he Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Band was in Berakas, Brunei recently to participate in the Brunei International Tattoo (BIT) 2006 for the first time, to celerate the 60th birthday of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.
At their debut on 29 Jul, in the four-night Tatoo, the SAF Band performed in front of an audience of about 30,000, along with military bands from 12 other participating countries like Australia, Indonesia and People's Republic of China.
His Majesty the Sultan, members of the royal family and distinguished guests from participating countries graced the event, held at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium.
It was one of the biggest military band gatherings in the region. All the bands wowed the audiences with their innovative mixture of traditional music scores and funky dance moves.
Coming on immediately after a 200-strong contingent from Indonesia, the 54-member SAF Band did not disappoint. What they lacked in numbers, they made up for in the quality of their performance.
"We have been putting together this show for almost two months now," said Captain (CPT) Johnson Lee, Music Director of the SAF Band.
"The team has been working very hard, with day and night rehearsals, sacrificing off-days just to get this show together, and it's a very commendable effort."
The Band had ingeniously incorporated a Malay rhythm called 'Zapin' into their performance, much to the delight of the ethnic Malays in Brunei. A full-time national serviceman who is barely into a year of his national service, made this possible.
Lance Corporal (LCP) Azrejalil, who comes from a family of dancers and musicians, taught his fellow band members the Zapin rhythm. "It was difficult to teach Zapin in such a short time, but the performance turned out well and the Band actually could dance!" joked LCP Azrejalil.
Besides their own segment, the SAF Band was also involved in the one-night-only grand finale where all 13 countries - 900 musicians in total - came together to perform.
It was especially meaningful for CPT Lee who was among the four master conductors chosen to lead the 900 musicians in the grand finale. He said it was "a great honour" for him, especially since this was his first overseas performance with the Band.
"I cannot explain in words the exhilaration," said CPT Lee. "Conducting 900 people is a feeling that cannot be described."
The SAF Band's performance received positive comments from participating countries and the BIT organising committee which told CPT Lee that they were "very impressed".
"We wanted to give a good representation of Singapore and put up a good show for the people of Brunei and His Majesty to see," said CPT Lee.
But it was Chief of Army Major-General (MG) Desmond Kuek who was quite possibly the Band's biggest fan. MG Kuek was at the debut night and he was very pleased with the good show put up by the SAF Band. He echoed CPT Lee's comment that feedback from Bruneian counterparts had been excellent.
"I thought it was an excellent performance, very outstanding, very nifty and very sharp," said MG Kuek."They did Singapore proud."
It could not have been a better compliment for the SAF Band, especially when the contingent was made up of mainly full-time national servicemen.
"I couldn't stop smiling," said LCP Azrejalil after the debut night. "It's a personal achievement because I could make 50 people dance and showcase what the SAF had to offer."
His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (second from right) shaking hands with CPT Lee (third from left) after the grand finale.
The SAF Band marching in for their performance at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium.
