Monday, November 26, 2007

More Pics of NJE

Dear All,

There are more photographs of the ensemble for HAPPY SATURDAY(17/11/2007) & Upper Penang Road (25/11/2007) on my photography club's website.
To visit the website please click the links below:

HAPPY SATURDAY:

Link (1):

Link (2):

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

New World Park Map

Here's a map showing the exact location of New World Park.


Monday, November 5, 2007

New World Park Performance Schedule

Time

Band

1300 – 1320

Jazz Trio

1320 – 1350

NGC

5 minutes

Joo Nee and Dancers

1355 – 1415

Enrai

5 minutes

Joo Nee and Dancers

1420 – 1440

Six String Samurai

1445 – 1515

Eclipse

5 minutes

Joo Nee and Dancers

1520 – 1540

Oracle

1540 – 1600

Lydia's Diary

1605 – 1620

Schizzow

5 minutes

Island Squad

1625 – 1645

Northern Jazz Ensemble

1650 – 1710

Beat the System

1715 – 1735

Coma

1740 – 1805

Areca Jazz Ensemble

5 minutes

D'unlock Shakers

1810 – 1830

One nite Stand

1835 – 1855

Army of Three

30 minutes

Opening speech

1930 – 1950

You Young

5 minutes

D'unlock Shakers

1955 – 2015

Paku

2020 -2040

Uglymen

5 minutes

Champstyle

2045 – 2105

Ocean of Fire

2110 – 2130

KL Embassy

5 minutes

Champstyle

2135 – 2155

Nao

2200 – 2220

Static System

Date: 17th November 2007, Saturday
Venue: New World Park

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Our Aims & Philosophy

-Philosophy-
  • Music is a performing art
  • All musicians and music abled people can improvise
  • Instilling the passion in music through performing
  • Sharing of musical skill and knowledge
  • Character building through the process of making music in an ensemble

-Values-

  • Teamwork
  • Respect
  • Dedication
  • Discipline

-Objectives-

  • Promote Jazz Music
  • To create an awareness of Jazz music
  • Free transfer of improvisatory skills
  • Friendship through music

-Activities-

  • Live Performances
  • Outreached Programs
  • Recruitment Training Program for new players
  • Jam Sessions

Northern Jazz Ensemble's Profile

Northern Jazz Ensemble (NJE) was formed on 21st August 2007 by a group of musicians who were formerly involved in Penang Areca Jazz Ensemble Project Band which was formed to performed in Penang Island Jazz Festival 2005. The group is made up of members from Q Jazz Collective, Penang Symphony Orchestra, PAKU and also independent musicians.

The group was formed to:

  • Promote mainstream Jazz music to the public

  • Promote friendship through music

  • Develop it’s members improvisatory & performing skills

  • Share music knowledge with fellow musicians

The ensemble consists of trumpet, trombone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, piano, double bass, guitar and drum.

Currently, under the tutelage of its music director Mr Wilson Quah, NJE is gearing up to perform in Penang Island Jazz Festival 2007’s Fringe Experimental Stage. NJE’s future plan is to work closely with its music director to build up its members’ improvisatory skills and expand the current setup into a big band.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Member's Profile

Rhythm Section

-The Pianist-


Jerome Quah who is an active performer and music instructor, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in music from University Science Of Malaysia (USM) in 1999. He also holds Performers Diploma (LTCL) from Trinity College of London.

Jerome started playing Jazz in 1997 whilst studying in USM. He was introduced to the area of piano Jazz improvisation by Razif Mohd@Jeep and later under the tutelage of Wilson Quah, his improvisation skills was refined.

Jerome was actively involved in USM Jazz Band as a pianist since its formation in 1997 and he was the band instructor for USM Jazz Band 2001-2005. He was also actively involved in all USM Jazz Band's major concerts as pianist and also as the assistant conductor.

Jerome is currently very actively performing with Q Jazz Collective in functions and also at Spice & Rice every Friday night. He has also took part in Penang Island Jazz Festival from 2005 to 2006 with ARECA Jazz Ensemble and also Q Jazz Collective.


-The Double Bassist-


Adrian Jones is the double bassist for the Q Jazz collective & currently performs with them on a regular basis at the Spice & Rice restaurant every Friday night. He started playing the double bass for PESSOC & was first introduced to Jazz by Jerome Quah in 2002 & has been firmly hooked on it ever since.

He has also taken part in the Penang Jazz Festival since its inception & has had the honour of playing for various groups such as the Areca Jazz Ensemble & Quadrobasso.


-The Guitarist-



Daniel has a deep passion for Jazz. Though rooted from a classical background, he gave all that up for this art when he was given the first row ticket to the very first International Jazz Festival in his country.

He felt that there was something alluring about Jazz, that's when he decided to pursue more and he never looked back since then.


From humble beginnings, he is still learning and striving to make his own sound and groove. His dedication to the Jazz rewarded him well during international stints with the various Jazz Band in Japan and Thailand, Youth Orchestras, Concert Bands and the ARECA Jazz Ensemble back in his hometown Penang. Daniel plays the guitar in the Northern Jazz Ensemble.



-The Drummer-



Alexius Henry Noden aka Alex is from Kuching, Sarawak.

His tools of the music world are Pearl Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, and Vic Firth Sticksand brushes.
The people who have influenced him are Peter Erskine, Horacio El Negro Hernandez, Steve Gadd, as well as Vinnie Coluita.

