Thomson
Big Band
 fter
numerous performances here in Singapore, including TV appearances
(such as "Tonight with Gurmit" on TCS 5 and "Jam!"
on Arts Central), as well as festival performances at the Kutchan
International Jazz Festival in Japan and at the Jacaranda Jazz Festival
in Australia, the Thomson Big Band has developed into Singapore's
premier large scale jazz ensemble. It performs a
wide range of music from the swing era up to the present day, in
addition to music specially composed for the group by local musicians
Jeremy Monteiro and Iskandar Ismail.
Formed in 1993,
the band has had a long history of public
and private performances, which have included the
launch of M1, the President's Star Charity, and Convivia (Singapore's
first international beer festival), where we worked with Jacintha
Abishnegarden and Marina Xavier. The band has also had a long association
with the NAC and we have performed for them at HDB heartland concerts
and at the Botanic Gardens as part of their annual series of concerts.
In May 2001,
Thomson Big Band was given the honour of opening the SIA International
Jazz Festival with sax master Ernie Watts and bassist/singer Eldee
Young. The band worked again with Eldee when it accompanied him
during the 2001 COMPASS Awards, where Eldee was lauded for his contributions
to music. In November 2001 it travelled to Thailand to open the
Bangkok Jazz Festival, performing some of the music of HM the King
of Thailand. Most recently, it was the live band in the Asian Television
Awards 2001 on Channel 5, when it accompanied Anita Sarawak, Babes
Condes and Mariel Rivera as well as provided incidental music for
the show. 
As the premier
ensemble of Thomson Jazz Club, Thomson Big Band continues to perform
on the local and international stage. In April 2002, the band travelled
to Bombay to take part in JazzYatra ("Jazz Pilgrimage")
in an evening of music dedicated to Singapore Jazz. In a concert
in the centre of the city, Thomson Big Band and Jeremy Monteiro
entertained a large crowd.
The current
line-up of musicians are :-
Vocals:
Bill Ladick
Saxophones: Fabian Lim, Miles Tranter, Jonathan Lim,
Wang Twee Kiang, George Leong
Trumpets:
Chua Siong Loo, Susan Harmer, Roman Keller
Trombones:
Leo Jeoh, Michael Yong, Goh Jenn Woei,
Fredi Sonderegger
Rhythm:
Sebastian Ho, Brandon Wong, Tan Boon Gee,
Carl Jenkins
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