MY ‘HELLO STEVIE’...Dec 2009

i luv this moment

after the concert

It was few months before, when Fatin just came back from Germany…the idea to gather alumni for the Year-End Concert. Back then, it was so exciting knowing that all of us gonna make a comeback after about close to 10 years!

But as the time drew closer, the excitement faded away as I knew nothing, I’d totally forgotten how to read my score, the fingering and everything! I even had no flute…I was panic…

Adding up to the fear, Laili who reach the alma mater much earlier called and became the bearer of the news that Jeep was really demanding as always but was not quite like Jeep that we used to know. Things seem to be toppling down on me!

The moment I reach Dewan Budaya, the feeling however changed. I wanted to be on stage and was far stronger than ever. The fear was nowhere clinging on me as I was willing to do everything, just to be on stage, visualizing the moment of the biggest applause, the sound of fan screaming ‘ENCORE’ wanting more…the proud feeling of a performer and the sense of satisfaction, it’s ecstasy.

This was my place, this where I learned the bonding & friendship all the way thru. Some kind of feeling I never had experienced in my entire life. The sense of belonging…I got it all.

We used to say this and very popular among us; “Jeep treated us like Jazz Band was our major, our major came minor and minor indirectly pushed to be the co-curriculum.” We laughed all the time about it and the commitment put on, I’d reckon was far more that the effort we had for our major.

Indeed, I knew, Jeep had 1001 reasons by the fact that we had a reputation to build, to position us to be the best, to be recognized, to be far better than a group of students who had chosen Jazz Band as their co-curriculum just to fulfill the requirement to get hold of THAT certificate.

I forced Jimi to accompany me, wanting him to know things I felt very proud of doing it and the moment we arrived, we walked straight to the hall…
The atmosphere was the same as I could remember, some were on stage busy with the props etc, some just outside to master the ‘spaghetti’, some were chit chatting, some were laughing out loud of something.

The cozy dim light had no influence for me spotting the familiar silhouette of Laili and Emma, both with their instruments, busy practicing. Zira, at first not wanting to perform, was too busy observing the other two. Envy with them for having an extra of 2 days with the score, I quickly made my way to ‘study’. It was Hello Stevie, specially arranged medley by Jeep, which consists of My Lovely Girl, Isn’t She Lovely, Superstitious and to my surprise, Sir Duke-the-killing-song. We were never good at it, never in our lifetime as a Jazzarian…

It was butterflies again, in my stomach, and Jeep’s appearance in the big hall that night suddenly made it worst. Worrying didn’t bring me that far, with the same brilliant idea used long time ago, we forced Fatin to help us and extra help came where Woi Leng was destined to help us. A team of six; Akeem the doll on trumpet, Emma on saxophone, Laili on trombone and me, together with Zira that had finally given her accord to be among us on trumpet and the last to arrive Elly on euphonium.

With the two-day of intensive sessions, kudos to the two so-called trainers, some convincing sound according to the tempo was produced. Not perfectly but quite there, the ‘spaghetti’ portion was marked to be silently blown; we were ready to HELLO STEVIE!!!

Looking at the amazing audience with Azlan, Azleen and Faridah’s presence, the 2009 Year-End Concert was even more spectacular than ever. All the ‘blood’ and ‘sweat’ were seemed to be paying off!