Budiey
Mr. Gambus (Farid Ali)
Farid Ali is no doubt one of the finest jazz guitarist in the region. An ‘old soul’, at a tender age of 5, Farid was already singing Frank Sinatra’s ‘Strangers in the night’ in a Singapore radio show. Whilst his peers grew up listening to Hendrix and Deep Purple, Farid was listening to the likes of Sinatra, Nat King Cole, the Carpenters, Perry Como etc. He first laid his fingers on a guitar at the age of eleven and began performing soon after in school talent contests and at small parties. Farid’s parents had hoped that their youngest son with an inquisitive mind to be a lawyer. However, Farid’s destiny changed at age 16, the moment he was introduced George Benson’s “Weekend in LA” album. Shortly after, he began listening to Jose Feliciano, which led Farid to turn his attention on his guitar. Farid’s greatest influences include Chet Atkins, Earl Klugh, Toninho Horta, Joe Pass, Pat Matheny and of course, Benson, amongst other guitar greats.
These days Farid listens to anybody and everybody especially to World music and music of his origin. The last few years saw Farid embark on playing the Lute or known famously “Gambus” in Malaysia. Farid is constantly doing research and developing a concept of the Jazz Gambus. In February 2004 Farid performed with Bobby McFerrin at the Singapore Esplanade, That performance had boosted his confidence with the instrument and had sparked his decision to record his very first solo CD featuring his Gambus.
Learning Continues
Farid left for the US at the age of 19 to attend music academic training at the Guitar Institute of Technology, California. With a Diploma in Performance in hand, he made his way to and gained a music degree at the Berklee College of Music, Boston, USA. With his penchant for learning, Farid continued his ‘education’ during the next nine years, performing around Boston and in the music, arts and jazz festivals around the US. The catalyst to his career took place in 1988, when he won the best arranger award at the Curacao international song festival. Invitations to perform at festivals around Europe and the USA continued thereafter. Farid has added to his accolades a few prestigious awards, such as, the Distant Accord Award at the Wiltern Theater, Los Angeles, conferred by the World Festival Organization. In 1992, he was awarded the World Peace Movement Award in LA.
For the past decade and the half, Farid has performed and recorded with many known names in the business internationally and regionally. They are: Grammy award saxophonist Ernie Watts, Eric Marienthal, Bobby McFerrin, Steve Thornton, Lee Jeung Sik of Korea, guitarist Randy Branson, AsianSpirits, Face First, Elfa singers of Indonesia, Jeremy Monteiro…the list goes on. To date, Farid has performed in over forty international festivals world wide – The Boston Globe, Montreal Jazz Festival, Pori Jazz Festival, Curacao International Song Festival, Schveningen International Song Festival, Los Angeles Art Festival, Miami art festival, Tour of Canada jazz concerts. Farid’s presence is beginning to be felt in regional and local festivals such as the Bangkok Jazz Festival, Jakarta Jazz Festival, Kuching Jazz Festival, Malaysia International Jazz Festival and countless other small festivals regionally and locally. Farid currently continues to receive invitations to perform in festivals regionally and internationally.
Asian Spirits
AsianSpirits is a very prestigious jazz group, which comprises of established musicians from Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and China. Farid plays the gambus and the guitar. This project is the brain child of a Korean jazz promoter, who later is joined by two promoters from Malaysia and Hong Kong. Asian Spirits did their debut concert in Seoul Korea on the 1st October of 2003 with their own brand of jazz, which incorporates jazz with Asian flavour. The response was so positive that Asian Spirits got invited to Pori International Jazz Festival in Finland, followed by a TV special in Seoul, Korea. In 2005 Asian Spirits will record their debut CD followed by festival tour of Europe and Asia. The Korean press wrote, “Asian Spirits will be the next big thing from Asia”
Reviving An ‘Ancient’ Instrument
Besides performing and recording, Farid shares his belief and knowledge of music and guitar by teaching and nurturing young talents. He lectured at the University Institute Technology Mara for the past twelve years. Collectively, he has taught more then 200 guitarists, with many making a living in music and some with success stories. He believes that teaching and sharing is the way to longevity. One will learn from teaching and one will learn the concept of respect from teaching. Very often Farid gets invited to give clinics and workshop on jazz guitar improvisation and musicianship. Lately he has been doing research on the gambus. Farid wants to create awareness and develop the concept of the “Jazz Gambus”. He hopes to pursue his research and to one day popularize and revive this ancient instrument.
A Personal Journey
With over twenty years performing the world over, Farid began his personal journey towards his roots and heritage. Spending half of his life searching for musical knowledge, studying the western classical and jazz genre, Farid felt that it was time for a self identity. He realized the need to look within before he can have a ‘”voice” to move on and forward in his life. The realization that being an Asian and a Muslim with a Western outlook in life, began his yearning for a better understanding of his own culture. Using his ‘gut’ feel, he felt compelled to concoct his own unique voice in jazz through the collaboration and incorporation of the traditional cultural and modern elements. These have brought about his deep interest in the ‘OUD’ or the GAMBUS. Then came about Farid’s ‘Turning point for Singapore’s and the region’s unsung hero.
“Music is a gift from God. Those who choose to make a living from it, should do it with love and sincerity, for it is only then that we will be able to realize the power music has in our lives.”
[tags]mr gambus, album gambus, farid ali, Ernie Watts, Eric Marienthal, Bobby McFerrin, Steve Thornton, Lee Jeung Sik of Korea, guitarist Randy Branson, AsianSpirits, Face First, Elfa, jazz gambus[/tags]
