Metadata

Synopsis

*Early interest in music. Initial attraction to drums. Started playing in The Teenage Comets from age 15 in 1952. First drum set. Reasons for choosing the name The Teenage Comets. Other popular musical groups in Talentime competitions. Left The Teenage Comets and joined a band led by Percy Procter. Persevered in learning the drums in this band. Introduced to Metronomes led by John Lee but continued to play with Procter, Tan Julai, Sam Gan and Julie Sodero. Gigs with Metronomes, Gan, Harry Klass, Michael Seng, Terry de Souza, Ronaldo Lachika and others in the American Club. Managers of the American Club. Switched to playing jazz. Recalled that United States Information Service (USIS) had tape collection of jazz music and introduced jazz to Singapore. ‘West Coast’ and ‘East Coast’ styles of jazz.

Competition between bands in the American Club. Metronomes later left playing in the American Club and moved to Hyatt Hotel. Played music despite having a day job at a bank. Impact when the clubs began to request for popular music. Expected not to play dance music at the Hyatt Hotel when dinner was served. Played at the Hyatt Hotel for five years before migrating to Perth in 1975. First experience in drinking beer. As he aged, he would think of his days as a youth. Believed that his life evolved around music and good friends. Recalled watching Charles Lazaroo and his band playing in Bukit Timah in the 1940s. Belief that one needed to play music from the heart. Filipino bands would play in the cinema pits in the early 20th century. Both his father and he were fond of music. Need to work hard to play music. Motivated by other musicians.

Metronomes never thought of switching to popular music. Impression that jazz musicians had to feel the music as they played. Belief that drummers should only be keeping tempo. Breaks drum sticks only once a year. Belief that one had to spend much time to be a good drum player. Claude Oliveiro, Klass and he were involved in the Old Ragtime Show on television. Performed ‘Babyface’ with a restaurant setting. Played with different musicians including Barney Morier and Dory Topaz. Younger musicians had to call older musicians “Uncle” in the past. Wore bowler hats on television as they sang Dixieland music. Impression on the changing musical tastes of people from jazz to popular music. Importance of his memories to him. Brief recollection of Newton Circus. Life had to progress from jazz music. Verbal open access.