His preferred Genre of music covers Jazz, Latin, Funk, and Rock. Apart from being in the Northern Jazz Ensemble, Alex is also currently an active drummer for Q Jazz Collective and Paku.


Brass Section

-The Trumpeter-


Lynn Ng Ling Cheng began playing the trumpet in 1991 when she joined her primary school band which at the time only consisted of trumpets and percussion.

She then joined the military band when she attended high school and continued to play the instrument which she was most familiar with i.e. the trumpet.

The first time Ling Cheng found out about Jazz was when she entered Universiti Sains of Malaysia (USM) where she joined the USM Jazz Band. Initially, she was not used to Jazz but after she began understanding Jazz, she eventually fell in love with Jazz.

Ling Cheng has since then graduated with a Bachelor of Accounting and is currently working in a Bank but also continues to play the trumpet with other Jazz musicians like Q Jazz Collective and Jeep's Latino Jazz Band (JLJB).



Rob Nollan is a native of the U.S.A. and teaches English and Bible classes at Dalat International School in Penang. Rob has played trumpet since 1974, but has not improved significantly since then. Nevertheless, he has fun making awful noises on his borrowed Schilke B2 trumpet. He also teaches a fingerstyle guitar class at Dalat to up-and-coming Jazz enthusiasts in middle school.


-The Trombonist-


Lee Chee Gang graduated from Deakin University with a Degree in Electric Commerce. He has been playing the trombone for many years since he joined the Penang Chung Ling High School Band.

He has participated with the University Science Malaysia (USM) Jazz Band in 1998 and 1999 for the International Phillips Jazz Festival. He has also been apart of the Penang Symphonic Orchestra (PSO) for more than 10 years now and has since participated with PSO to perform in Japan in 1996 and had a Tour Performance in China in 2004.

His favourite genre of music ranges from Classical, Pop, Jazz and etc. Other than that, he also plays the piano.


Woodwind Section


-The Alto Saxophonist-



Takamasa started music with the classical piano. He decided to venture into Jazz after listening to many Jazz legends like Cannonball, John Coltrane and so on. To get into the field of Jazz, he studied the saxophone playing style of Kenny G and he started formal lessons at the age of 15 last May under the tutelage of Sin Foong.


Currently he is studying Jazz with the help of the other NJE members. He wants to perform as much as possible for the experience and to develop his playing skills. In school, he recently formed a school band with friends to perform in addition to his involvement with the NJE. He considers himself a learning musician.


He has performed at the following venues to date: Happy Saturday, Little Penang Market, Mini Jazz Festival at New World Park, the EA Bistro and looks forward to jamming at as many places as possible.




Anis started playing the saxophone in 1996 at the age of 13, as a member of Penang Free School Band and stayed with the band for the full 5 years, enjoying every second of it.

He was officially exposed to jazz in 2004, when joining the USM Jazz Band during his undergraduate studies. That was the time when he really start to 'listen' to Jazz recordings, was exposed to many Jazz greats internationally and locally, went out to see live performances by both local and international Jazz talents and started competing in competitions regionally.

Now, he try to play and perform as much as possible, to gain experience and develop his playing to greater heights. With all that being said, he is a learning musician and have lot more to learn.




Joanne Scott is a classically trained pianist. Coming from a family background with a lot of music influences, she got to know about Jazz at a very young age and her interest grew with time.

She loves the saxophone but only managed to get one in 2001. From here, she learnt about the saxophone through the internet, books and friends who played the same instrument.

She joined the Penang State Symphonic Band (PESSBAND) from 2001 to 2005 where she performed both classical and Jazz pieces as well as organise numerous events. She was a guest player with the USM Jazz Band for their annual concert in 2004 and convocation ceremony in 2005. Joanne later joined the Penang Areca Jazz Ensemble in 2005 where the ensemble performed at the Penang Island Jazz Fest 2005.

Apart from playing the piano and saxophone, she is also a self taught flautist and played the cello under the guidance of Mr. Hanson Yong, Mr. Tham and Mr. Tan Wee Thean for a brief moment in time.


-The Tenor Saxophonist-



Born in Penang, Jonathan started playing the saxophone at the age of 13 where he joined the St Xavier's School Marching Band. He started playing Jazz in 2003 when he first joined the Q Jazz Collective to form the core quartet.

Jonathan was also briefly involved with the USM Jazz Band as a guest saxophone player between 2003 to 2004 performing in the bands major concerts during that period.

Jonathan also appeared as a guest performer with Tonal Alchemy during their 2004 Penang Island Jazz Festival performance. The following year, he was part of the Areca Jazz Ensemble opening both nights of the festival. He returned in 2006 to assist Wilson Quah, assisting in the workshops and also to take part in the fringe performances.

Jonathan Yee is currently an active performer in the Penang Jazz music scene and he performs regularly with the Q Jazz Collective in functions and also at Spice & Rice every Friday nights.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Welcome Note

The Northern Jazz Ensemble would like to welcome you to their site!

The ensemble based in Penang, Malaysia was formed on August 21st 2007 where a small committee was formed comprising of a chairperson, treasurer and secretary. The group is currently seeking to expand the number of members in the brass and woodwind section.

Current members are listed below.

Rhythm:
  • Piano: Jerome Quah
  • Double Bass: Adrian Jones
  • Guitar: Daniel Ong
  • Drums: Alex

Brass:

  • Trumpet: Lynn Ng, Rob
  • Trombone: Lee Chee Gang
Woodwind:
  • Alto Saxophone: Takamasa, Anis, Joanne Scott
  • Tenor Saxophone: Jonathan Yee