Ooi Eow Jin: A Humble Virtuoso in Malaysia’s Music History
8 min read
“Mr. Ooi is one of a handful of non-Malays involved in a predominantly Malay business: ‘Playing Malay music and appreciating…
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Ahmad Nawab: A Dominant Force in Malaysia's World of Music
8 min read
PENANG-BORN AHMAD NAWAB was a towering figure in Malaysian music. Born on 6 April 1933, Ahmad was the first child…
Flyers from the Golden Age of Cinema
4 min read
THE GOLDEN AGE of Malaysian Cinema, spanning the 1950s to the 1970s, saw moviegoers lining up to catch the latest releases. For more popular shows, scalpers wou...
Penang – Motherland of Musicians
9 min read
As a small state, Penang is certainly not short of talent – perhaps it’s in the water we drink. It has produced many musical geniuses throughout the...
Echoes, Shadows & Footprints: A Symposium on the Upkeep of the Arts
9 min read
IT IS GENERALLY observed that there is a chasm between music, arts and culture practitioners, on the one hand, and academics on the other. The reason behind it...
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Jimmy Boyle: The Man and His Music
10 min read
Probably one of the most brilliant and imaginative musicians in the Federation today….. As a Malayan Musician, Jimmy is in a class by himself. His technique is...
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Remembering Penang’s Municipal Band
6 min read
DID YOU KNOW that in the late 1800s, Penang had its very own municipal band? The exact year of its formation remains unclear; newspaper clippings from January 8...
Indian Music and Arts in Malaysia Have Many Roots
4 min read
INDIAN MUSIC IN Malaya before the 20th century was mainly of the Indian Classical and Carnatic modes, and these were performed in temples for religious celebrat...
Radio Request Cards: A Blast from the Past
5 min read
ONE FEELS A sense of enveloping nostalgia, reading through the collection of old radio request cards; the words acting as a portal into the distant past when le...
A Very Brief Note on Entertainment Magazines in Malaysia
2 min read
FROM 1940s THROUGH to the 1980s, magazines were a promotional tool for the film industry in this part of the world. The Shaw Organisation dominated the movie ma...