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PENAMPANG: Smooth Swingin’ from Sandakan and SIArcle of 5ths took top honours in the open and student categories, respectively, at the third Bakat Sepilok Jazz finals held recently at Yamaha Music School here.
Smooth Swingin’ received RM3,000, while SIArcle of 5ths took home RM2,000.
Smooth Swingin’ pianist Lyam Chung Lik En said the newly formed group had not expected to win and had instead focused on enjoying the performance and sharing its music with the audience.
“We are very happy because we did not know that we could win, and all we knew was that we really enjoyed our music, interacted with one another and expressed our feelings through jazz,” he said.
Lyam said the musicians, who met through mutual acquaintances, formed the group specifically for the competition, which marked their first performance together.
He said they selected the jazz standard “L-O-V-E” because it was widely recognised, allowing them to rearrange the familiar tune and offer something different to the audience and judges.
The group also comprises vocalist Wong Shung Shung, acoustic guitarist Glora G Koro, electric guitarist Muhammad Shahdon Nooh Abdullah, drummers Cheong Tze Lok @ Nicholas and Jorell Navies, and saxophonist Mohammad Casmir Amar Mohammad Ali.
SIArcle of 5ths guitarist Daniel Elkanah Zepher Andrew said the student group was equally delighted with its unexpected victory.
“The result was unexpected, but it shows that our hard work has paid off,” he said.
Daniel said all five members were second-year music students at the Sabah Institute of Arts (SIA) and had been performing together since last year, with Bakat Sepilok Jazz marking their third competition.
“Expect a lot from us at Sepilok Jazz this September because we want to give our best and we do not want to disappoint the audience,” he said.
The other members of SIArcle of 5ths are drummer Wesley Sam Welfred Tungku, saxophonist Ivanson Tony Ewan, keyboardist Steve Frederic Jappry and bassist Charlie Joshua Lam.
The Groovers finished second in the open category and received RM1,500, while Mohammad Luqman Rozali @ Sonny, placed third and won RM1,000.
The other open category finalists were Fuse Band, Rhythm Stroller and Chivalry Company.
In the student category, The Band of Music finished second and received RM1,000, while SIA Collective placed third and received RM500.
The other student finalists were Yap Sheng, Nathan Ngu Chek Fan, XEE Trio, Ebenezer Thien Ray, Elytha Magdelyne Dining, Yong Yung Jia, Jangers 2.0 and After6.
Friends of Sea Turtles Education and Research (Foster) president and Sepilok Jazz organising chairman Alexander Yee said the competition had recorded significant growth since its introduction three years ago.
He said participation increased from 85 contestants in the first year to 105 in the second before reaching a record 132 this year.
“Bakat Sepilok Jazz is more than a competition because it is part of the Sepilok Jazz Academy’s efforts to nurture the next generation of Sabah musicians,” he said.
The competition was judged by Singapore jazz pianist and Sepilok Jazz artistic and technical adviser Jeremy Monteiro, jazz musician and educator Ian Baxter, and Sepilok Jazz Youth Ambassador Ivan Hii.
The event partners were the Sabah Tourism Board (STB), Sabah Institute of Arts (SIA), Yamaha Music School, Trinity Arts and Music Academy and Daily Express.
The fifth edition of Sepilok Jazz will feature Shila Amzah, Italian vocal group Mezzotono, Monteiro, the Jazz Association Singapore Youth Orchestra and more than 100 musicians from Malaysia and overseas.
The top three winners in both the open and student categories will also perform at the event in September.
Yee said Sepilok Jazz promoted “conservation through music”, with proceeds from every ticket supporting Foster’s sea turtle conservation efforts at the Walai Penyu Conservation Park on Libaran Island.
The open-air Sepilok Jazz 2026 will be held at the Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC) in Sepilok, Sandakan, from Sept 4 to 5.