Iskandar Ismail: A music man till the end

He helped write a lot of the soundtrack of Singapore
By Christopher Toh, TODAY, 3 Nov 2014

There’s a lot to be said about the late Iskandar Ismail (not to be confused with the much younger singer of the same name).

I can’t claim to be the best person to say those things. I was inspired by him - and having spoken to those who knew him, I realise that they too found that Iskandar had this ability to touch, inspire, motivate, enthuse those around him.

Dick Lee said: “I am sad that I will no longer make music with Is; sad that is good nature and calm demeanour will no longer inspire the studios, stages and rehearsal rooms he once ruled; sad that Singapore has lost a shining star, the orchestrator of the sound of our nation. Hang loose my dear friend.”

“Maestro Iskandar Ismail was a humble and passionate musician who was also a great composer and music director,” said drummer Tama Goh. “Every day is our last day. We will perform as if it’s our last concert. That is how I would make music with the late Iskandar.”

For jazz pianist Jeremy Monteiro, Iskandar was a inspiration when he was starting out. “When he first came back from Berklee he was the hottest pianist around. After I finished work at the Shangri-La, I would rush to the Hilton where he was playing and listen to him play. In the early ’80s, I must have gone down to listen to him at least 50 times a year. Part of my musical psyche was influenced by Iskandar. Many people don’t realise what a great jazz pianist - he was one of the best in this part of Asia - because he later did pop and became an arranger.”

I couldn’t believe at first that Iskandar passed away on Saturday morning. Sure, I knew his was battling cancer, but somehow, I always thought he’d pulled through. I don’t know why. Maybe it was because he’d been contracted for this year’s New Year’s Eve countdown show. (And if there’s one thing I do know about Iskandar - it’s that he will always do his darnedest to get the job done.)

There was evidence of that last year, when I called him up for what would be our last interview with him, just before his biography, The Music Man, was published.

“I am still at Mount E because they are still doing the check-up. They found out that I had blood clots in my lungs. But at least they have found out what’s wrong with me,” he said over the phone after exchanging pleasantries.

Er, are you sure you want to go ahead with the interview, I queried, we can always reschedule it.

“Go ahead! Are you aware that I have lung cancer? I have had it for the past three years, so I guess, the time is right for me to come out with the book. It’s one of those things. I thought I could share with this, you know, my journey as a musician. If I wait too long, I might not be able to come out with a book.”

Maybe he was prescient as well.

Thing is, if you’ve read his biography, Iskandar Ismail really is one of Singapore’s true-blue musicians of the first order. He had a career that was colourful and varied, and he worked hard, really hard, to do what he wanted to do.

“There was never any doubt (about music),” he said. “Once I decided to do this, I just went straight on with it. When I was in secondary school, I wanted to go join the Junior Flying Club. I failed. So I thought I might as well become a full-time musician, instead of a full-time pilot playing music. That’s when I knew that music was what I wanted to do.”

He went to Berklee College in America, majoring in popular music. He would spend the days in class and in the night he was given the opportunity to work in the recording studio, working till the wee hours, sometimes until 6am, before heading off to school again. And he did this for five or six years. “I was like a zombie, you know?” he said.

All that hard work paid off, of course. The industry got the buzz that someone had just come back from America and everyone was eager to see what he could do. And he could do a lot. He became known for his work as a good composer, a brilliant orchestrator and an equally brilliant arranger.

His “take whatever comes my way attitude” meant that his CV read like a who’s who. Apart from performing with the band Hangloose, Iskandar, through his company, Project M Pte Ltd, Iskandar composed and arranged music for Dick Lee, Chris Ho, Jimmy Ye, Tracy Huang, Jacintha Abishegenaden, Sally Yeh, Jeff Chang, Eric Moo, Kenny Bee, Andy Lau, George Lam and Aaron Kwok; as well as scores for the Singapore National Day Parade (since 1988!), the Chingay parade and the New Year’s Eve countdown show.

