Still Singin' The Blues

It’s been 40 years since a little ol’ band from the south ventured north to spread its driving music … but Blues Gang isn’t about to call it quits just yet.

WHEN American fiddler Hart Wand recorded Dallas Blues in 1918, almost a century ago, he wouldn’t have fathomed the revolution he set in motion. That performance announced the arrival of the blues in its most recognised format, the 12-bar, which laid the foundation for the genre, allowing it to reach any culture that appreciated rhythm in music.

The soul of the blues would later emanate from the deep south of rural America in the post WWI years, eventually giving birth to rock ’n’ roll. Likewise, in the south of Malaysia, the blues grew and migrated up north to the capital by way of a bunch of individuals tired of 1960s pop and weary of the 1970s rock juggernaut.

And what did they do about it? They dug deep into the sounds they heard as youngsters on the radio and their LP collections, courtesy of 1960s British blues boom exponents like John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Alexis Korner and Fleetwood Mac, mixed it up with their rock sensibilities and ethnic roots, and conceived Blues Gang in the end. It’s hard to believe, but the nation’s foremost blues purveyor turned 40 this year. Yet, it all seems like only yesterday!

Piracy may have ravaged the band’s career, but Blues Gang was still all smiles when it received its Silver Record for Apo Nak Di Kato in 1983 from WEA records.

Time has certainly flown by for the quintet, too. But the band’s classic line-up, comprising Ito Mohd (vocals, harp, saxophone), Julian Mokhtar (guitar, vocals), Abdul Ghani Datuk Abu Talib (keyboards, guitar), Jim Madasamy (bass, vocals) and Shaik Karim (drums, vocals) is back for a 40th anniversary jaunt.

Back in 1973, during the band’s genesis, all this was nary an inkling of the times ahead. Bass player Madasamy still remembers those early days lucidly.

“Karim, Mat Dollah (original guitarist Ahmad Abdullah) and I started playing together in the late 1960s. We had no money to even own our own instruments,” he said over a round of tea recently.

The story goes that drummer Karim (who played bass then), a childhood friend of Madasamy’s from Kampung Pasir, on the fringes of Johor Baru, enrolled his band Changing Time – based in Woodlands, Singapore – in RTM’s Juara Kugiran band competition in 1972. Unfortunately, the band failed in the first round.

Using instruments from the defunct band, the boys duly slipped into the Singaporean live circuit for a year.

This was in the pre-Blues Gang days, when Madasamy, Karim and Mat Dollah went by the menacing moniker Messenger From Hell.

Manager Abang Ali predictably suggested a name change.

The classic lineup, minus Mokhtar, adds guitarist (right) Ian Anderson to the fray in 1998.

“James Gang inspired us, and we wanted a tough image, like the Rolling Stones, so we knew we wanted the Gang part in the name,” said Madasamy, laughing as he recalled those halcyon days.

“In the end, putting blues in front (of the name) seemed the natural thing to do because we were hardcore blues guys, to begin with,” he added, intimating that counter culture was frowned upon then ... particularly in Singapore.

The band soldiered on in the face of adversity, even bringing on a rhythm guitarist, Hatta (whose full name escapes the band now), for the ride but would suffer for it later. The hottest place to play at then was the Anzuk Club, the army base for Australian, New Zealand and British armed forces personnel serving in Singapore.

“Hatta didn’t drink, but got drunk at our first gig there. Dollah had to pull his guitar cable out to stop the noise he was making. When Hatta realised what was up, he kung fu kicked all the microphone stands on stage,” Madasamy recalled. The rapturous applause the band got was not enough to secure a second gig, though.

The band ended up crossing the Causeway back to Johor Baru in 1974 with little fanfare or fortune. The guys held down day jobs to keep their heads above water – Madasamy was an electroplater chroming bicycle rims while Karim worked at a biscuit factory.

With no major shows then, the band decided to move up to Kuala Lumpur. Having acquired Ito and Ghani the same year, Blues Gang spent its time at the band’s house in Medan Damansara (which then manager Zainal Ariffin had acquired for the band), honing its craft.

