City buzz

THE BUSINESS TIMES CELEBRATES WITH THE KING OF JAZZ

MUSIC

Jazzy Business

JEREMY Monteiro celebrates his 40th year in showbiz - a milestone which coincides with The Business Times' birthday and four-decade-strong history of being Singapore's finest financial broadsheet - on Friday.

The double celebration will be marked with a special concert aptly dubbed Jazzy Business.

It will feature Monteiro performing with an all-star line-up featuring well-known names - like Grammy-winning American jazz veterans, saxophone player Ernie Watts and guitarist Lee Ritenour - that have worked with Monteiro over the last four decades.

Other overseas guests appearing on-stage include Carmen Bradford, Cantopop diva Frances Yip and Hong Kong guitarist Eugene Pao.

Home-grown artistes Rahimah Rahim, Jacintha Abisheganaden, and Melissa Tham will also join Monteiro - nicknamed The King of Swing - at the concert.

The Cultural Medallion recipient will also launch his latest album, Montage, a compilation of original compositions and jazz standards on the same evening.

Monteiro, a watch enthusiast, also announced the launch of his own timepiece brand, J. Monteiro Watches, earlier this week.

It features two models in black and white dial variations, beating with a 21-jewel automatic movement.

They are priced at S$750, but early birds can pre-order them for S$608 before Nov 16. A women's line and another collection for men will follow next year.

By Dylan Tan

ART

Curator's Tour of Iskandar Jalil's exhibition

SINGAPORE'S most acclaimed potter Iskandar Jalil is currently showcasing a large body of work at the National Gallery Singapore. The show titled Kembara Tanah Liat (Clay Travels) is his first major survey and brings together hundreds of pieces from the 1960s right up to the present. Some works are rarely seen because they belong to private collectors and institutions.

Senior curator Seng Yu Jin will take you on a curatorial tour and tell you the stories behind the works. He will examine Iskandar's practice which runs the gamut from extremely beautiful and precise bowls to more figurative objects inspired by the landscape and history and even some comical art rendered in ceramics.

By Helmi Yusof

MUSIC

Australian World Orchestra

FOLLOWING the highly successful inaugural international tour of India in 2015, the Australian World Orchestra (AWO) is making Singapore its second international port of call this coming weekend.

Featuring musicians who also play in some of the world's finest orchestras like the Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic and more, the members have one thing in common - they all hail from Down Under.

Some don't just dabble in classical music and have performed with rock and pop-rock acts like Beyonce, Jay Z, Sting, Kiss and the late David Bowie. One has even recorded over 800 movie soundtracks including Schindler's List and The Lion King.

Conducted by AWO's chief conductor and artistic director, Alexander Briger AO, the programme for the ensemble's debut concert here includes Boléro, Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 and a world-first, a concerto for eight double basses, by Elena Kats-Chernin titled The Witching Hour.

By Dylan Tan

DINING

Morton's Sunday Lunch

FANS of Morton's of Chicago will be glad to know that their favourite steak joint now opens for lunch on Sundays. Previously, the restaurant only opened for dinner on Sundays.

There is a set menu for lunch, where diners can choose to start with the signature lobster bisque or its famous centre-cut iceberg. Mains include its short rib bolognese, or the centre-cut fillet mignon, and diners can end the meal on a sweet note with the double chocolate mousse, or key lime pie.

"We had such positive response when we opened on Easter Sunday and Father's Day that we have now made this a permanent fixture," says Seth Blagden, its general manager.

Guests can also order from Morton's extensive a-la-carte menu between 12-9pm.

By Tay Suan Chiang

DINING

A Sake Journey From Miyagi to Tochigi

IF you love wagyu and sake, then you wouldn't want to miss this one-night only dinner that celebrates Fat Cow's fifth anniversary. The award-winning restaurant is offering a five-course dinner, paired with sake from Miyagi and Tochigi prefectures. Certified sake master and shochu adviser Hayato Hishinuma will be gracing the event to share his knowledge on each sake served during the dinner.

Some of the sakes that will be served include Sotenden Junmai Daigingo, which will be paired with kelp-cured flounder sashimi, and the Sohomare Kimoto Junmai Daiginjo that goes well with a steamed daikon dish.

The highlight of the meal is Fat Cow's signature Sumibiyaki Haccho Miso Marinated Australian Wagyu Steak paired with two sakes, the Soutenden Tokubetsu Junmai and Sasanokawa "All Yamada-Nishiki" Ginjo.

By Tay Suan Chiang