not the only guy in town playing with DJs. I know there's 2 more. One is Nicky - Australian girl that plays in various bars with a DJ too. The other is Khalid, but I'm not sure if he's still gigging with DJs. This much can be said though - I'm pretty sure I was the 1st! :D

[mlcy85]

hey singaporeans! and malaysians too!

i'm from JB actually... but spend most of my time in s'proe haha. really need advice on anywhere (m'sia/s'pore) i can get good supplies for my sax. currently looking for shops where i can get Selmer mpcs, super session to be exact. any suggestions?

[julianchan]

Hi mlcy85,

Welcome...

My suggestion on getting the Super session... is the internet. WWBW or something like that. My supplier in KL (who's actually from up north Sitiawan) brought in a couple of new Soloists, but all sold. And his Selmer orders would take a long, LONG while. So, if you're desperate for the mouthpiece, just order it off the Net. It'll be much faster.

Supplies.. Singapore has aplenty.. Swee Lee.. Music Plaza... heavenly.. if I'm from Singapore! AHahhaha..

Over here in KL.. wah liao.. difficult, man.

Later.

JULIAN

[mlcy85]

hmmm thanks! was wondering if that supplier from Setiawan is Music Prelude... well buying from the internet is way ex, esp coz of the freight. the super session, if i get from music123.com will cost me 500+ RM... oh man...

anyway found a shop which is willing to import the SS for me, Accent Musical Equipment, quite a decent shop i must say... well Sweelee only sell the most common mpcs and stuff, the last time i called they only had a S90 baritone mpc, nothing else -_-' music plaza well, only yamaha mouthpieces... haha wad else

anyway thanks for helping! :D

[julianchan]

Yeap, you got it on the money. My fave and only trusty supplier is Music Prelude. I got my alto from him as well. Actually, I was quite lucky with the vintage Soloist I'm using right now. I actually got it from my sax teacher, Greg, for RM50 because he doesn't use it. And only the last 5 months, I sent it over to Ed Pillinger of UK to have it refaced. And now I'm using it like nobody's business. But I want to get the new Soloist F as well, just as a spare. And it's probably harder, and stronger rubber, than the vintage.

Does Accent Music order that as well?

How much would it cost you to have Accent Music import them SS's to you? And Soloists as well?

Later..

[mlcy85]

hey that's so cool! you have a nice sax teacher... well hard to find one here in JB tho, would you mind asking him for any contacts for teachers here in JB?

i tried calling Music Prelude many times, but no one picked up -_- well too bad for me then... Accent is willing to import the SS (or any other models as well) for me at S$200 w/o cap+lig... well cheaper than if i purchase online... too bad haha, low demand leads to low supply + higher price... think saxophone is a very obscure hobby in singapore/m'sia, hope that will change in time to come...

[julianchan]

I doubt my teacher would know anyone in JB. For one thing, he's from London, but now based in KL. He'd probably know more people in Singapore, though! LOL. Well, as far as I know, there are very few credible saxophone teachers around. Even in KL...got teachers la, but not necessarily those who'd fulfill your needs.

Hmmm... S$200, huh? Sounds reasonable. I really want to get a Soloist F, and I might drop by down to Singapore sometime next month, I think. Doubt they'll get it in time, though. Have you asked them to import the mouthpiece already?

Should come over to KL when you can. There are shows at some places on da weekends.

Later..

[mlcy85]

well yah i suppose, hard to find any good sax teachers here.... my tutor isn't really a pro saxophonist either, all he does is play along with me... have to settle with that till i go UK for my further studies then :lol:

you can try emailing them for a price quote, and that's what i did... http://www.accent.com.sg/index.jsp
you gonna travel all the way to s'pore for a mpc? *salutes* you should ask them to import first then, though i'm not sure they need a deposit, i'll be confirming my order on monday...

yah sadly as a m'sian, only been to KL twice =( haha will try to go down more often then ;)

have fun!

[julianchan]

No lah, i'm not that crazy!! If I go, I'll go for jalan jalan also. And buying reeds or whatever cool accessories I might come across. And I got relatives there, so easy also.

