One For The Birds - A Hornbill At My Balcony

 

You Tube Video: Snowbird by Anne Murray (The Oldrecordclub). 

SONGS I LOVE:

I heard a thud on my balcony while reading the newspapers this last morning of 2012. I looked out and saw a hornbill.  I was thrilled. Compared to the numerous sparrows and merbak jambul that frequent our place, this one up close was a huge creature as it perched itself roughly on the shiny garden chair. I have been trying to observe this particular bird for months having seen it streaking around this wooded area with its yellow beak and jet black feathers.

It was about nine o'clock and cloudy but I whipped out my trusty iPhone and took some shots. The bird flew away after it left some poop on the ledge. It must have got bored.  I checked Google Images and realised it could be an Oriental Pied. Here's a paragraph about this bird.

"The Hornbill is the national symbol of Sarawak. The people there view the bird as a symbol of purity. They use either the bird itself or its representation in their religious ceremonies. In Sarawak, as in other South East Asian countries, the hornbill is a protected species: from essortment.com"

As usual, my music memory took me back to days of yore and songs with a bird theme. There is Humming Bird, Mockingbird Hill, Snowbird, Bye Bye Blackbird, Bye Bye Birdie, Blackbird, Fly Like An Eagle, Mockingbird, Rockin' Robin, When The Red Red Robin, Eagle. And the famous Indonesian one is, Burung Kakak Tua (Parrot) by Anneke Gronloh.

It's a short selection because I am sure there are many more songs with 'bird' titles. If you know any please contribute.

Happy New Year 2013 everyone. Symbol of purity huh? Hope the bird brings me better luck than the dragon year did. But it's not over is it, the dragon year?

Marina Bay Countdown 2013 Tonight.
http://www.essortment.com/hornbill-bird-25714.html

Seen His Star In The East, Come To Worship Him

Artwork: Scott Yardley: credit ChristArt.com.

"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is he that is born King of the Jews for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.' (King James New Testament: Matthew: 2. 1-2)."

A Merry Christmas and Happy New 2013 to all my readers. Thank you for the huge support.

Blog Reader Says Ling Seow Is Magically Enticing

It's been a while since this blog features local Chinese singers.   Well a pleasant and kindly reader magg  jnne, who lives overseas, wrote:

Ling Seow 凌霄 with The Melodians Chun Te Mong video choonheng57

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Hi Andy,

I am wondering if you have any uploads or if you know any links for Ling Seow/Ling Xiao's concert DVDs - his nostalgic 40 years concert 2007 and the one in 2011?  Any idea where to get the DVDs?  I can't find them anywhere in the stores.

I really love his rich and soothing vocals and would love to view his past concerts in recent years. any idea if the singer is ever married... or some profile on him? Please assist. Thanks.

My reply:

a. Thanks for visiting this blog but I am not in contact with DVD shops nor suppliers. I hope readers can help you.

b. Regarding your second query. If you wish to help you can write a profile of him and I can post it on this blog. Readers can expand it somehow with their contribution. Would be a nice idea.

Her response  and pretty piece of prose profiling of Ling Xiao:

Thanks, Andy for your quick reply.

Music, besides writing, has always been a therapeutic retreat for me, ever since I was a child.

I grew up with a fusion of English and Mandarin melodies, though I am not that proficient in Mandarin. But music cuts across all languages; it bridges boundaries.

I love listening to some of the soothing oldies. First, it transports my mind back to cherished moments of yesteryears. Second, it reaffirms the timeless beauty of good music and vocals.

Personally, I feel that the veteran singers in the 70s and 80s have richer vocals that even till today, continue to delight our ears. I love listening to songs by Sakura & the lyrics as much as I do over the years, the melodies were enough to soothe and inspire me i.e. Rita, Ling Xiao, Maggie Teng and Yang Xiao Ping. I was just a little kid and thought I couldn't appreciate.

Ling Xiao (凌霄) dazzles audience with timeless vocals

Singapore singer Ling Seow/Xiao (凌霄) is a legendary icon in the music industry. His love ballads remain as soothing and magically enticing, even till today.

I am grateful for the many uploads of his albums on the web, and just listening to his rich, melodious voice is indeed heartwarming. One can truly feel all the emotions in his songs, and the magical part is that his voice is so amazingly smooth, gentle and rich.

Even till today, I believe he continues to dazzle the audience with his timeless vocals and evergreen looks, especially that alluring smile that is so personable and real.

So far, there is no male singer who can match his unique voice that is rather feminine yet masculine in some ways, and perhaps that remains his charm. I believe like the characters in a good play that live on long after the play is done, his songs and voice will leave lasting imprints in our hearts and minds as the years roll by.

There has been nothing said about his personal life, and it will be good if some can shed light on this here. He still has the looks and composure, and in his heydey, he was the delight of women. It will be insightful to know a little about his private life.

I missed his concerts in 2007 and 2011 as I am based overseas now, and I would really be grateful if anyone can offer to upload them or sell me the DVDs.

Yang Xiao Ping

"Music, when soft voices die, vibrates in the memory."

From:
magg jnne

Thank you for your response and beautiful writing. If readers can provide some information about Ling Xiao we will all be grateful.