Ito, who spoke freely of days gone by recently, revealed that Blues Gang was just what he needed.

“I was just out of ITM (Institut Teknologi Mara in Shah Alam) and blues was the music I was into ... Muddy Waters, Rolling Stones, though I was into Grand Funk Railroad and James Gang before that.”

The mix gelled well and the band had its first taste of the big time at the tail end of that same year when the Rhythm & Blues Festival at Stadium Negara in November presented the-now quintet with the perfect opportunity to test itself in front of a sizeable audience, although the band had to beg for its half-hour slot. Blues Gang pulled out all the stops, performing Johnny Winter and Rolling Stones tunes, stealing the show in the process.

Finally, in 1977, the band got a break but had a rude shock initially at its audition, where after playing a bunch of blues tunes, the owner suggested a name change and adopting more commercial tunes into its repertoire.

Jim takes on vocal duties for a bit at a high octane show in 1981, back when the band was still trying to make a name for itself.

Consequently, in between playing disco gems like Fly Robin Fly and That’s The Way (I Like It) under the supposedly more economically viable name 15 Shillings, the band also got to throw in its blues tunes, giving it its first real growth spurt as a band at Fujiya Pub, in Old Town PJ.

Taking in the live scene in the Klang Valley in split-personality fashion – 15 Shillings for the commercial gigs and Blues Gang for creative satisfaction – allowed the band to maintain a public profile. Blues Gang also had a coveted year-plus stint at A&Z Pub in Bukit Damansara.

The band finally hit pay dirt when the Warner Elektra Atlantic (WEA) record label set up shop in Malaysia in 1978 with an office in Kuala Lumpur. WEA managing director Paul Ewing signed the boys on a five-year contract, joking that they were “signing their lives away”.

Life must have been cheap as the band earned a miserable 5% in royalties – shared between five people, but Madasamy confesses that the band was just eager to get an album out under its name at that point.

Anytime, Anyday arrived in 1979, a collection of largely English originals penned mostly by guitarist Mat Dollah amid a backdrop of changing musical trends. According to Madasamy, the album shifted 20,000 units legally, and 400,000 illegally. Piracy would plague the nation and the band throughout the 1980s.

However, even before the band had the chance to enjoy the modest success of its debut, Mat Dollah migrated to Australia, to be replaced by upstart Mokhtar.

“I was a pest ... I used to hang around those guys from when I first saw them in 1975. I’d try to jam with them whenever they’d let me. Then one day, when I went over to their place, I saw Dollah sitting outside looking glum. When I went in, I saw the rest of them looking glum, too. Then their manager pulled me aside and told me Dollah wanted to leave, and asked if I’d be willing to play with them. And within 10 minutes, I was in,” related the guitar player.

Still lacking proficiency in his craft, Mokhtar was engaged only for a brief, two-week stint. But in the middle of 1980, he bumped into the band’s manager and was given the chance to reunite with the band, which had recently secured a residency at the newly-opened Club Med in Cherating, Pahang.

The band’s club, K Blues Music House might have been a riot, but it sank as quickly as it surfaced.

“We decided to go with Julian rather than find someone new since he was so willing,” said Madasamy.

Madasamy, Ito and Mokhtar have great memories of their time at Club Med.

“That was the time of our lives. Club Med was a culture shock – the women in the stage productions there were often half naked,” Ito recalled with a broad smile.

“It was boot camp for me, being the youngest. After my nightly lectures from Jim, I’d be given homework to learn new songs,” said Mokhtar, revealing that he was able to remove his “L” (now “P”) plate when the band took off.

Club Med prepared the band for its follow-up, 1980’s Blues Gang, the band’s first all-Malay album. It wasn’t until 1982’s landmark Apo Nak Di Kato, however, that the band attained household status. The title track, a tune featuring the Minang dialect of Negri Sembilan, strangely has roots in Australia.

“I wrote that song while on a Greyhound bus travelling from Sydney to Melbourne, when we tried to tour Australia. I just recalled things back home and was inspired to share our culture with the world,” Ito explained.

