Well, its been a good 3 or 4 months since I last wrote. I have been quite busy with work and Rugby, but at the same time, I'm trying not to take too much time off music.

2 significant events took place over the last week. The first is that I went to my very first jazz gig - yup, you heard me right, my first jazz gig. I've never been a big fan of jazz - I always thought it was a bit too long-winded, and way too complex for my small musical brain - the only thing it seemed to be good for was to play as background music when making lurrrrrvvvveeee. But the chance to see Jeff Berlin in person was too big a chance to pass.

And so, I went to the Enrico Rava New Quintet and the Henderson Chambers Trio gig on 14th October, which was part of the Hong Kong International Jazz Fesitval 2009, with my good friend and band mate Vic Lau.

The lads in the Enrico Rava New Quintet were clearly talented, and played a few good tunes - the Latino fueled funky numbers were particularly interesting, but the rest was...well, refer to the paragraphs above. But then, HCT came on, and my goodness, how impressive they were! Jeff Berlin has regularly been referred to as one of the top ten bassists in the world and I finally found out why. And despite what they say about his personality in all the bass mags I have read, he genuinely seemed like a nice bloke and his skills were amazing. His funk with Chambers was top class and they really dished out some luscious grooves. Jeff's bass solo was a rendition of Eric Clapton's "Tears In Heaven" - absolutely gorgeous! All in all, the lads very incredibly tight and very full, which was extremely impressive given that they are only a trio. I was also impressed with Chambers' drumming. Given the chance, I would love to watch these guys play again.







Second on the list is that I finally managed to get my Warwick Streamer LX-4 bass to my good friend LoHui to look at the electronics and the man finally found the problem and sorted her out. She's sounding mighty fine now...so much so I just might have to bring her out of retirement. Hehe...


Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NAg5gXWk7U

Well, its been a long time coming - over a decade of waiting to find one of these babies in the ultra-rare seafoam green finish and in good enough condition to restore and use, and over a month of waiting for my bro Daniel "LoHui" to work his magic on revamping it - but she's finally arrived! Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce my new stage axe, my revamped Epiphone Thunderbird IV (Non-Reverse),

Specs:

Korean-made Epiphone Thunderbird IV (Non-Reverse)

Custom pickguard crafted by GreasyGrooves

Bartolini 8SU-9J-L1 P-J Pickup Set, DR Low Rider Nickel 45-105 string set, Dunlop Dual Strap Button (Black), installation, setup and cleaning by LoHui.

Enjoy!

 

Well it's all coming together now. Of my 2 new battle axes, one is near completion and the other is already finished! For the time being though, I'll post some pics up on the latest development of my custom bass being built by local luthier Sha @ Riverwood Guitars.

 

It is with great, great sadness and a heavy heart that I write this blog entry.

I received a phone call yesterday from my good friend and old band leader Jerry "Ho Ming" that his student, our ex-band's roadie and no.1 supporter...not to mention, our very dear friend, Hoki "大埔雙刀基基" Lau, died last week from a freak accident. He was a very tender 25 years of age.

This is the second tribute I've had to write in 2009...when will it stop?...

Unlike Ian's departure though, KeiKei's sudden death has hit me many times harder. I...we were all very close with him. When I was first invited to join Raze back in the early millenia, Ho Ming had just taken KeiKei under his wing and was his guitar mentor. He quickly became a part of the family and we all helped to steer him back onto the right track after a volatile and rebellious childhood. He became the band's biggest supporter...he was there for virtually all our jam and practise sessions, even though he didn't have anything to do....but he listened and he enjoyed.

We used to do regular overnight sessions which would begin late at night with an intense jam session, followed by a good few rounds of mahjong and then to cap it all off, we'd have a nice congee breakfast together before we all buggered off home to sleep. Those were the most memorable moments of my music career...those days when we virtually lived in the band room...and KeiKei was always part of that.

KeiKei was our band's biggest support and critic, he gave valuable comments to our music and moreover, he was there for every show...he was our roadie and our technician and he never complained when he had to help carry the amps and the drumkits. That was him...he never complained...he was always there for his friends...friends were everything to him, and he'd take a knife for them if he needed to. He stood up for all his mates, opened his heart to all of them and never asked for anything back.

KeiKei wasn't just one of our students, or a friend, he was much more than that...he was a brother...we all treated him like a younger brother...and he was the centre of the band, motivating us to carry on when we fucked up in practise, sharing with us his brilliant humour and always, always making us laugh.

Even after Raze broke up, we remained top mates. The last time I saw KeiKei was exactly 3 months (to the day) before I heard of his news...at the X-Japan Hong Kong concert. Never could I have imagined that when he said goobye and turned away to get his seat in the stands with Ho Ming would be the last time I would ever see him.

KeiKei, you were larger than life, you were wise beyond your years and you were one of the most decent human beings I've ever had the pleasure of meeting and calling my friend. You are and always will be the 5th member of Raze and a part of the family.

Goodbye for now bro. Rest in peace. We love you.

 

Well, the master himself has been working hard on my new baby and I've just received the latest batch of pics from him. You're the man Sha! Keep it up.

That quilted maple is sssssssssssssswwwwwwwwwweet.