Music is a beautiful gift we can pass on to the next generation.
Here’s a video of Daniel, son of Michael Veerapen, one of the top names in jazz in Malaysia. I remember Daniel when he was half my height, one-fifth my age, and running round the place while the rest of us played in the church band.
Back then, Mike launched the first ever jazz club around the place called “All That Jazz.” He was working with top names in the music industry, composing hit songs like “One Thousand Million Smiles” that was performed at London’s Royal Albert Hall. I have memories of his studio, Scat Productions – where he has, on occasion, transformed my meager compositions to sound a bazillion times better than the original.
So much has transpired since then. Daniel has now grown up and followed his father’s footsteps, making a name for himself in the music scene. At 19, he was the youngest to be nominated for best music producer at the AIM music industry awards.
Here’s the thing. We may not be preeminent in the music scene the way these legends are, but we can definitely be involved in the journey of music-making, and play a part in starting a legacy. If, along the way, we see others empowered by the benefits that music can bring to the human soul, that’s the important thing. And if at the end, they reach a place of preeminence in the music world, that’s a bonus.
Any which way, music is a precious gift that lasts a lifetime.
Let’s pass it on.