The tour was a shambles because some members had visas while others didn’t, a gaffe by the band’s then manager, who was clueless about immigration requirements.

Apo Nak Di Kato hit gold, selling close to 50,000 units and placed the band among the nation’s most followed at the time. Blues Gang flexed its muscles as a lean, mean touring machine then, taking in a nationwide tour with Sweet Charity in Konsert Raksasa in 1984, covering everywhere from Machang in Kelantan to Teluk Intan in Perak.

But it was a concert in Arau, Perlis, just before Konsert Raksasa, that earned the band earned serious street cred and some notoriety, too, courtesy of its fans.

“We saw no one at our soundcheck, but after the gates at the expo (expo shows were commonplace in the 1980s, where music and funfair entertainment was all rolled into one) opened, 100,000 people rushed in. The place was so packed that we couldn’t drive in to the stage, so we had to walk nearly two kilometers,” Madasamy recalled.

“That show was reported about in the news and the papers the next day because about 20 people were injured in the stampede. I remember seeing people’s faces and shirts with footprints on them,” said Mokhtar, casting his mind back.

At the height of the band’s popularity in the early-to-mid-1980s, Blues Gang opened for a slew of international acts like the Ian Gillan Band (1982) and the Climax Blues Band (1983) at Stadium Merdeka, and Uriah Heep (1984) at Stadium Negara. The shows were all great successes for the band, although the Uriah Heep one didn’t go without incident.

“Heavy rain had drenched our equipment, so we needed to dry it all out. When the audience got edgy because of the delay, Uriah Heep’s roadies demanded we go on immediately. The situation reached a head and I remember picking up a mike stand and swinging it at one of the guys. Fortunately, someone pulled me away in the nick of time, so it missed,” Ito said with a hearty laugh. The mike stand might have missed its target, but his cussing and spitting hit the spot.

The quintet maintained its prolific album output through the 1980s, but piracy was never far off, forcing the band to rely on the live circuit and concert tours to make ends meet.

Blues Gang’s wheels started to come off sometime in 1986. Ito left first, and was soon followed by Ghani. The band then signed off the 1980s with 1988’s cryptically-titledMencari Penyelesaian.

In an attempt to stay afloat as a band, Karim’s younger brother Shaik Abdullah was roped in on drums while the older sibling stepped into the frontman’s role. The band even added a second guitar player with Azizi Ithnin joining the ranks for a while, but by then, the band had lost its mojo, although it carried on into the early 1990s before Mokhtar left in 1993.

Ito had two solo albums out by then, the aptly titled Aku and Perempuan, but joined Madasamy and Karim’s club band Purple Haze later on for a while. “I think my joining them allowed for the continuity of our relationship, which is why we are here now,” Ito admitted.

After leaving WEA, the band signed on to Universal Music and released Ribut Pendamai in 1998, with Englishman Ian Anderson on guitar. It gave the band a second wind of sorts at the turn of the century, but fans and band members harboured for a return to the glory days, which is why Blues Gang has kept up with numerous reunion shows over the years with its classic line-up.

The recent fund-raiser by the National Press Club at Istana Hotel in Kuala Lumpur was a case in point. Although it was the hits that the audience was there for, the biggest news for the night was the band’s plan to release an album next year.

“We are thinking of re-recording a couple of our old tunes, and writing a few more new ones. Between, Karim, Ito and I, we should be able to put a bunch of songs together. We’re really looking forward to this,” Madasamy said.

It’s evident that the dynamic within the band is still firmly intact, even with the inclusion of Azizi once again.

“Blues Gang is the best band I’ve been in. Everyone is on the ball and in fact, it’s more fun doing this today ... maybe because we’re hungry again,” Ito enthused.

He laments at how times have changed, with the ban on cigarette companies – who were responsible for the growth of the rock scene in the 1980s – sponsoring concerts. He still has one wish, though, which is to get the endorsement of RTM again.

“We owe a great debt to RTM for spreading our music back then, likewise the media and our fans,” Ito said.

