Groovin' At The Junction

GUITARIST JOSE THOMAS must be grinning quite a bit, and not just to the bank, mind you. He's got a home away from and it's called Geroove Junction. Life's kinda come full circle. He even has his wife cooking there.

Jose, his sister Jennifer and friend Joanne Yeo, opened the jazz nightspot in Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur, and they're celebrating their 2nd Anniversary, this week, with four nights of great jazz.

Before all that, here's the really good news. The beers are being pumped at RM5 a mug! How's that for a recession kicker?

Now, in case someone gets angry because I've put cheap beers before live music, allow us to tell you that Singapore's Swing King - Jeremy Monteiro - is playing four nights with his organ trio - ORGANAMIX - featuring Andrew Lim on guitar and Hong Chanutr Techatananan on drums.

Jeremy is quite excited about this show as it's the world premier of his organ trio which plays along the lines of the Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff and Jimmy McGriff organ trio or the Larry Golding Trio, even, and they'l be playing both traditional favourites and orginals.

Jeremy has more than 20 jazz albums to his name and his accolades include 30 years as a professional jazz musician, stretching from the unforgettable Montreux Jazz (Switzerland) in 1988 to the recent inaugural Singapore President’s Command Performance,” she in 2009.

He is also the first jazz musician to be bestowed the Lion City’s pinnacle award — the Cultural Medallion — for Arts Achievement in Singapore.
Besides leading a variety of jazz bands, he has played along the likes of Simon and Garfunkel, James Moody, Jimmy Cobb, Marian McPartland and Matt Monro, to name a few.

He has been listed as one of Singapore’s 50 most influential people and is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of the Arts, Manufacturers and commerce in Britain under the patronage of Queen Elizabeth.


The four-night jazzganza is on from Wednesday, the 10th until Saturday, the 13th of June, and music is scheduled to kick off at 8pm. So, don't be late. And why not? It's cheaper than drinking in a coffee shop.

The first two evenings take off with Jose, accompanied by his son, drumeroo John Ashley and bazz wizard Rozhan Razman. Who knows, maybe, just maybe, we'll get to hear some Cream and Who-inspired performances.

The Groove J’Fest celebrations tonight will feature such local stars as Jose Thomas, Marco Alonso, Steve Thornton, Poova, Denise, DJ G’Traxx and other jazz greats.

Another star at the Groove Jfest will be DJ G’Traxx who spins from midnight till the party’s over.

Admission is at RM50 per head, inclusive of one drink. Groove Junction is located at 1-1, Jalan 24/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur.

For details, reservations, call 03-6201-8990 (bistro), 012-389-1389 (Joanne) or 012-207-7042 (Jennifer). For more information, log on to www.groovejunctionkl or email info@groove-junctionkl.com.