Anyway, when you confirmed your idea, let me know about how you went about it, and how much they charge you and stuff. And also how long they'll take.

Should come up here la... got shows every weekend and stuff, man. I play some of them too also la.. so.. self promo.. haahaa..

Actually, I was over at JB in March for the JB Jazz Festival. My band played there, The Happy People Quintet, and I also played with the David Gomes Big Band. It was quite a fun gig, and although turnout wasn't as great as what the organisers expected, but the response from the crowd was great.

later..

[mlcy85]

yeah i missed the jazz festival! was quite pissed haha... totally blur, only saw the ad when it's over -_- never mind lar... catch next time then, should be going over tmr to confirm my order, so keep you updated till then ;)

[mlcy85]

hey i'm back from Accent... the lady discouraged me from ordering SS, cause some big shot there said it's not worth it, and the delivery will take weeks even months cause it's packed with their main deliveries, so they recommended some Le Bayle metal jazz mpc for S$194, and i took it -_- went home and realized it's really not for me... worse than when i first played sax, all the squeaks and everything... weird... and the attached ligature is flimsy and not very secure (and it's too small to use with my Optimum lig), so i requested for a change, to Vandoren Java A35, well... at least it's better (w/o squeaks), so bye bye SS =(

[julianchan]

wah liao... hahahaha...

Why didn't you try the mouthpiece before buying the LeBayle anyway? Would've better luck with the Vandoren I think. But does the Vandoren cost that much???

Don't know about you, but would've have gone for the LeBayle.. not because that it is a bad mouthpiece, and it isn't. But considering you haven't played for very long, a metal mouthpiece his highly NOT recommended. As for me, I prefer the rubber sound, easier to control, and also more rounder sound.

Anyway, good luck with the Vandoren. Told ya should've ordered online from WWBW.. hehehe... never mind la. I've use Vandoren's before, they're okay. A lot of artists like Bobby Watson and Steve Coleman, and even Donald Harrison use Vandorens. Although I think theirs are probably modified a bit.

[mlcy85]

yeah thanks, maybe not suitable for metal mpc yet haha... oh forgot to mention they can ship in your mpc by DHL if you want it fast, at bout 40 bucks extra... yeah just to let you know. Think i'll be using rubber for quite a long time haha... traumatised by the metal experience... have fun! ;)

[julianchan]

Yo Kevin aka Kaye...

You comin' up here on the 17th right? For the Heineken Green Room Sessions?

Look forward to seein' you guys play. See ya.

[jaankaden]

hi, kinda stumbled onto this thread from the other singapore thread. really awesome to see that the scene over there is not as non-existent as i presumed during my stay.

hey diaspora, i think i saw the nicky you mentioned earlier, the who plays with DJs. if i'm not wrong, i think i saw her when i came back about half a year ago at a bar called Acid Bar and yup, she was just improvising along to the DJ's chosen tracks. she's the really thin girl with long hair right?

that was the first time i've seen something like that and to be honest, it didn't make a very good first impression. somehow, i just feel she wasn't given much room to actually do anything. it's not by any means her fault, however, just wanted to say that it wasn't as good a fusion as others. that said, i'd certainly love to be able to hear you play when i make my next trip there!

hey guys, i don't wanna tell you what to do, but if the store you mentioned is gonna charge you S$200 just to ship the mouthpiece, i think it's a much better deal if you shipped it yourself from music123 or wwbw. if you piggyback a couple more items (eg; maybe a few boxes of reeds, mouthpiece patches, etc), you'd gain from their shipping which increases a lot less than proportionately with every additional item. and even if you don't, it's definitely still gonna cost less than S$200.

that said, i think the selmer soloist is an excellent choice for the classical player!

[Diaspora]

So sorry Julian...been totally out of touch with the forum :oops:

Yeah I was up at the recent Heineken Festival, and I must say it was one of our best gigs ever! Some of the international acts that came down liked what we did and through them, we might be going up to Europe to play later this year :D

Hope it all works out...how's things been on your side?