Blues Gang has survived the times, from piracy to ill-advised business ventures like the band’s blues club, K Blues Music House, and from changing fads to Karim’s debilitating diabetes, which saw him lose two toes on his left foot. But through it all, the blues has kept the band on the straight and narrow.

“I never imagined a 40th anniversary. The blues has always been about the attitude to succeed, independent of personal hardship. If the Rolling Stones can do this even now, we are going to try, too,” Ito concluded.

This all seems a far cry from the days when Madasamy and Karim sat atop the hills at Bukit Timbalan in Johor Baru and dreamed of the big time. Who would’ve thought that 40 years on, the Blues Gang would still be singing the blues?

National Press Club annual dinner in celebration of Blues Gang 40th anniversary at Istana Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

BLUES BROTHERS

Julian Mokhtar
Born: 1959
Origin: Born in Malacca, but raised in Kuala Lumpur
Most influential guitarist: Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards
Favourite blues songs: Dust My Broom (Elmore James) and Hideaway (Feddy King) 

Abdul Ghani
Born: 1951
Origin: Born in Singapore, but raised in Johor Baru
Most influential keyboardist: Champion Jack Dupree, Professor Longhair
Favourite blues songs: Nobody
Knows You When You’re Down And Out (Allman Brothers Band), Stormy Monday Blues (T-Bone Walker)

Ito Mohd
Born: 1951
Origin: Born in Alor Gajah, Malacca
Most influential singer: Muddy Waters, Mick Jagger
Favourite blues songs: Hoochie Coochie Man (Muddy Waters) and Dead Flowers (Rolling Stones)

Shaik Karim
Born: 1954
Origin: Born in Penang, but moved to Kg Pasir (off Johor Baru), Johor
Most influential drummer: John Bonham, Charlie Watts
Favourite blues songs: To Know You Is To Love You (BB King) and Out Of Reach (Fleetwood Mac)

Jim Madasamy
Born: 1950
Origin: Born in Pontian, but raised in Kg Pasir, Johor
Most influential bassist: Paul McCartney, Larry Taylor
Favourite blues songs: Looking Back (John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers) and Love In Vain (Rolling Stones)

Article Source

New Year Eve Dinner at Istana Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Welcome New Year with lavish dishes at Urban, Kuala Lumpur hotel promotion with the price of RM220 nett per person and rejuvenate your taste buds with their complimentary pre-cocktails or mocktails.

For more info, call 03 2141 9988 ext 3691 or visit this URL http://t.co/eNHGMvzyUE

While dining at our 5 star hotel in KL, please check our other promotions here Kuala Lumpur Hotel Promotion.

Highlight: Alabbar Returns to Property Scene

KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary and UAE-based Mohamed Ali Rashed Alabbar have teamed up to develop the RM6 billion Tradewinds Centre project in Kuala Lumpur. To the best 5 star accommodation in KL.

It is learnt that Mohamed Ali, or better known as Alabbar, has set up a company called Tradewinds International Sdn Bhd to undertake the property venture with Syed Mokhtar.

Alabbar, the founder and chairman of Dubai’s Emaar Properties, is already in partnership with Syed Mokhtar to build an aluminium smelter in Sarawak.

A search at the Companies Commission of Malaysia reveals that Tradewinds International was set up less than two months ago on Oct 25. Its three shareholders are Alabbar, MMC Corp Bhd chief executive Datuk Seri Che Khalib Mohamad Noh and Cheng Mooi Soong. The three are also directors of the company.

Tradewinds International’s website states that it is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tradewinds Corp Bhd, which was delisted on Sept 26. Tradewinds International was registered a month after the delisting.

The website also said: “… Mr Alabbar is focused on growing Tradewinds International into a world-class real estate developer and strategic adviser for master planning services.”

In a recent interview in Dubai, Alabbar told The Edge Financial Daily that he travelled frequently to Malaysia as he and Syed Mokhtar have been in partnership for years. However, he did not mention Tradewinds International.

Alabbar did say that he was looking at other opportunities in Malaysia as he finds it a very exciting market. According to him, there have been serious discussions on certain matters and it is likely that a decision will be made soon.