Readers write: Click 'comments' below to 

Original article by: magg jnne.read about support for our local artistes.

Images: Andy Lim Collection.

Memory Trail: Teresa Khoo Music Pioneer From 50s



The following post about pianist Teresa Khoo is information from a letter by Horace Wee (thank you Horace) and articles from the daily newspapers published in Singapore. I do not know her personally but have seen the Khoo family perform on TV and listened to them on the radio. I thought she deserves some recognition since she was one of the pioneers in the music industry from the 50s.

HORACE WEE

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Hi Andy,

You may want to post this as it is about Singapore musicians from the 60's.

Teresa Filmer (nee Khoo) the pianist wife of bassist Winston Filmer passed away on November 8th, 2012 in Melbourne Australia. She was 70 years old and had been in ill health the past few years.

She had a hit song that was popular in Malaysia around the early 60's I think. Not sure the title but was it called, *Say Yes, My Boy (image 1), recorded on the Decca label. She spent her years in Melbourne teaching and I think she was on the board of music examiners for the state of Victoria/Australia.

She is from the well-known family of Khoos in Singapore that includes Victor an entertainer and ventriloquist, The Singing Khoos comprising of her brothers. Her father (Khoo Teng Eng) used to perform magic shows in those early years as well.

Cheers, 
Horace Wee.

1. Mono Extended Play. Cover Photo: George Abbas.

Teresa Khoo was one of Singapore's most talented daughters from the 50s who acquired her LRSM (London Royal School of Music) in piano when she was only 15 years old. According to reliable sources, she was a school-prefect and was usually on stage to lend support by playing the piano on numerous occasions.

She started the first ever all-girls band called the Blue Belles in 1960, way before any guitar group could ever claim that status. The group came in third in a "battle of the bands" contest that year and were a hit when they appeared in nightclubs all over Singapore and Malaya playing jazz standards.

Their ages ranged from 17 to 21 and the combo consisted of a double bassist, a wind-instrumentalist, an accordionist, a violinist, a guitarist and Ms. Khoo herself as a pianist.  But she was also very good on the accordion, flute and vibraphone.

Sometimes, as a family, Khoo was assistant to her father's magic shows but the music was her first love and her musical interest expanded when together with the Singapore Musical Society she formed an official choir of thirty singers. From classics to combo to the choir.

When she turned professional Teresa Khoo and her Three Notes entertained regularly at some of the more established nightclubs in Singapore, namely The Raffles and The Adelphi Night Club and Peacock Bar in the 1960s. With her classical music background, her versatility was obvious when she gave her own twinkling trademark to the pop songs she rendered.



2. The Singing Khoos and sister Teresa Khoo at the piano were
performing an item at the Victoria Theatre on 5 October 1960. The show
was organised by the Chinese Section of Radio Singapore and the
compere was Mr Wang Shih Ming.

Khoo cut an album on Decca Mono DFE 4003: Teresa Khoo and Her Five Notes. Her songs include: You Don't Know, Baby, Unspoken Words, Say Yes, My Boy and A Lover's Concerto. She has another record on Decca F 22658 called Teresa Khoo and Her Five Notes with Tonight in Tokyo/This Must Be Love (1967).

Produced by Darling Lim Geok Lin with cover photo by George Abbas the record sleeve reads: "Presenting for the first time on record as a performer in her own right - the talented and versatile Teresa Khoo. Teresa was trained as a classical pianist, obtaining the music degree LRSM (London).  

Indeed she has her own music school in Singapore but at night - she sizzles. Gone for a while are the classics and, leading her Five Notes, in comes the beat. Teresa prefers sentimental songs. Just listen to her rendering of Unspoken Words."

Unspoken Words climbed the Singapore Charts and was published under Hits of the World on Billboard Magazine when it hit number two in February 1968. The image below shows the song position where it bettered Cliff Richard's, All My Love and Bee Gees' Massachusetts, losing only to the Foundations' Baby, Now That I've Found You.



3. Teresa Khoo's Hit at Number 2 on Billboard.

In the early 80s when the SSO (Singapore Symphony Orchestra) recorded their first album Ms Khoo was the pianist selected for the occasion.   Together with other musicians they formed a contingent and had put on CD a collection of Chinese melodies.

Khoo's popularity allowed her to promote a local product and she was described as "one of Singapore's most respected pianist, a busy woman with performances, recording schedules and also teaching at a well-known music school."  In the newspaper advertisement, the tag-line was, "I must have soft and supple fingers or my playing will not be up to standard."

Video: Late Teresa Khoo's "Lover's Concerto," from her debut EP,

Number 2 in the Singapore Charts in 1967.

NB:  According to the record cover and newspaper advertisements her name is Teresa and not Theresa ie: without the letter h.

YouTube Video You Don't Know Baby song downloaded by: blastfromdepast.
Images 2: Mun Chor Seng Copyrights Reserved.

Image 3: Billboard Magazine: February 1968.

