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Andrew Oh

Colombo Jazz Festival

Sunday Night Jazz Showcase

Program #168 (May 28 at 8:00 p.m.)

Andrew Oh has become a legend among Hong Kong musicians with his name cropping up whenever sax solos are the topic of discussion. Music fans who once listened to locally produced music from the 1970’s are sure to have heard his innovative playing when listening to tracks by bands as diverse as The Wynners and The New Topnotes.

After a long absence from the former British colony, Oh was contacted by old-time friend and former band mate, Anders Nelsson in late 2004, after the Swedish stalwart of the Hong Kong music scene found him on the internet.

Amazingly, the very next day, Nelsson was contacted by former Wynners drummer, Antony Chan who asked if he was able to book Oh for some recording sessions related to a TV drama series Chan was working on in Beijing.

Oh had always dreamed of playing in the land of his forefathers, his grandparents having immigrated from China's Fujian province to Malaya at the beginning of the last century.

Oh's interest in music began in the early 70’s when he began to master a variety of woodwind and percussion instruments and he soon started playing with different Singaporean bands and ended up in Hong Kong, where he became a much sought-after session musician.

Oh was also called upon to back visiting concert attractions such as Roberta Flack, Sammy Davis Jr., The Bee Gees and The Drifters, to name a few. He also played in countless concert backing bands, The Topnotes and orchestras for local Hong Kong artists and at various times, joined The Wynners (when he taught singer Kenny B to play the saxophone!)  Anders Nelsson, once a leader of Gingerbread, has brought him back to Hong Kong on a regular basis since their internet reunion in 2004.

At the end of the 70’s, Oh came to the attention of top Italian artist Fred Bongusto and was invited to join his orchestra, working in Italy for almost five years. Oh also worked with leading jazz musicians, Tony Scott and pianist Romano Mussolini. During this time he also taught at Milan's acclaimed school of arts and drama, Centro Teatro Attivo.

For the past 20 years, Oh has made Australia his home and he has performed with a 'who's who' of Australian artists, including Tommy Emmanuel, Marcia Hines, Margaret Urlich, Rick Price and Peter Andre. He has also supported top international artists touring Australia such as Al Jarreau, The Supremes, John Denver and Elaine Paige.

In addition, he has been involved with many touring musicals such as Grease, Fame, Jesus Christ Superstar and The Blues Brothers staring Russell Crowe.

Andrew Oh currently has a CD released (his second) called SILK and several Hong Kong and China based companies have expressed interest in signing him for the Asian recording and touring markets.

Meanwhile, he has performed with Anders Nelsson's new band INFINITY at many high-profile events, including charity balls and corporate functions, as well as smaller, more intimate jam sessions.

In the summer of 2005, Oh also joined former band-mate Alan Tam's backing band. Together they performed to full houses over eleven evenings at Hong Kong's Hunghom Colloseum.

(story provided by Australian Jazz Agency)

Paul Hitchcock earned his Masters in Communications from Morehead State University and Bachelors in Radio-TV/Psychology from Georgetown College. A veteran broadcaster for more than 40 years and an avid fan of blues, jazz and American roots music. Hitchcock has been with WMKY since 1986 and was named General Manager in 2003. He currently hosts "Muddy Bottom Blues" (Fri., 8pm-9pm), "Nothin' But The Blues" (Sat., 8pm-12am), "Sunday Night Jazz Showcase" and "Live From The Jazz Lounge" (Sun., 8pm-9pm) and "The Golden Age of Radio" (Sun., 2pm-3pm). He also serves as producer for "A Time For Tales" and "The Reader's Notebook."