He also worked in theatre - credits include creating orchestral arrangements for musicals such as Kampong Amber, Mortal Sins, Sing To The Dawn, Hot Pants and Snow.Wolf.Lake. - and in the classical arena too, writing compositions for Singapore violinist Siow Lee Chin, soprano Yee Ee Ping, arranging songs for the T’ang Quartet, the SSO and other orchestras. And then there was Chinese pop. “The Chinese pop music market was what spurred me on. No one knows this. They are the ones who gave me the incentive to carry on. They employed me and paid me a salary such that I could afford to have my own recording studio,” he said.

“For me, to be given the chance to work with all the different genres, it is a blessing. One thing for me: I get bored easily. But after a while, the Taiwanese pop music started to come out like McDonalds, you know? Every other song sounds the same. So I didn’t mind not doing that. But I love to work with different styles of music.”

Iskandar, said Monteiro, was one of the few people who truly helped Singapore grow. “Like a movie, every country has a soundtrack and Iskandar is a big part of that soundtrack. He was responsible for so much ... one of the things that helps to bind a country is its music and I think Iskandar played a great role in creating this collective consciousness (for Singapore). I don’t think there’s any Singaporean who hasn’t heard his music.”

It’s true: If you’ve watched the NDP, Chingay or New Year’s Eve countdown shows, you’ll have heard his music (he was working on the music for this year’s countdown show mere weeks ago). But Iskandar was never one to hog the limelight, even though he eventually did get national recognition with a Cultural Medallion in 2008 (“That was after so many year!” he joked). But one got the feeling that for him, such accolades - and he had many - weren’t as important as making music. While he loved arranging, he said one of this dreams was to write more music, and not just compositions for the annual countdown show. Music, as he kept telling me, was his main passion. He spoke with such determination and verve, for a moment there, I forgot that he was still in hospital.

“I just hope that (people will) remember me as a musician,” Iskandar said as we ended our chat. “One of the local musicians from Singapore, that’s all. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Spoken like a true blue musician. You will be remembered and you will be missed, sir.

Touched by Iskandar's music
Talented composer Iskandar Mirza Ismail had many accolades and in person, he was genial with laidback charm
By Eddino Abdul Hadi Music Correspondent, The Straits Times, 3 Nov 2014

His name might not be as easily recognisable as the singers and stars that he made music for, but if you have been living in Singapore for the last three decades or so, chances are that Iskandar Mirza Ismail's music has touched you in some way.

Remember Love At First Light, the official theme song for the 2012 National Day Parade? That was one of his most recent high-profile compositions.

Iskandar, who died of cancer last Saturday morning at the age of 58, had been music director for numerous National Day Parades from 1988 to 2012, as well as Chingay street parades.

At the Esplanade's new year countdown shows in the past, the music accompanying the fireworks show were his original compositions.

He was responsible for the music heard in some of the biggest sports events held in the region in the last few years - he produced and directed music for the 2006 Asian Games in Doha and the inaugural editions of the Asian Youth Games in 2009 and the Youth Olympic Games in 2010, both held in Singapore.

Even though he did not speak Mandarin, his involvement with music labels Warner Singapore and later Warner Taiwan saw him compose, produce and arrange music for many marquee Mando-pop stars such as Aaron Kwok, Sandy Lam and Jacky Cheung.

When Heavenly King Cheung decided to come up with his own Broadway-style musical, Snow.Wolf.Lake, Iskandar was roped in to orchestrate its musical score. The 1997 production has since been hailed as Hong Kong's first modern musical. Besides Hong Kong, it has also been staged in Chinese cities, both in Cantonese and Mandarin. It also played in Singapore, tweaked with Malay, Hokkien and Singlish dialogue and phrases.

It was not his only musical to be staged overseas, he also did orchestral arrangement for the 1997 Singapore musical Chang & Eng, which became the first English-language musical to be staged in China.

One of his trademark styles was to merge different styles in his arrangements, which he said was inspired by living in the multi-cultural city of Singapore.

In an interview with Life! in 2007, he said: "I started experimenting during National Day parades. Until today, I'm still trying to refine the work and make it accessible. We do have something to offer the world."

Fans of live music in the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s would have seen Iskandar perform. He played jazz with the Louis Tan Trio at the Hilton Hotel and, later, a more eclectic mix of jazz, rock and pop with his band, Hangloose, in local clubs.

