by HAZATUL SYIMA HARON

I HAD the privilege on Thursday of watching the preview (full dress rehearsal) for the “Konsert Tribute Seniman Negara Datuk Seri Ahmad Nawab” at Istana Budaya in Kuala Lumpur.

I found myself singing along to many of the greatest hit songs composed by the legendary composer, sung by his protégées Datuk Jamal Abdillah, Shidee and Ramlah Ram. The actual concert, on July 1-3, also features another of Ahmad’s protege, Datuk Khadijah Ibrahim, and younger singer Wany Hasrita, who couldn’t be at the preview due to prior engagements.

Towards the end of the concert, Ahmad came out and sat down for a chit-chat on his life and career.

Among the snippets, the seventh “Seniman Negara” said he was 16 years old when he composed his first song “Bintang Malam”. He was inspired one night to write the song after looking up at the starry skies and thinking “I’m going to write a song about this.”

Ahmad is proud of his many achievements and recalled fondly of telling his father that he wanted to write a song that will be played around the world. “And I did when I was asked to write ‘Malaysia Truly Asia’. We shot in Moscow, Paris, among others.”

When he first started composing, he said he wrote songs based on what he felt or what inspired him at that time. But it then evolved into writing songs for specific singers. For example, Ahmad said only Jamal can do justice to the haunting “Seniman Menangis, which the singer had initially questioned him “Are you trying to kill me with this song?” due to the high notes.

And Jamal did justice to the song again on Thursday, with his soaring vocals reverberating around Istana Budaya’s Panggung Sari. Performing the song to the accompaniment of poignant guitar and violins, as well as the rest of the masterful Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) Orchestra, the audience was treated to a splendid vocal performance.

The whole night, he was on point. Earlier, I was exceptionally moved by his heartbreaking delivery of “Perpisahan Tanpa Relamu”. Some singers sound great on recordings, but the legendary ones are even greater live. Jamal is certainly in the latter category.

Jamal thanked Ahmad — who he thinks of as a brother and a father — for the composer’s talent, composition and guidance in making him a better person and a better singer, as well as a career that has lasted decades till now.

The rousing tribute certainly showcased the best of Ahmad’s 2,000 plus songs written in a period of seven decades. The seniors of the entertainment industry — Jamal, Shidee and Ramlah — showed how powerful and mesmerising they are still despite being “veterans”.

Shidee was silky smooth, especially his stirring performance of Dato’ Shake’s “Kau Bungaku” and fan-favourite “Sayang Semuanya Sudah Terlambat”. He reminisced the fact that Ahmad was welcoming of him upon entry to the music scene as the maestro produced his first album under SCS.

The still vibrant Ramlah Ram delivered with gusto the songs she was entrusted with, hitting the high notes on her popular hit song “Kau Kunci Cintaku Dalam Hatimu” and Sharifah Aini’s “Tiada Maaf Bagimu”. The songstress thanked Ahmad as she said everybody knows that he was the one to guide her to the pinnacle of success.

For would-be concert-goers on July 2-3, tickets are still available at https://ilassotickets.com. The organisers have promised surprises on each night, which may include cameos or performances by a few more artists mentored by Ahmad.

The tribute is organised by the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry’s National Department of Culture and Arts (JKKN) together with Jamal’s company Bin Jamal Event Sdn Bhd, which also acts as producer and director, supported by the Communications and Multimedia Ministry, Istana Budaya and DBKL.

Visit www.jkkn.gov.my or www.facebook.com/mysenibudaya for more details.