GALLERY > BIOGRAPHY > JAMES BOYLE AND THE RAGGED TIGERS
 |
ABOUT JAMES BOYLE AND THE RAGGED TIGERS (MALAYSIA) - Cheerful glad-to-be-alive jazz and funk fusion from son of the legendary Jimmy Boyle - James Boyle is one of Malaysia 's most sought after pianist and composer. He is one of the best pianists you'll ever see in this region of South East Asia . Indeed, a "chip of the old block", James Boyle is the son of the late Mr. Jimmy Boyle,the prolific songwriter and composer from the days of Malaya . The late Mr. Jimmy Boyle wrote the evergreen and ever popular "Putera Puteri and Jauh Jauh ". Having this advantage, James grew up very acquainted with world class and local flavored music. Known to his close friends as Jimmy, James is also well known for his cheerful, funny, and dynamic personality. There is always much cheerfulness in his playing as in his personality. James Boyle graduated from The Berklee College Of Music in Boston , Massachussetts. At his return to Malaysia, he burst into the music scene quickly and enjoyed immeasurable experiences playing with internationally acclaimed jazz bands like " Asia beat" (1994). Prior to that, he had also played with the critically acclaimed Orang Asli led six-piece group called "Akar Umbi" (1993 –1995) at numerous major music festivals in and around the country. Among other exploits, James was also the resident keyboardist of Metro vision's talk show "Lite'N Up!" (1995). Notably, his career path also blossomed in the area of composition when he tenured as the resident composer and songwriter at TV3's "Ambang Klasik"(1997). He has also appeared in numerous shows and programs, such as RTM's "Getaran"(2002 &2003) and "Hiburan Minggu Ini Dengan Erra Fazira"(2002). Apart from that, James is also an active composer for many jingles, most notably the theme song for "SITO – The World's leading Oxygen Water" (2003), and for many other private firms and institutions in Malaysia. Besides smaller bands, James had also performed with the Penang State Symphony Orchestra (1997). In August 2005, James was one of the guest artists for the music extravaganza "Irama Tanah Pusaka" in which he played with the National Symphony Orchestra at Istana Budaya.The concert was held in conjunction with the 48th National Day Celebrations which was performed in the presence of the Prime Minister of Malaysia,Yang Amat Berhormat Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. In February 2006,James was appointed the Music Director for Dato'Syed Alwi's musical mosaic, which celebrates the various colors & tapestries of the varied ethnic styles of Malaysian music entitled "Rhythm & All Things Malaysians" which was held at The Actor's Studio in Bangsar. In August 2006,James was once again appointed as a Musical Director as well as the pianist of the World Premiere of "Broken Bridges – The Musical", an original play, directed by Joe Hasham and produced by Dato Faridah Merican, which was held in conjunction with the official opening of the prestigious Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Center in Sentul West. The musical, which received rave reviews, was also performed, in the presence of the Prime Minister of Malaysia,Yang Amat Berhormat Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. In December 2006,saw James as one of the headlining acts of the Penang Island Jazz Festival, which saw the debut of his critically acclaimed group,The Ragged Tigers.Together with Elliott Koon on drums, Hiroaki on bass guitar and Dennis Lau on the violin, the group performed a mixture of jazz/funk/fusion /standards as well as original compositions to rapturous applause from the audience. |