He indicated that there are also plans to venture into the hospitality and retail sectors, and to look at Iskandar Malaysia via Tradewinds. “Everybody is talking about Iskandar, so we need to look at Iskandar too,” he said without elaborating.

Alabbar made the headlines in 2003, when he was made chairman of United Malayan Land Bhd following his acquisition of a 24.7% stake from Pernas International Holdings Bhd. In April 2005, he relinquished his position and quietly left the local property scene.

Tradewinds Corp owns and operates hotels such as The Danna Langkawi, The Istana Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Mutiara Johor Bahru and Mutiara Taman Negara. Venturing to hotel in KL Malaysia. It also owns the Meritus Pelangi Beach Resort & Spa in Langkawi, Hilton Kuching, Hilton Petaling Jaya and the Batang Ai Longhouse Resort, managed by Hilton in Sarawak.

In terms of landbank in Johor, Tradewinds Corp has a total of 3,661 acres available for development. The parcels of land are located in Nusajaya (607 acres), Sedili (2,055 acres), Pulai (629 acres) and Mount Austin (370 acres).

Tradewinds Corp also operates the Harrods outlets in Malaysia, while its unit is participating in the development of the world’s first Harrods Hotel and Residences. All provide 5 star hotel Deluxe Rooms.

On its website, Tradewinds International describes itself as a premier Asian property developer based in Malaysia with a forte in creating iconic integrated development projects comprising mixed-use residential, commercial and retail segments.

Tradewinds Centre, which has an estimated gross development value of RM6 billion, will be on an 8.58-acre site and will offer 5.5 million sq ft in gross floor area, comprising retail outlets, offices, serviced apartments and a medical centre.

It will replace the old Crowne Plaza Mutiara and Kompleks Antarabangsa buildings in Jalan Sultan Ismail. The new building will have four towers and a retail podium. The towers will include a 65-storey and a 24-storey office block, as well as a 54-storey serviced apartment and a 14-storey medical centre.

Alabbar, the founder and chairman of Africa Middle East Resources, is said to also have a 50:50 joint venture with Syed Mokhtar in that company.

Press Release Source

Annual Thalassaemia Christmas Lunch

Annual Thalassaemia Christmas Lunch with THASUH and Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur City Centre associates. This event was held at 15th Decmber 2013 at Mahkota Ballroom II.

                   

                       

Pic: Tree of Hope, each donation will grow a leave.

                       

Pic: Advisor of THASUh, Prof. Chan Lee Lee awarded a plague of appreciation to Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur City Centre.

Hotel Istana is a popular place as business hotel in KL. If you are interested to host your meetings or events at out hotel, please call our customer service hotline +603 2141 9988.

Thanks.

Urban Sous Chef Winner

More medals for our rack! Congratulations to our Urban Sous Chef, Chef Ismail Md Yusof for winning Gold and Bronze Medals during Salon Culinaire Mondial, Basel 2013.

Our chef achievement shows Istana Hotel KLCC prioritise on food delicacies to our dear customers.

More info on our Facebook page here

Also check out our Christmas Dinner / Buffet promotions here:
Christmas Eve Dinner @ Urban
Christmas Buffet @ Taman Sari

Christmas Eve Dinner @ Urban, Hotel Istana KLCC

Mark your calendar on 24th December 2013 as you should be at Urban to make ravishing toast with your preferred wine bottles while you savor your delightful Traditional Christmas Menu with your loved ones at our 5 star hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

Besides our delicious menu, we welcome you to stay over at Istana Hotel Kuala Lumpur City Centre while enjoying the Christmas dinner here. We offer the 5 star accommodation in KL with attractive room promotions.

For more info, call 03 2141 9988 ext 3691 or visit our Facebook page here

Christmas Buffet at Taman Sari, 5 Star Hotel Enjoyment

It’s December again, the jolly month of scrumptious food, amazing presents and unforgettable celebrations. 

Be at Taman Sari with your family to enjoy our Christmas Eve Dinner buffet, Christmas Day Hi-tea buffet and Christmas Day Dinner Buffet. Delicious to the last belt notch! 

