jUnKoFuNc

What do a bunch of musicians who are busy with studio recordings, music festivals, music workshops and traveling for gigs in and out of the country do with their time off? Why, they play more music, of course.

Albert Sirimal, guitar maestro, has put together a funk band for the Genting International Jazz Festival with an ensemble that reads like a Who’s Who of Malaysian jazz musicians.

They are the only local band to join the other 9 international bands flying in for the festival that will be held on the 4th – 5th of April 2008 at Genting Highlands.

Named jUnKoFuNc, the project band was conceptualised by Albert and bass player Andy Peterson. Over a cold beer, I asked his music direction and he replied “Dude, the genre is funk, pure funk”.

Funk music is an American creation of the 1960’s. In the 1950’s, West Coast jazz styles were the chic thing to listen to. These had more European elements, were more experimental, had smaller chamber groups and catered to an elitist upper-class audience.

As a directly opposing reaction, hard bop music came about and moved back to its “bebop” roots – incorporating more gospel, blues and a very dominant bass line.

With the addition of the organ and saxophone and simpler harmonies, the style became what was called soul jazz. The main rhythm groove was more repetitive and less improvised.

Soul jazz then mixed with Rhythm & Blues to become more upbeat and dance based. These were the beginnings of Funk.

The bass line and the drums in funk music still form the dominant anchor. Complex polyphonic rhythms are the aim. The harmony is more static, tending to hover around a single chord.

There is a distinctive percussive timbre in funk music – not just from the drums and the bass guitar with its exciting slap-bass technique, but also from the attack of guitars and keyboards or organ and saxophone.

This off-shoot of bebop jazz is particularly popular with Malaysian jazz bands.

The band consists of Albert Sirimal on guitars and main vocals, Andy Peterson on bass, John Ashley Thomas on drums, Justin on keyboards, Badar on percussions and Ahmad Muriz on saxophone.

ALBERT started his musical career in 1985 as a soloist, playing the guitar and singing in many of the local clubs around Klang Valley.

When he emerged as runner-up in the Carlsberg Top Of The Pubs 1989 competition, Albert expanded his horizon by collaborating with other musicians to form bands, working alongside them in concerts, tours, sessions, music festivals and workshops.

Having played with some of the most talented musicians in and outside Malaysia, he has developed his own finger-style guitar picking.

As a highly-respected sessionist, Albert has been called upon to play with a plethora of local stars including Ning, Sheila, Ferhad, Prema Lucas, Maya Karin, Zainal Abidin, Jamal Abdillah, M. Nasir, Too Phat, Reshmonu and various others.

Albert's distinctive guitaring ability saw him exploring beyond Malaysian shores and performing gigs in Thailand, Singapore, Germany and the UK.

ANDY PETERSON is the most sought after bass player in Asia. An outstanding and amazing bass player, Andy has worked with Jackie Cheung, A-Mei, David Tao, Billy Cobham, Harlem Yu and local artistes like Siti Nurharliza, Steve Thorton, Zainal Abidin and Sheila Majid.

Currently a Yamaha Bass Endorsee, Andy encompasses all genres, be it jazz, rock, soul and in the case of jUnKoFuNc, it’s Andys favourite, funk.

Teaming up with Andy to handle the rhythm section is JOHN ASHLEY THOMAS on drums. A very talented and phenomenal drummer, John started playing drums when he was just 3 years old.

His credits include working with Grammy award-winning flautist Nestor Torres and touring the Blue Note circuit in Japan with Motown legends The Three Degrees, and playing at numerous jazz festivals including Arts Alive! Jazz Fest in South Africa and Jarasum International Jazz Fest in South Korea.

He has performed with premiere Jazz/Latin/Funk musicians and bands like Farid Ali, Steve Thornton, Grey Lyons, Alonso Gonzalez, Akihiko Matsui and Jiro Okada of Junky Funk from Japan, Yu Quan from China and Frank Gambale.

He won the Best Drummer Award 2002 at the Yamaha AsiaBeat Band competition and currently is a Yamaha Drums Endorsee and Sabian Cymbals International Endorsee. John currently heads his own band Funk Mob.

Also in the ensemble is JUSTIN LIM who will be handling the piano and keyboards. Justin has performed and recorded with musicians and artistes of diverse inclinations. His performing experience includes stints with artistes like Isaac Entry, Noryn Aziz, Angelita Li and Kris Dayanti.

He has contributed his talents to various recordings such as the yet-to-be-released album by Greg Lyons Nonet, indie icon Pete Teo's sophomore album Television (2006) and Malay pop artiste Min Malik's single "Jemu" (2000).

From 2004-2005, he was a member of the now defunct indie rock outfit, Her Reverie, playing guitars and keyboards. His compositions and arrangements can be heard on Ong Yuen Kwan's spoken word album The Most Beautiful Time (2007) and also on the independent film Thank God I'm an Atheist (2007). Justin is a recent graduate of the Penn State University with a MMus in Composition/Theory.

When the idea of getting a horn section to be part of the band was brought up, the vote was unanimous. AHMAD MURIZ CHE ROS. A graduate from the highly acclaimed Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, majoring in film score, Muriz may like jazz but his feet can’t stop tapping to contemporary orchestral music.

Currently attached with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Muriz’s extensive work on arrangements and composition exploring the rich heritage of traditional Malay music has been highly respected by music lovers and musicians themselves. Muriz will be playing the saxophone and handle all brass arrangements for jUnKoFuNc.

And to top it all, providing that bit of Latin flair to the whole music arrangements is BADAR. Having associated himself with the likes of Mr Gambus @ Farid Ali and Karen Nunis, Badar is one of the most sought after percussionists in Malaysia.

His dedication towards his profession has taken him all over Malaysia and across Asia. Badar can be caught playing regularly alongside Albert Sirimal and singer Vijay David, shuttling between KL, Singapore and various parts of Asia.

The Genting International Jazz Festival 2008 will feature the largest repertoire presented so far in its run.

Tickets, band information, room packages etc can be found on the website www.gentingjazz.com. The hotline number to call is 03-2718 1118.