Cover Louis Soliano
Louis Soliano
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From meeting US presidents and celebrities to facing near‐death experiences, Singapore’s godfather of jazz recounts the highs and lows of his seven decades in showbiz in his recently published memoir
You can say that music literally gives jazz icon Louis Soliano life. The vocalist and drummer, who turned 81 this September, suffers from chronic neck pain, which affects his spine and mobility. It is a long‐term injury sustained from years of lifting and moving heavy equipment.
“At home, I’m limping or moving around with a walking stick. And I get this nerve attack every now and then. It just happens. But when I’m on stage singing, all that disappears,” he shares candidly. “On stage, I’m a different person. I get turned on by the music.”
Hailing from a musical family—his father Pablo was a travelling musician—Soliano picked up the art form naturally and has been actively performing since the 1950s. The roll call of people he has performed for, and with, reads like a who’s who of global politics and showbiz: Bill Clinton, the Bushes, Louis Armstrong, Anita Sarawak, Frances Yip and Roman Tam, just to name a few.
He still performs a weekly set at Simply Jazz by Tin Box at Chijmes, where we meet for this interview and photo shoot in late August. Being around other people and feeding off their energy is another motivating factor that keeps the 2018 Cultural Medallion recipient going.
Above A young Soliano winning his first drum battle in 1959
A young Soliano winning his first drum battle in 1959
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“When I sing here on Fridays and Saturdays, I always have a full house. I have a following. Do you know why? Because I prostitute myself when I perform. I’m not shy to say that,” he quips. “The way I move. The way I use my hands—people love to see that. They stay till the end.”
Outside of his natural habitat—music venues—Soliano might come across as a frail, elderly gentleman. But speak to him and you will be won over by his wit and charm, not to mention his effortless sense of style and candour. To anyone who cares to listen, he will happily regale you with his treasure trove of memories that spans the decades, across continents.
Many of those recollections are detailed in his recently released memoir, No Complaints & No Regrets: Louis Soliano in Retrospect, published with the funds he received with his Cultural Medallion. Through assiduously kept photographs, letters, documents, invitations, ticket stubs, concert posters and other paraphernalia, Soliano recounts his time spent entertaining the world in a no‐holds‐barred fashion.
Above Soliano meeting American jazz drummer Buddy Rich for the first time in 1961
Soliano meeting American jazz drummer Buddy Rich for the first time in 1961
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Excerpts from his personal life—his love affairs, marriages and familial relationships—are intertwined with his professional career, which itself is inextricably woven with the tumultuous political landscape that Southeast Asia was undergoing at the time.
During the Vietnam War, for example, he was hired to perform for American troops based in the country. In one incident, he remembers staying out past the 10.30 pm curfew. Realising that they would not be able to make it back to their accommodation in time, he and his bandmates sought refuge in a funeral parlour. There, they had to take part in funeral rites in order to blend in.
In another episode, he witnessed a deadly game of Russian roulette in a gambling den, where he had gone to pass the time. Five men had gathered around a table with a pistol in the centre, and whoever the gun pointed at after it was spun around had to turn the muzzle on themselves and pull the trigger. Some won, some lost. “No one witnessing such a scene ever forgets it; it just recedes in your mind,” he recounts in the memoir.
Above Soliano performing with the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation Orchestra
Soliano performing with the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation Orchestra
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Initially hesitant to produce a book, Soliano was only convinced after reading other biographies that author Sharon Yeo had written. The two had known each other socially for a long time—Soliano has had jamming sessions with jazz groups in Yeo’s residence—but got to know each other better when he introduced her to Simply Jazz.
“For me, it’s a history book,” Soliano says. “It’s to show what we went through as musicians. Which musician has gone through a war? We went through a lot of things.” The book took “eight to nine months” to put together, using Soliano’s keepsakes as well as images purchased from the National Archives of Singapore. “He’s very meticulous,” says Yeo. “He kept all the photos well. Everything was organised in albums.”
The book’s title speaks of a life lived to the fullest even as, or perhaps because, he encountered multiple near‐death experiences. In one such instance, the false ceiling of his rented house in Woodlands collapsed. Luckily, Soliano was in a different room at the time. It was a narrow miss.
Above Singer Anita O’Day became a dear friend
Singer Anita O’Day became a dear friend
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“‘No Complaints & No Regrets’ comes from the song Here’s to Life [written by Artie Butler and Phyllis Molinary],” explains Yeo. “Louis has made that his signature, so I used it because it fits. He’s someone who has lived life and is reflecting on his past.”
Looking at the old photos was an emotional experience for Soliano. “There were moments when I looked at them and I was in tears,” he relates, adding that he learnt a lot from his travels. “Every artist I met was different.”
One who left a deep impression was jazz luminary Anita O’Day, whom he met in Bangkok’s Boom Boom Room in the 1960s. It was she who taught him how to sing and scat, the importance of enunciation, and how stylistic affectations can make or break a performance. “She was truly inspirational,” he recounts.
Above Louis Soliano (pictured centre) met his ex‐wife Marilyn (pictured right) in Birmingham
Above Soliano with Tony Bennett in 1993
Louis Soliano (pictured centre) met his ex‐wife Marilyn (pictured right) in Birmingham
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A father of four and grandfather of eight, Soliano currently resides in a repurposed shipping container in his youngest son Paulinho’s backyard. His ex‐wife Marilyn, a Scotswoman he met in Birmingham, lives in the main house together with Paulinho’s wife and three children.
None of his children are musicians, but Soliano is OK with that. After all, he is a mentor to so many of Singapore’s musicians, such as Alemay Fernandez and Jeremy Monteiro, who is co‐owner of Simply Jazz. Monteiro refers to him as his sifu, or teacher in Mandarin, while Joanna Dong calls him “Uncle Louis”. He is practically family to some of them. Soliano has nothing but praise for the current generation of musical talents: “we Singaporeans have improved a lot over the years. The standard of music is very high now. We have a lot of talent! The kids today are lucky. They get to perform everywhere. The only thing they don’t have is experience.”
That, Soliano says, is something that cannot be taught. “Life, I cannot advise them. They have to go through it.”
As for how he feels about his role in preserving and contributing to Singapore’s cultural heritage over the past seven decades, Soliano responds with characteristic wit: “I’ve contributed a lot. No need to contribute anymore. I’m 81 this year. I have nothing to prove.”
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