PETALING JAYA, Oct 16 — US musical group Pink Martini are no stranger to singing in a multitude of languages and now they are looking for a Malaysian song to add to their diverse repertoire.
Ahead of the band’s one-night-only concert at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP) in Kuala Lumpur next week, bandleader and pianist Thomas Lauderdale told Malay Mail that they “would really love to learn a Malaysian song.”
“If any of the fans who come to the show have any ideas or suggestions, let us know.”
For the past 24 years, the “little orchestra” has enchanted music lovers with its stylish tunes, crossing the genres of classical, Latin music, jazz and old-fashioned pop, and sung in a variety of languages that would give linguists a run for their money.
“We are always excited to sing in a new language and find a song we love from a culture that is new to our repertoire,” said Lauderdale.
“In recent years, we have recorded our first songs in Romanian, Farsi and we are singing a song in Hindi for the first time. We have also just recorded a cover of our song Amado Mio in Thai.”
The Portland-based band last performed at the DFP in 2010 and it has since released six new albums, the most recent being Je dis oui!.
“We have many fantastic new songs to share with you, alongside our classic favourites. Our show is a big multi-cultural, multi-lingual party.
“We want to play music that grandparents can enjoy with their grandchildren. We try to fill our shows with as much variety as possible and then throw in surprises. And of course, every show must end with a conga dance line in the audience!” Lauderdale hinted.
The Harvard alumnus said after more than two decades of touring and performing in venues such as the Sydney Opera House and Royal Albert Hall, Pink Martini’s mission has always been about finding beautiful melodies.
“Everything evolves from there. The songs should be earnest, never ironic.
“Ultimately the dream of Pink Martini is to create beautiful melodies that can accompany all of life’s moments; from falling in love to grieving a loved one, from throwing a dinner party to vacuuming your house,” he said.
Asked what some challenges bands like Pink Martini face in the music industry today, Lauderdale said it saddens him that people don’t buy records anymore and that record stores are closing.
“But we’re still recording albums, and happily, on the performance side, we are receiving as many concert offers as ever.
“There is nothing that can replace the shared magical ‘live’ performance experience between the audience and musicians. We’re so lucky to have this almost preposterous, implausible life, to run around and actually make a living playing music with 11 full-time musicians.
“So hopefully, our future is just to keep working,” he said.
The band will tour Kuala Lumpur, China, Japan, Hawaii, France, Greece, Romania and California in the next three months.
Pink Martini will perform in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, October 22 at DFP, KLCC, 8.30pm. Call 03-2331 7007 or visit mpo.com.my for more details.