His mother is Nona Asiah, a Malay singing and acting legend who was one of the most famous singers from the films made during the golden age of Malay cinema in the 1950s and 1960s.

She later played a pivotal role in Malay television here by talent-spotting and grooming young talents. Many of them had their start in long-running children's television show Mat Yoyo.

Discovering that he had perfect pitch, Nona had the then eight-year-old Iskandar take piano lessons from late music icon Zubir Said, the man behind national anthem Majulah Singapura.

Iskandar would later hone his craft at one of the world's most acclaimed contemporary music schools, Berklee College of Music in Boston, the United States.

The talented pianist would become a teacher himself too. At the age of 15, he was already teaching the electone organ at local music school Yamaha.

Iskandar looked beyond himself and his music was responsible for helping to raise funds for many charity shows. Chief among these are the series of ChildAid concerts, which feature young and up-and-coming music talents. He had been the artistic director for the annual concert since 2006 and was still working on this year's upcoming edition when he died.

For his exceptional work, he had been feted with many accolades, most notably Singapore's highest arts award, the Cultural Medallion in 2008 and the Berita Harian Achiever of the Year in 2003, given to outstanding individuals in the Malay community.

While the public knew him from his music, his close collaborators would attest to his genial nature and laidback charm.

According to veteran singer Rahimah Rahim, who had worked with him since the 1970s, Iskandar was one of the nicest professionals one could work with.

She said: "Even if things weren't going right, he never lost his temper. His favourite word to me was 'Wonderful!'

"Sometimes, I'd make a mistake and he'd go 'Don't worry, it's wonderful!' and I would say to him, 'What do you mean, wonderful? It was terrible!' He would then reply, "Don't worry, it's only music.'"

More about Iskandar Mirza Ismail's life can be found in his biography, Iskandar Ismail: The Music Man, written by Monica Gwee and published by Epigram Books last year.

[ISKANDAR ISMAIL: 1956-2014 ]
Music was always on his mind
Cultural Medallion winner worked till his last days before dying of cancer at age 58
By Eddino Abdul Hadi, The Sunday Times, 2 Nov 2014

Up until his last days, Singapore music maestro Iskandar Mirza Ismail was still working on his music.

The Cultural Medallion winner died at his condominium in Tanjong Rhu yesterday at 3.10am in the presence of his wife, son and daughter, after battling lung and brain cancer in the past four years. He was 58.

According to his wife Ernawaty Sorianto, 60, his final projects included the fund-raising ChildAid concert, where he was the artistic director, and the Esplanade's New Year countdown show, where he was the producer.

She said: "His health deteriorated in the past one year and he was always in and out of hospital, but he was very firm about finishing his music projects. He was very passionate about music."

During his illness, musicians and collaborators would go to his home to work with him, including his younger brother, musician and music director Indra Shahrir Ismail.

In April, Iskandar travelled to Xiamen, China, to work with the Xiamen University orchestra and choir for a fund-raising concert held in Singapore for the Singapore Buddhist Free Clinic. Though physically weak and needing a wheelchair, he would communicate with them with the help of his 27-year-old daughter Valerie, a media professional. His son Emil, 28, is a businessman.

The family also travelled to South Korea for a holiday the following month, after which he joked with friends that the country had "many beautiful girls".

The eldest of five children born to pioneering Malay singer Nona Asiah and the late singing and music veteran Ismail Kassim, Iskandar was a child prodigy mentored by Majulah Singapura composer Zubir Said.

He later studied at and graduated from acclaimed music school Berklee College of Music in the United States, where he was awarded the John Lewis Jazz Masters Award for excellence in jazz music.

Since his professional debut in Singapore in the 1970s, he has performed in nightclubs, taught music, and also composed and arranged music for major events that included multiple National Day Parades, Chingay and the Youth Olympic Games.

He also worked on internationally staged musicals including Snow. Wolf.Lake and Chang & Eng, and arranged music for Mandarin pop stars such as Jacky Cheung, Sally Yeh and Aaron Kwok.

Iskandar, who, according to his wife, was not a smoker or drinker, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2010, which later spread to the brain.

He went through several treatments, including radiosurgery and chemotherapy.

Iskandar was last admitted to Mount Elizabeth Hospital early last month and discharged on the 25th.