LATEST NEWS: 12 January 2018:

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.sg/2018/01/winston-filmer-bass-man-rts-orchestra.html

LATEST NEWS: Friday 6 June 2014

SINGAPORE: Local ventriloquist Victor Khoo, brother to Teresa Khoo, died on Friday, June 6th aged 63.  A well-known international entertainer, and one that many Singaporeans grew up watching the radio show, Happy Talk on Saturday mornings, he was most famous for performing with his puppet Charlee since the 1970's.

Image: Straits Times Press Singapore, Archives.

Wanted: Like-Minded, Retired Musicians For Jams

As the population is greying, we are looking for like-minded, humble retired musicians to get together for afternoon tea and jamming sessions just to pass the time fruitfully and build friendship. As such we are looking for the following:

Guitarists, Drummers, Keyboardists, Vocalists and music enthusiasts to come together and have fun.

No agenda other than friendship and fun. If anything serious develops, it's a BONUS. During our silver years we need only each other to make our days fruitful.

Those interested please leave your contact on the Comment page below. Let's meet later to take it a step further. Your contact details will not be published.

(I have been asked by a retiree friend to forward this announcement. Do write in if you feel it in your bones. This posting does not generate any revenue.)

1972: Singapore Bruce Lee Beats Thugs At Cinema

(The above video is a masterpiece, creatively crafted by Shane Woodbury showing Bruce Lee at his peak. Watch it in full.)

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When martial-arts mania flexed its muscles and extended its flying kicks in Singapore 70s, "Kato" or "Big Boss" Bruce Lee became a cult hero on the big screen and "Grasshopper" David Carradine became one on the goggle box. I remember watching these two actors who had by then a large international following. 


1. Carl Douglas Album Cover

Every other day some exponent of TKD, karate or whatever else was chopping bricks, slicing wooden boards on TV or at the Community Centres in Singapore.  The mass hysteria even produced a single called Kung Fu Fighting (not Kung Fu Panda) by Carl Douglas that sold eleven million copies in 1974 (plenty in those days).

So everyone listen up, for here's a story about what happened at a cinema in Singapore in 1972 when fists of fury found their target on blackmarket ticket thugs.


2. Poster of Bruce Lee's movie in the 1970s.

The writer is a friend of James Kwok who is with our FOYers Group:

Hi Andy,

It would be nice like they say to *talk cock (pardon my language) and reminisce over the good old days, especially those days when T-Dances were so popular! One of my most unforgettable memories, and believe me, there're quite a few, was an incident at **The Orchard Theatre, which I would like to share with you.

3. David Carradine on the goggle box.

I vividly recalled, it was the first screening of Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury and the queue for tickets was almost a kilometer long.  I was in the queue, like all law-abiding citizens, when I noticed a gang of black-market thugs jumping the queue in front, shoving, and threatening those who dared to voice out.

I overheard one lady screaming, "Where's the police?" and was immediately told off by one of the gang members. That was when I sprung into action. Nobody realised that I was an arm-pai or mata-mata (plain-clothes cop).  With my revolver at my side (I was in plainclothes), and fresh from receiving a black belt in TKD (Tae Kwon Do from one of my Korean Masters at the then, Gay World), I started pulling these thugs out from the line.

They were too shocked by my action to retaliate, and before they were aware of what was going on, two of then were on the floor after having received my TKD kicks while the others took off!

4. An artist's impression of TKD which need not necessarily be violent.

I was pleasantly surprised when most of the fans in the queue started to clap and shouted their approval after what I did. How about that!  Pity it was not reported in the local media then.  Anyway, that was a REAL Bruce Lee's preview-lah and I did not even realise my action then. A mata-mata was in action to defend members of the public.

So many stories to recap Bruddher, and this is just one.  I simply love those good old days and can never, never, forget that, no matter where we are to-day.

Till we meet over our teh-tarik, and maybe, roti prata again.

God Bless,

Guru Happy.

About the writer:

Guru Happy lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada and is in the Police Harley Davidson (the latest Police Escort Bike) as their Fleet Co-ordinator, after retiring from the RCMP (the Federal Police).  He was with the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) to supervise the fleet for the 2010 Winter Olympics. 

He was the first, and only former Singaporean - an honour he is proud of - to be involved with the security for the Olympics which was a once in a lifetime dream.  He was entrusted not only with the arrangements for the local VVIPs, but also the US President, working along with the US Secret Service Agents. 

5. Letter writer Guru Happy with his Harley Davidson.

Like the saying goes, "Once a cop, always a cop" no matter where you are.  Happy promises more stories on this blog soon.

Original article/image 5:  Guru Happy Copyrights Reserved.

You Tube video from: Shane Woodbury.

Images 1, 2, 3, 4: from Google.

*Frivolous chatter. Perhaps coffeeshop talk.

**Orchard Cinema, Grange Road (1965-1995)

In 1965 when Singapore gained independence, Cathay Organisation opened their second cinema after Cathay. It is the Orchard Cinema (国宾戏院) at Grange Road.  It was closed in 1995 for renovation and re-established itself as Orchard Cineleisure today.

Today: February: 2023.

It's best to mask up like Kato, or you'll be in trouble, not with the law but with your health. Covid Nineteen and family are still around...

Bruce Lee as Kato in The Green Hornet. 

Better mask up, Covid or otherwise!!!