Press Kit

homson Jazz Club is Singapore's largest community of jazz lovers. The Club was started in 1993 by Mr Eddie Chan with several jazz enthusiasts who wanted to spread the gospel of jazz to fellow Singaporeans. Since then, we have become an integral part of Singapore's vibrant jazz scene.

The Club is a veritable United Nations of jazz, with members hailing from Singapore as well as from countries like the US, Japan, China, the UK, Australia, Canada and Germany. We also have strong ties with many local jazz professionals. For example, local jazz supremo Jeremy Monteiro is not only a Honourary Club member, but has also written arrangements for the Club and guest-performed at our 'Stompin at the Square' concert in May 1999.

Since its conception the Club has been focused on raising the performance level of all its ensembles. Currently we have a performing line-up of three big bands and 1 jazz ensemble and membership has blossomed to 110 strong as of this year. With 3 previous annual concerts and numerous public performances, the Thomson Jazz Club crossed a significant milestone as the Thomson Big Band opened the 1st Singapore International Jazz Festival with 'West Side Story' Suite performed previously by the Buddy Rich Big Band. The Big Band accompanied saxophonist Ernie Watts and Eldee Young and received good reviews from the local and foreign press covering the Festival.

Our Activities

Rehearsals for the bands go on regularly on Sundays. Jazz jam sessions are also held on the first and third Sunday afternoons each month which are open to members of the public.

We were also involved in the M1-NAC jazz workshop series and a first-ever jazz cum poetry performance at a local bookstore. In 2000, the Club was honoured to receive a commendation from jazz legend, bassist Ray Brown when we held a memorial for the late vibraphonist Milt Jackson. Thomson Jazz Club played host to the Singapore International Jazz Festival workshops in 2001, featuring Terumasa Hino, Eugene Pao and a clinic conducted by world-renowned bassist Jay Anderson.

About our Bands

Our oldest and most established band is the Thomson Big Band, formed in 1993. Though built along the lines of a big band from the Swing Era, the repertoire of the big band goes beyond swing to funk, fusion, latin and bebop. The Thomson Big Band has performed at the Istana, Robertson Walk, the Tower Club,Harry's Pub at Boat Quay and the Botanical Gardens under the National Arts Council's Jazz in the Park Series which was well attended by a crowd of about 1500 people. It was featured in events like M1's official launch at Boat Quay, the Singapore Arts Festival Fringe, and our concert 'Stomping at the Square' held in Far East Square. Other projects in 2000 include the Convivia Beer Festival in April, the NAC Arts Festival fringes and our sell-out concert Jazz Jamboree which showcased all our 5 performing ensembles at the Victoria Theatre in July 2000. A CD was produced was also produced for the event which was well-received.

We are especially proud that the Thomson Big Band has taken part in the Jacaranda Jazz Festival in Perth in 1998,next at the Kutchan Jazz Festival in Hokkaido, Japan in July 2000 together with jazz greats such as Paquito D'Riviera, Harold Mabern and Renee Rosnes. The Band was also recently in the media limelight, appearing in the 'Tonite with Gurmit' talkshow on TCS Channel 5 and was showcased in the Arts Central program JAM! aired in January 2001 which features the Thomson Jazz Club and its activities. The climax of the band's performing career came as the opening act for the Singapore International Jazz Festival with Mr Ernie Watts.

The Thomson Big Band had recently released their official album "On a Little Street in Singapore"

Our two remaining big bands, the Thomson Swing Band and Thomson Jive are slightly younger but have also performed at many places including Robertson Walk, Suntec City and at other public and community concerts. Thomson Swing Band has its beginnings in 1996 and has grown to a mature 16-strong big with members from many nationalities. The band seems like a single personality, as the members enjoy the spirit and camaraderie of playing in an ensemble. Thomson Swing Band has performed in many public concerts, the latest notably in the Singapore International Jazz Festival Fringe. Past performances include the Singapore National Arts Council Arts Festival Fringe events where it took big band music to the heartlanders in Bishan Park, Suntec City and the Botanical Gardens Jazz in the Park series. They have also accompanied the Jitterbugs Swingapore during their grand studio opening and are regular performers at Harry's Quayside Bar in Boat Quay. Recently the band played in the NKF's appreciation dinner for sponsors and corporate donors. Oto Szekely and Susan Harmer take great pride in managing the affairs and performances of the band.

Our Plans

The Club intends to further its educational aims by planning for overseas clinicians to conduct workshops and clinics for our members. Toward this aim we have established contact with the IAJE, the International Association of Jazz Educators and were visited by CEO Bill McFarlin in May 2001. Thomson Jazz Club would eventually join the IAJE as an affiliate member and would apply to participate in the 2003 IAJE Convention in Toronto Canada. In the meantime, we continue with our recruitment plans to gather promising and established Singaporean musicians into our fold to become Singapore's premier signpost for jazz.

Big Band Magic Nov 2005:
Guest artiste, keyboard whiz Mario Serio