Although he did not talk much during his last days, his mother Nona Asiah said he would acknowledge family and friends who came to visit him.

She said: "His younger brother, Talib, would even joke with him and pretend to be someone else, but he would reply 'Foolish, I know you're Talib'."

Said Iskandar's wife: "He passed on peacefully."

A wake was held at his mother's house in Kembangan yesterday morning.

An estimated 200 people - family, friends and many professionals from the arts, music and entertainment industry - came to offer prayers and pay their last respects.

Among them was the chief executive of Esplanade, Mr Benson Puah, who told The Sunday Times: "His works have touched a wide community of Singaporeans. All the lives he had touched, and the deep friendships that he had forged, reflects how special he was to all of us. He is a true son of Singapore."

The senior vice-president of MediaCorp Studios, Mr Suhaimi Jais, called Iskandar "one of the best musicians, arrangers and music directors that I've worked with, if not the best".

They had been working together since the 1970s, and he added: "He was very professional; he took care of all the details."

Iskandar's childhood friend, Islamic Religious Council of Singapore president Mohammad Alami Musa, said his death was "a great loss to Singapore".

"He had always been the same humble guy that I had known from our primary school days, very down to earth, never failed to smile and crack jokes whenever we met."

In the afternoon, Iskandar's body was taken to Kassim Mosque for prayers before being buried at Muslim cemetery Pusara Abadi in Lim Chu Kang.

Many paid tribute online, including the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, Mr Lawrence Wong.

On Mr Wong's Facebook page, the minister called Iskandar "a man of music, a man who made life better for all of us through his music".

IN TRIBUTE


"He was always interested in the 'Singapore sound' - a sound that is authentic yet contemporary, and a reflection of our multicultural society. He cared about the future, and would keep trying to break new ground and champion the potential of our local artists."

- IVAN HENG, Wild Rice artistic director, who was by Iskandar Ismail's bedside last Friday



"I met him several times when I participated in ChildAid in 2012. That year, he also directed the music for the Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital Charity Concert. He looked more tired than usual, but when the music started, he was full of energy and vigour. That's what I remember most about Iskandar - a man of music, a man who made life better for all of us through his music. Thank you Mr Music Man. We will miss you."

- MR LAWRENCE WONG, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, on Facebook



"Iskandar's advice was to never let go of my quest for artistic perfection, and to never compromise. We were in the midst of preparing for the SG50 celebrations. We are in the process of finding someone else, and he will be sadly missed."

- JEREMIAH CHOY, ChildAid director and creative director of Sing50 concert



"The best thing about Iskandar is that he was always very good-natured. He never lost his cool and always delivered on time. He was still so young and had so much more to give."

-Singer-songwriter DICK LEE, who studied music at Yamaha Music School with Iskandar in their teen years



"He has written music that transcends boundaries and connects communities... Never one to rest on his laurels, Iskandar continued to create new sounds, embracing the East-West, classical and pop music and working with new genres."

- MS KATHY LAI, chief executive , National Arts Council



"He was a prolific, all-rounded musician - composer, arranger, producer and conductor. I have witnessed him excelling in all these roles over the last two decades. He had a great heart, and was caring, loving and generous. Singapore has truly lost one of her great musical icons."

- DR EDMUND LAM, chief executive and director of the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore

ACHIEVEMENTS

1979: Graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, United States.

1988: Composer and music arranger for the National Day Parade for the first time.

1997: Orchestrated the music for musicals Snow.Wolf.Lake with Cantopop king Jacky Cheung, and Chang & Eng with theatre director Ekachai Uekrongtham.

2003: Named Berita Harian Achiever of the Year.

2006: Music producer for the opening ceremony of the 15th Asian Games in Doha, Qatar; composer of multicultural performance Generation/s, performed in Tokyo, as part of events to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Singapore and Japan.

2006: Artistic director for ChildAid, a charity concert for young talent organised by The Straits Times and The Business Times, and worked with ChildAid in consecutive years.

2008: Awarded the Cultural Medallion for Music.

2009: Music director and composer of theme song for the Asian Youth Games in Singapore.

2010: Music director and producer for the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.

2013: Launch of his biography, Iskandar Ismail: The Music Man