Date Night Friday: The Chosen Few

Erik Hargrove is a seasoned professional musician with over 41 years of experience, during which he earned a reputation of being a world-class drummer and percussionist. He has performed on stages in six of the seven continents, playing with some of the most iconic names in music.

One of Erik’s most significant accomplishments was his seven-year tenure as a member of The Late Great James Brown’s band, where he shared the stage with musical legends such as Michael Jackson, Sting, Slash, Lenny Kravitz, Pavarotti, Elton John, Victor Wooten, Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, and Thomas McClary.

After Mr. Brown’s passing, Erik teamed up with another living legend of funk, Mr Bootsy Collins, for his A Tribute to James Brown world tour. Erik has also collaborated with other notable artists, including alternative rock band Sister Hazel and Thomas McClary, the founder, guitarist, and singer of The Commodores.

In 2013, Erik was interviewed by Thailand’s leading drum magazine, DrumNote which published some of his drum set compositions. He was only the second foreigner ever to grace the magazine’s cover. Erik later reunited with Bootsy Collin’s New Rubber Band from 2013 to 2015 and performed globally.

Erik’s work with Will Robinson on the famed Isan Project has earned him high respect and admiration among some of Thailand’s most important people.

Aside from performing, Erik is passionate about sharing his expertise with aspiring drummers. In 2021, he authored his first instructional book, Control Your Drumming which provides practical tips for improving drumming skills.

Erik’s most recent performances have been with Asian pop stars David Tao, and he assisted JJ Lin in launching his 20-year anniversary tour for 2022/2023. His talent and experience continue to inspire and influence musicians worldwide.

Electric Bass player Jase Sng is a respected member in Singapore’s music scene. He has performed with a variety of musical groups ranging from pop to jazz. He is best known as bass player in heralded local group The Steve McQueens, who were handpicked by Bluey of legendary acid jazz/funk band Incognito to be flown to London and have their album produced by him personally. The Steve McQueens also opened for Incognito at the O2 arena in London. When Incognito performed in Singapore and their resident bass player Francis Hylton was indisposed, Jase was asked to fill in for him. He has also played in established international festivals such as Clockenflap (Hong Kong), the Jarasum Jazz Festival (Seoul) and Urbanscapes (Kuala Lumpur). These days he performs a lot less and spends more of his time expanding his artisan sourdough pizza business.

Joshua Wan, a graduate of the Berklee College of Music (1989), has been a familiar face in the Singapore’s music scene for the last 35 years as a pianist, arranger, producer, educator and keyboardist with nu-soul group, The Steve McQueens.

He has been involved in the studio recording scene as producer/arranger for artists such as Sandy Lam, Kit Chan, JJ Lin and Dick Lee and has been involved in several National Day Parades as music arranger and music director. He has performed with several musicians around the world and has been a mentor to students in Esplanade’s Bright Young Things programme (2010 – 2017), SP Jazz (The Singapore Polytechnic Jazz Band) and the Nanyang Technological University Jazz Band.

Richard Jackson grew up surrounded by music. His voice quickly became synonymous with vocal legends such as Luther Vandross, Barry White, Marvin Gaye and  Ronald Isley. He went on to open for legendary acts such as The Stylistics, Regina Belle, Tuck & Patti, Peabo Bryson, Will Downing, Jennifer Holiday, George Clinton, Incognito and Bob James. He has performed with Jazz legends Ernie Watts and Randy Brecker as well as Kenny Drew Jr, Al Di Meola and Ricky Lawson to name a few.  Currently based in Singapore, Richard has been performing internationally at Jazz Festivals in Australia, France and Russia as well as across Asia and is consistently sought after. He combines incredible tone with intelligent phrasing and heartfelt intensity. Along with a convincing vocal trombone, listening to Richard sing is like being covered by a warm blanket on a winter's day.