Jazzing up Gelora
> Award-winning singer and thespian Sean Ghazi has recorded his version of P. Ramlee’s hit tune in a new music video
Gelora collaborators, Ida is making her mainstream musical debut with Gelora. Sean has also roped in his brother, director Tate Mario Ghazi, to direct the music video for the song. In the video, Sean plays a photographer while Ida is his muse, and they fall in love during a photoshoot. “We wanted to explore the relationship between Ramlee and Saloma [in the music video],” explains Sean. “They were the Brangelina of their time.” The idea to add a new spin to Gelora was born 10 years ago, when Sean starred as the legendary singer-actor-director in P. Ramlee the Musical. Gelora is featured in a scene in the musical, and Sean says that each time he performed the song, the audience would give him a standing ovation. This convinced Sean that it was time for a new version of Gelora. “It is the dream of every songwriter to write timeless hits, and Ramlee [achieved] that,” says Sean, who insists that he is not directly challenging Ramlee’s classic with his version. “I never had the intention that my song should be better than Ramlee’s,” he adds. Some purists believe remakes only distort the value of the original songs. “If all of us are purists, then works of art will just be kept in the museum, and we can only look at them from afar,” says Sean. “But to me, art should always be a work in progress. “We have put a new spin to [this song] so that it will be relevant to the next generation. “It is like cooking recipes that have been passed down from one generation to another – you are not going to cook your grandmother’s curry the same way [she did]. “The same thing goes with music.” Sean believes the new version of Gelora might make younger generations curious about the original.
It may even make them want to listen to Ramlee’s other popular hits, and along the way, rediscover his legacy all over again.
The new Gelora is available as a free download on the Tarakucha website ( www. tarakuchacha.com).
Tarakucha is a local jazz band which Sean formed and currently performs with in Kuala Lumpur.
The website will also feature the music video for the song, as well as a unique remix of Gelora by DJ Blastique.
Sean explains: “I feel like some of this classic material belongs in the international repertoire.
“And if I can play my part in securing a place for a P. Ramlee tune next to the My Ways, Sways and Unforgettables of the world, then that would create an elevated position for our musical heritage and keep it alive on a global platform.”
Blessed with a rich and varied stage and music career, which includes performances in Europe, Southeast Asia and the United States, Sean was asked what advice he would give to others wanting to try their luck in the international performing arts scene like him.
Sean says: “The competition is intense and you should have some skills (other than singing). You need to use these skills when you are searching for (singing) opportunities.”
Sean says he had done the same, working part-time in restaurants while waiting for his big break in the United States.
“You still have to cari makan while pursuing your dreams,” he adds.