An Evening of Jazz at the Singapore International Jazz Festival 2014

Last Sunday evening I attended the final night of the Singapore International Jazz Festival (Sing Jazz) 2014 at Marina Bay Sands.  This was the inaugural festival in Singapore and saw some pretty cool names playing over the four days, including Jamie Cullum and Natalie Cole as well as many emerging talents.  
                                                                                                
Sipping on my FIJI Water, the official artesian water for the festival

Fortunately with the dry spell Singapore is currently experiencing there was no need to worry about the weather but it also meant we needed to ensure we kept ourselves well hydrated with the FIJI Water available to purchase.  With a host of free acts performing across the weekend we got there early on the Sunday afternoon to enjoy a drink, some dinner and some of the free entertainment first before heading into the Event Plaza for the main acts.

Backdrop to the festival

The main acts playing on the Sunday included Roberta Gambarini, Roy Hargrove, Gregory Porter and the Earth, Wind & Fire Experience.  All the performers played great sets and got the audience up on their feet and really into the music being played.  The performances were a mix of both singing and instrumental pieces, really upbeat and lots of fun.  Although I wasn't particularly knowledgeable about the performers (with the exception of the Earth, Wind & Fire Experience) prior to the night they were all great.  I particularly enjoyed Roy Hargrove who plays the jazz trumpet and played some really great music.  

In addition we were also in a prime spot to catch the nightly Light and Water Show at Marina Bay Sands something I've not seen before.  I've seen the lasers from Marina Bay Sands but never been in a position to see the water part too.  A nice little extra to our evening.


Stage area

The festival organisers are keen to show that there is an 'important and social development element to Sing Jazz' as well with the proceeds from the festival ticket sales going towards supporting the Foundation for Arts and Social Enterprise in providing funding to develop and promote local jazz talent through a Jazz Academy.  In turn the artists supported now will be expected to nurture the next generation of musicians in a creative 'circle of help'.  The organisers of this year's festival therefore hope to establish an enduring, world-class live music festival here in Singapore bringing together some of the world's best jazz acts and emerging talents, both regional and local.  


Backdrop by night

As I've already mentioned it really was a great night out no matter whether you were an ardent jazz fan or just someone, like me, who enjoys listening to good music of any type.  With the stunning Singapore skyline backdrop, great company and some fabulous jazz music how could we not enjoy ourselves?  I look forward to the festival returning next year.


Stage area by night

This blog post resulted from an invitation and represents the thoughts and opinions of the writer. All information on this blog is provided "as is", with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy or timeliness and the writer will not be liable for any losses, injuries or damages from the display or use of this information. All text and photos on this blog are the original works of the writer unless stated otherwise.

Thank you to FoodNews PR, FIJI Water and the Singapore International Jazz Festival for the kind invitation.

Comments

Popular Posts