Talented guitarist revived the gambus

SINGAPORE- Singapore's Farid Ali was the go-to jazz guitarist in Asia for international stars such as Eric Marienthal. He also took a classical string instrument, the gambus, to new heights around the world.

He died in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday evening, after a month-long stay in hospital battling diabetes-related illnesses, including kidney failure, his family said. He would have turned 51 on Jan 9.

He is survived by his second wife of seven years, Madam Tricia Chew, 40, who helped manage his career. He had no children.

A graduate of the Berklee College Of Music in Boston, whose alumni include Diana Krall and Quincy Jones, Farid was one of the best known jazz guitarists on the Singapore music scene in the 1970s and 1980s.

He fronted progressive blues band Pacific Rim here before leaving for Malaysia in 1990, where he played for some 10 years as a member of the band Phase First, featuring American drummer Shawn Kelley, British saxophonist Greg Lyons and Malaysian keyboard player Aubrey Suwito.

There, he also became one of the country's best known exponents of the gambus, a Middle-Eastern stringed instrument which he wrote and recorded several original compositions for, including his solo album Turning Point: Gambus Goes Jazz (2007) and No Strings Attached (2006), with Malaysian guitarist Roger Wang.

A regular at music festivals, including Singapore's Mosaic Music Festival, the Pori Jazz Festival in Finland and the Montreal Jazz Festival, a highlight of his career was playing the gambus at a concert in Paris in 2005 celebrating the 60th anniversary of the United Nations' rights body, Unesco.

"He really revived the instrument," says his older sister Faridah Ali Chang, 52, a lyricist and singer who performed with her brother in the 1970s ensemble Stardust, which featured musicians such as Monteiro. "He was always very talented musically."

Farid was the youngest of eight children, his father a superscale draftsman in the civil service and mother a housewife.

He was practically brought up by his oldest sister, restaurateur Aziza Ali, 63, who took him to a musical competition at the then Radio and Television of Singapore. That led to a singing gig when he was five years old. She also later paid for his musical education.

Farid attended Radin Mas Primary School and Yusof Ishak Secondary School before his love of music led him to ask Faridah, then based in the United States, to submit a cassette tape of his work to the Musicians Institute of California. He got in, even though he did not know much musical theory nor how to read musical notation, she said.

He later went to Berklee, where he won an award for best musical arrangement in the 1988 Curacao International Music Festival.

On returning to Singapore, he worked intensively with Monteiro and was often called in as a vocalist and guitarist for the older man's band Asiana and to record dozens of advertisement jingles as well.

"He was really all about the music," says Monteiro, 53, who has been uploading videos of their old concerts onto YouTube since hearing the news of Farid's death.

"He had his own vision about what he wanted to do. I feel sorry we drifted apart and went our own ways but thinking back on those performances we did, it seems like only yesterday."

Farid's yen to have a band of his own helped launch the careers of several local music leaders.

Electric bass guitarist Ignatius Bong was an early member of Pacific Rim, jazz pianist Joshua Wan a frequent guest act at Farid's concerts in a Duxton Hill joint known as the Bar And Grill inspired a young waiter, Mr Danny Loong, to co-found the Timbre Group of restaurants known for their musical nights.

Bong, 44, recalls Farid with affection for his "tough love", which often meant yelling at the four-member band until they got their act absolutely perfect.

"I learnt a lot from him. He was a very strict band leader who wanted perfection, so he drilled the band very well. He was a mentor to me, guiding me in terms of the business of music and how to make a living from it."

Wan, 47, played with Farid in a trio for nine months at Duxton Hill in 1990.

He says: "At the time, he was probably the most gifted and naturally talented guitarist in Singapore. There wasn't anybody like that who sang so soulfully.

"Other than the music stuff, he was just a genuine warm guy with no pretensions. He was very humble."

Photographer Russel Wong, 52, was a fan who became a friend and shot Farid often for his album covers and promotional posters.

"He was quite an accomplished musician," says Wong, who recommended his friend to overseas musicians looking for contacts in Asia. One was saxophonist Eric Marienthal, who played a concert with Farid in the 1990s and ended up touring with him in Indonesia.

Farid also played with noted musicians Ernie Watts in 1992 at Hard Rock Cafe in Singapore and Bobby McFerrin in 2004 at the Esplanade. His health took a turn for the worse about five years ago when he was diagnosed with diabetes, which his family says he probably developed during his years in the United States.

Among the complications were heart problems - he had a pacemaker implanted - and a loss of hearing, addressed three years ago with a cochlear implant. It allowed him to return to music, teaching at his own school in Kuala Lumpur, the Faridian Jazz Guitar Programmes, and performing as recently as August with the Farid Ali Trio.

Monteiro says: "It's not how long you live, it's what you did with your life and as far as Farid is concerned, though he left us at the age of 50, he accomplished everything he set out to do for himself."

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