We felt so privileged to be invited to provide live music entertainment for Multicultural Community Concert at Morley Sports and Recreation Centre. Organised by City of Bayswater, we were thrilled to be a part of an ethnically colourful and diverse event. Special thanks to Beverley and team for making this happen. You were all incredible!
From Mauritian dancers to Italian accordionists, it was an afternoon of song and dance entertainment! We sang and played a segment consisting of our favourite vintage songs from Duke Ellington to traditional classics such as Bengawan Solo in various languages! Did you know for example, that the Indonesian traditional song Bengawan Solo had been performed also in Mandarin?
We love people, their culture, the languages that evolved with their stories over time, and their songs. Above all, we have a passion for music that has withstood the test of time. So sometimes, apart from putting multi-lingual arrangements of these beautiful tunes together, I am also moved to pen lyrics for them. So that good music can be enjoyed across cultures and languages. In this segment, we arranged a duet arrangement of ‘It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing’ by Ellington in both English and Mandarin. The essence? The swing thang!
Although we have shared these original multilingual arrangements in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Tokyo, Sydney, we haven’t yet shared it with our people in WA! So we savoured every moment of it.
The great sound from Smoke and Mirrors, minded by the wonderful sound technician Kyle really made our day! Highly recommended if you ever need a sound company.
We are stoked we have a live recording of the show to share with you! (See full-length highlights here.) Enjoy the photography from City of Bayswater along with our music: