Sybil to perform at KK Jazz Fest
Published on: Saturday, March 10, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: Music fans and enthusiasts are in for a treat as international rhythm and blues artiste Sybil Thomas will be performing with local musicians at the 2018 Kota Kinabalu Jazz Festival (KKJF)."I am extremely impressed with the level of professionalism and quality of the local musicians in Sabah," she said when met at the KKJF press conference, here, Friday."I already knew one of the local musicians, Gordon Chin, when he performed in Hong Kong with his group and he was impressive.ADVERTISEMENT "So, when I was invited to perform in KKJF, I thought it would be better if I use local musicians instead of bringing my band to Kota Kinabalu."As she will also be promoting her recently-launched new album, she will perform most of the songs from the album."The local musicians did their homework and learn the songs from my album and they were really professional. "When I arrived here with my music director and producer, we just need to tweak some parts of the music as they can play well.ADVERTISEMENT "They are really fantastic and if I come back to perform here again, I will surely use these musicians," she said. This year's KKJF will also be her debut performance in Malaysia albeit attending the festival a few times previously.
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"I stay in Hong Kong and have been around Asia…but this is my first time performing in the country. "I was here before but not as a performer."Thomas will be the main act to wrap up the two-night festival which kicked-off on Friday night, at the covered tennis court, Sutera Harbour Resort.She has been singing since she was five, and her first big break came in the early 1970's when she toured Italy with the distinguished group The Platters, as the only female singer.In her career, she has worked with other artists such as Jeffrey Osborne, Luther Vandross, Phyllis Hyman, and George Duke.Thomas has also toured internationally with many Grammy award-winning artistes like Roberta Flack, Peabo Bryson, and Stevie Wonder.An impressive line-up of international acts, together with renowned and upcoming Malaysian talents performed back-to-back on either the centre or main stage during the two-night festival.Among the highlights for the first night were Rozella and Esther Applunius – both Sabahans.Regularly performing and creating music, Rozella was a Voice International Music Awards (Vima) 2016 nominee and the winner of Tiger Jams 2016.The singer-songwriter's musical talents were recognised when her previous single Home to You was handpicked for an exclusive remix by international synth pop duo Chvrches.Besides regularly performing and creating music, Rozella is also a voiceover artist and a body positive advocate.The petite songstress Esther is no stranger in the local entertainment scene.Apart from winning first runner-up in the third season of One in a Million, Esther has entered and won many singing competitions since she started performing in 1998, including the 2005 Sugandoi Kaamatan contest, and the 2016 Star Search 999 Singing Competition.She also grabbed a silver medal in last year's World Championship of Performing Arts (WCOPA) in California, US.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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Other performers for this year's KKJF are Mezzotono, Jumero, The Shangri-La, Albino Deer, Power Line, The Movement, Andy Ngew, Gordon Chin, Cristopher Aban, Vivace, The Kissinger, and the Alu-Alu Project.Jointly organised by the Rotary Club of Kota Kinabalu (RCKK) and SPArKS, the annual fund-raising event continues to bring together an array of musical talents from around the country and the world to the city, performing live to ardent music lovers. Also present at the press conference were Organising chairman Jack Ong, Society of Performing Arts Kota Kinabalu (SPArKS) president cum co-organising chairman Roger Wang, and RCKK president Dr Ravi Mandalam. - Ricardo Unto