For more information, please call 03 2141 9988 ext 3667 OR follow our Facebook page here
Also check out our 5 star rooms promotions at Istana Hotel Kuala Lumpur.

Flash Deal - Deluxe Minimum 2 Nights Stay

Flash Deal - Deluxe Minimum 2 Nights Stay at Istana Hotel KL with 5 Star Hotel Club Lounge. Kuala Lumpur Deluxe Rooms is tastefully decorated with warm earthy colours and decorated with traditional fabric accessories. Ideal for corporate and leisure travellers. Choice of king-sized or twin beds.

Limited rooms are available for a limited time only.

Hurry and book with us today! Please click here to do the booking.

This promotion includes:
Fluctuating rate throughout promotion period
Complimentary unlimited internet broadband in the room
Complimentary Wi-Fi in restaurants and lounge

Istana Hotel offers the best Kuala Lumpur room package.

Lillian Too Feng Shui Extravaganza 2014 at 5 Star Hotel in Kuala Lumpur

Ticket to ‘Lillian Too Feng Shui Extravaganza 2014’ on 8th Dec 2013 at Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur from RM48 

It is said riches may be obtained through hard work, innovative ideas, and the password to the vault from one's bank manager. Today’s Groupon enjoys passive income with free seating tickets to ‘Lillian Too’s Feng Shui Extravaganza 2014’ from WOFS.COM at Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur. Choose from:

- Ticket for 1 person for RM48 instead of RM128

- Tickets for 2 people for RM78 instead of RM256 (only RM39 per person)

- Tickets for 4 people for RM118 instead of RM512 (only RM29.50 per person)

Event details

Event: Lillian Too Feng Shui Extravaganza 2014

Date: Dec 8, 2013

Time: 10am – 5pm. Doors open at 9.30am

Ticket collection venue: The Grand Mahkota Ballroom, Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur

Ticket collection: Dec 8, 2013 (9am onwards)

Dress code: Casual or semi-formal

You can get the ticket from this Groupon website

Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur held many interesting meetings and events. We are the most poplar business hotel in KL.

National Press Club Malaysia is Holding a Charity Dinner at Our Business Hotel in KL

KUALA LUMPUR: The National Press Club (NPC) Malaysia is holding a charity dinner to help those in the media who need money for medical expenses.

The event will be at 5 star luxury Hotel Istana on Dec 14, and profits will be raised through the sale of vouchers, either per table or per person.

A table of 10 seats will cost between RM10,000 and RM20,000, while an individual ticket will cost RM100 each.

The event organising chairman, Joe Fernando said they are offering 45 tables and 25 have already been taken at our hotel near Jalan Alor.

"Currently, we have 13 corporate companies participating in this event and 19 more will give us their feedback soon," he said adding that they are hoping to raise RM300,000 during the event.
Meanwhile, NPC Malaysia president, Mokhtar Hussain said the funds are not only meant for members of the media but their relatives too.

"We will help those in need on a case by case basis.

"In the past not only journalists or cameramen were eligible to receive the donation but their wives, children, parents and cousins."

"These cases are reviewed by our committee who will usually get back to us in two weeks," said Mokhtar.
This ceremony is also a celebration of Malaysia's veteran pop group the Blues Gang who are celebrating their 40th anniversary.

They will entertain guests with some of their famous hit songs such as Apo Nak Di Kato.
Besides the Blues Gang, a group of talented buskers aged 20 to 26 who call themselves Pokok Cherry will also be performing on that day.

Tickets can be purchased at the NPC Malaysia office at 84 Jalan Tangsi, 50480 Kuala Lumpur.
For enquiries, email nationalpressclub@gmail.com.

For those attendees coming from outstation, you can stay over at our Hotel Istana KLCC while attending this dinner event. Please check our 5 stars hotel Kuala Lumpur room package

Istana Hotel Kuala Lumpur City Centre is a dedicated 5 Star Suites in KL that held many events that contribute to the local society, economy and government.