THE last time Datuk Zainalabidin Mohamad entertained fans at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) in Sentul Park, Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur was a decade ago.
That was during the Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival where he shared the stage with the Dama Orchestra, Hands Percussion Team, KLPAC Symphonic Orchestra, pianist and composer Michael Veerapen, and jazz singer Datuk Sheila Majid.
Johor Baru-born Zainalabidin, 64, had his first KLPAC solo concert which doubled as an educational talk with university students at 8pm on Jan 19, and many described the engaging and entertaining two-hour event as his "very own TED Talk".
Titled 'Sound Spirit Zainalabidin: The Legacy of Sound', the event was a first for the former Headwind lead vocalist and a longtime plan that finally materialised.
MUSIC EDUCATION
"In my four-decade music career, I have always been passionate about social issues and education, especially music education," said Zainalabidin at his concert.
"And that is why, I have chosen to spend an evening with students from various Malaysian universities who are keen on pursuing careers in music and entertainment, sharing my experiences with them in a relaxed and informal manner."
FIVE UNIVERSITIES
Zainalabidin, who spoke to some 500 students from Universiti Teknologi Mara, Universiti Malaya, UCSI University, Aswara and Limkokwing University, felt that Sound Spirit was one way for him to give back to fans who had supported him and kept his career going.
Sound Spirit was organised by Zainalabidin's company AfroZapin Network with the support of MyCreative Ventures, and also featured Veerapen, percussionist Steve Thornton and producer Sunil Kumar of 'Malaysian Idol', 'One In A Million' and 'Showdown' fame.
Zainalabidin's proteges Pija Yasin who won TV3 reality programme 'Mentor Season One' in 2005 and her elder brother One Juicy (Ridzwan Yasin) of 8TV's 'Showdown' and Astro Ria's 'The Band' who is one of Asia's best B-Boy dancers were the guest artistes for the evening.
EIGHT HITS
The former Headwind lead singer entertained fans with eight of his best known songs namely 'Damai', 'Bongkar', 'Sabar', 'Manis', 'Khayalan', 'Hijau' and 'Ikhlas Tapi Jauh' as well as his latest single 'Tiba Masa'.
Backed by the superb piano-playing of Veerapen, Zainalabidin also performed the late composer Jimmy Boyle's less known song 'Chendering', which paid tribute to a well-known beach in Kuala Terengganu.
LIFE STORY
Dressed in a golden jacket and black T-shirt and trousers, Zainalabidin was accompanied throughout the show by three percussionists (including Thornton), a drummer, three guitarists, a keyboardist (Veerapen), a saxophonist, a trumpeter, a trombonist and a harmonica player.
After his first song, Zainalabidin shared his poignant but interesting life story, and said that he never knew who his parents were.
"I was raised by my grandparents who were musicians and singers. They passed away when I was eight and after that foster parents took care of me," said Zainalabidin.
ICE KACANG
Zainalabidin also revealed that he sold ice kacang, worked in construction sites and washed dishes in restaurants to earn money as a teenager.
He found comfort in music, joining his school band, learning the trombone and playing for Chinese funeral parlours.
MALAYSIAN MUSIC
"What I learnt from my experience was how to fuse music to create Malaysian music," said Zainalabidin, who was Headwind's lead singer for a decade after moving to KL in 1979.
"I sang about 40 songs daily with my band. I am happy to have been part of a band because it teaches you teamwork.
"And most importantly always be yourself," said Zainalabidin to the students.
VISIT UNIVERSITIES
Zainalabidin plans to bring his concert to various universities, and Veerapen said that they were having talks with Universiti Sains Malaysia to introduce a programme dedicated to the works of Malaysian musicians.
AMAZING ACROBATICS
Pija, dressed in black slacks and a silver blouse sang 'Rolling In The Deep' by Adele and Ridzwan and his 10-member dance troupe displayed amazing acrobatics on stage.
The brother and sister from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah also mingled with the audience and got several people to join them in singing 'I Just Wanna Feel This Moment' made popular by Pitbull and Christina Aguilera.
SILVER SCREEN
Zainalabidin said that his first major silver screen appearance in Yasu Tanaka's movie 'Magik' last year was "just what he wanted".
"I'm not much of an actor, but if the story is about environmentalism I would say yes. I love the script of 'Magik' and its message about protecting the firefly habitat and empowering deaf children."
Zainalabidin, who was invited to star in 'Magik' by Tanaka, said that he would also appear in musicals if they had humanitarian messages.
"I'm always game for cameo roles in films and musicals, I love to be supporting characters who amplify green messages."
