A jazzy remake
Sean Ghazi jazzes up the P. Ramlee-Saloma song Gelora with a little help from his brother Tate and collaborator Ida Mariana, writes Dennis Chua
I wanted a departure from the lush orchestrations of Semalam.
Sean Ghazi
BACK in 2007, he played the late Tan Sri P. Ramlee in the entertaining theatre production P.
Ramlee The Musical.
It’s only natural then that almost 56 years after Gelora was recorded by the legend and his wife Puan Sri Saloma for Seniman Bujang Lapok, the multi-talented crooner Sean Ghazi would release a re-imagining of the well-loved song.
Sean has roped in his brother Tate Mario, and fellow singer Ida Mariana Azmi, for the jazzy remake that comes with a new music video.
The 48-year-old says that it’s the first single after his debut album, Semalam
(2006). The music was recorded in the United States and Kuala Lumpur this year.
Gelora 2017 also features a feverish arrangement by American band the Stylo Mylos, with whom Sean sang during his days in the US from 2009 to 2015.
“I wanted a departure from the lush orchestrations of Semalam and a new sound with a lean instrument lineup,” he says during Gelora 2017’s launch event with Ida at his restaurant, Bobo KL, in Kuala Lumpur.
Featuring only four musicians on guitar, bass, percussion and organ, the experiment resulted in a crisp and edgy version of Gelora, capturing the essence of old school pop with inspiration from jazz and contemporary music.
“The idea for a new arrangement of
Gelora came while I was playing the title role in P. Ramlee The Musical a decade ago. Over the years I have performed the song live with duet partners but I took the plunge to workshop it when I was in the US.”
CONCEIVED IN THE US
Sean has always wanted to record with his longtime friend Ida, a well-known figure in the local jazz scene, who was in the ensemble of P. Ramlee The Musical.
Ida, best known for her kebaya jazz performances in Alexis Bistro, had joined him in Portland, Oregon for a concert in Washington Park in 2015. While there, they worked closely with the US musicians to create a “steamier” version of Gelora.
Sean reveals that reason for releasing Gelora 2017 was to bring the sounds of Malaysia to a global audience, and he also strongly believes in keeping the country’s musical heritage alive.
“I feel this classic material belongs to the international repertoire and if I can play my part in securing a place for a classic P. Ramlee tune next to My Way,
Sway and Unforgettable, it will create an elevated position for our heritage and put it on a global platform.”
RETRO-CONTEMPORARY CHIC
The video for Gelora 2017 was directed by Tate, who was also responsible for creating the videos of Sean’s Semalam and Ku
Impikan Bintang. It was recorded within a day in Kuala Lumpur about a month ago.
“In the video, we wanted to explore the relationship between an iconic pairing such as P. Ramlee and Saloma. We created the roles of a photographer, played by me, and his muse, played by Ida.”
The video was shot in colour but against the backdrop of a stark white soundstage, giving the illusion of a blackand-white film.
“The black-and-white contrast of the set is a nod to my video for Semalam.”
Sean wanted Gelora 2017 to be “lean and mean”, as part of his belief that simple and minimal is beautiful.
“We shot the film on a white soundstage, wrapping it up in less than 24 hours.”
Artistic directions were made to transform Sean’s look.
“We took elements of the Silver Fox image in Savile Row menswear campaigns.”
Sean’s look was made complete with simple sartorial elements from Sacoor Brothers Malaysia.
As for Ida, she was styled for the role of a screen goddess with a sequinned dress by Lagenda KL, make-up by Khir Khalid and MAC Cosmetics, hair by Mesh Subra and nails by Posh! Nail Spa artist Rachel Yap.
She says: “The overall aesthetic was not to lock ourselves down in a recreated retro world, but to sit in a stylistic grey area. It has a retro feel suggestive of a time gone by but it is also contemporary.”
MUSICAL OF NOSTALGIA
With music engineered by Peter Chong,
Gelora 2017 is out on Bandchamp as a free download.
“We decided to release the track for free via Mile High Sounds on Bandcamp,” says Sean.
Mile High Sounds headed by music producer Reuben Samuel has also created a dance remix.
The main mix and remix are at mhs. io/gelora2017.
The video, which also features cameos by choreographers Suhaili Micheline and January Low, is on YouTube and Facebook.
Sean, a fan of the music of P. Ramlee and composer Jimmy Boyle, plans to release two more volumes of remade “golden oldies” under the titles of
Semalam 2 and 3 over the next few years. “I also plan to create an all-Malaysian periodic musical based on the song
Semalam, and it celebrates the country’s music, culture and history. I plan to include songs by Ramlee, Boyle and other legendary composers in this nostalgic story.”