Health & Community
Getting in the swing
April 22, 2012
Where can you find jazz being played in Hong Kong? Bars? Coffee shops? How does enjoying jazz music beside Victoria Harbour or on The Peak sound?Local swing group the Saturday Night Jazz Orchestra has joined the 2012 Community Cultural Ambassador Scheme presented by the Leisure & Cultural Services Department.
Its members not only perform, but also teach swing jazz to aspiring young musicians.
Featuring five saxophones, four trumpets, four trombones and a rhythm section of piano, bass, guitar and drums, the 17-piece band and a singer performed on the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade on Victoria Harbour last week.
Under the ambassador scheme, the band members conduct free outreach activities that are both educational and fun at indoor and outdoor venues.
The band's artistic director and conductor Taka Hirohama said he wants to promote jazz to a younger generation.
"Students in Hong Kong are not familiar [and] don't know [very] well what is jazz and big band [music]. So [promoting jazz] is our mission.
"Music is not only [for] the concert hall. Anywhere people can hear [it], we can play, we should play [it] anywhere."
Mr Hirohama founded the Saturday Night Jazz Orchestra in 1990. It consists of local and international players and is famed for its monthly Saturday-night gigs at the Fringe Club. In 2010 the group was invited to perform at Hong Kong Week at Expo 2010 Shanghai.
Tuning the ear
The band holds workshops under the ambassador scheme, teaching jazz. Sixteen participants have been recruited so far, and they are taught by Mr Hirohama and the band's other members.
Edward Lee, a 19-year-old trombone player who learned the instrument in primary school, found playing jazz difficult at first.
"I think classical music and big-band jazz are two different languages, just like Chinese and English, and use different grammar. When I started learning jazz, it was just like learning a new language.
"Before, I could only see foreigners playing jazz music on YouTube. But now I can sit in the band playing the same music they play - and the feeling is so great."
Participants enrolling in the workshop should be able to play saxophone, trumpet or trombone at Grade 5 or above.
Getting the swing
While most of the students have a basic knowledge of classical music, they sometimes struggle to get the swinging rhythm of jazz at first, which requires a different mindset.
One of their mentors, Li Lap-wang, shares with them his 12 years' experience in playing jazz.
"You must listen. Don't just count on the musical score, as the notes are just the signs, while music is the sound. Listen carefully and think how to create the sound of jazz melody and the rhythm."
The students said they treasure the opportunity to join the workshops, which cost only $176 for eight lessons.
Trumpet player Stanley Lam, 22, had no hesitation signing up when he learned about the workshop.
"I am so happy I got the chance of being taught by these professional jazz players. If there was no such workshop, I don't know where I could join a big band, as it is not very popular in Hong Kong."
The orchestra's manager Jacqueline Wong said the band has received a lot of enquiries from different age groups, from 12 to 60 years old, and is overwhelmed by the positive response from so many people wanting to learn jazz.
Loving it loud
Thirteen-year-old trumpeter Abigail Rowland is the only girl student.
"There are not many females that play the trumpet and I wanted to be different. I think it expresses me because it's really loud and I am also very loud. I like jazz more [now]. I found the beats and the tempo really fun, and [it gets the] adrenaline rushing."
She finds playing in a big band far more rewarding than jamming alone at home.
"If you play by yourself, it doesn't really make sense, because the harmony is very weird. But once you put together all the parts you can listen to all the harmony and it sounds great. So you can't just practise on your own. You have to practise with others to see how it sounds.”
After the workshop series ends, the 16 students will take part in a graduation performance with the orchestra in the Tom Lee Academy Hall, MegaBox, Kowloon Bay, on May 13.
"I hope more people can join us and there will be more good jazz musicians," Mr Li said, hailing his students' enthusiasm.
Twenty-two local performing arts groups will become Cultural Ambassadors this year, including music, theatre and dance groups. They will hold touring performances, seminars and workshops, and welcome the public to join.
