Putra Putri

Putra Putri was written by James Boyle. To his many students, 44-year-old James P.S. Boyle is as dedicated a teacher as his late father James W. Boyle. Popularly called Jimmy Boyle, he taught at St Xavier’s Institution and had maintained his teaching position till he passed away in 1971 at 49.

This son of the Penang Eurasian behind the iconic Putera Puteri (sometimes spelt Putra Putri), the Penang State anthem called Untuk Negeri Kita, Jauh Jauh, Ingat Ingat, Bunga Negara, Sang Bayu, Ke-Hulu Ke-Hilir, Pantun Melayu, Gemaran Bulan, and other songs, is personable and an easy conversationalist about jazz music.

All set to perform on the main stage of the 12 + 1 Penang Island Jazz festival come Dec 3, James says: “It’s a blessing really to be Jimmy Boyle’s son although I never knew him!”

A Boh Cameronian award-winning music director and graduate of Boston’s Berklee College of Music, James has been with Aswara (then ASK) since 1999. For the Penang festival, he will perform with Ruslan Imam, an Aswara colleague, on bass and Ruvi Imam on drums as the James Boyle Trio. It’s a tag that harkens back to his late dad’s Jimmy Boyle Trio. 

“It’s a pleasant invitation, to be part of the festival. Paul (Augustin, the organiser) knew of the main movers of music in Penang, including my dad and he has great passion for jazz.” 

It’s not the first time jazz lovers will see James at the festival as he had performed on the main stage in 2006, under James Boyle And The Ragged Tigers, and in 2010 while he had some fun in the Fringe festival over the years. “It’s my favourite jazz festival. Everybody’s genuine, and they are there for the music. 

“The beach, the hills around the site, the waves lappin, the environment is perfect for the music.” 

The show will be a Boyle on Boyle tribute. “It’s great to be able to rework some of my dad’s songs. I will have two singers — Bizhu and Liyana Fizi — on stage. 

“It’s only a 40-minute set, and as Jimmy Boyle had more than 350 songs, we’ll be doing some tunes that people may not have heard before.” 

James has also written a book, The Music And Legacy Of Jimmy Boyle, which will be on sale after the show. 

He is as excited about performing as he is about doing a workshop for the festival. “I’ll be talking about Jimmy Boyle, from my point of view and detached from who I am to him — musician, composer, educationist, never as my dad.”

He expects the session to be lively as there are still many Penang folks and musicians who recall Jimmy Boyle, the man and his works. James’ late dad will have a special place in the new Penang House of Music on the 4th floor of Komtar.

According to the Facebook page, the Penang House of Music is a curation of Penang’s popular music heritage with faithful depictions of the era. Showcased are Penang’s popular music from the 1940s to 1960s, a feature on communal music, a recreation of a radio booth and cinema, and a resource centre where visitors may discover an ever-growing vinyl collection, newspaper clippings, previously unreleased recordings, audio and video interviews.

Says James: “I’ve recorded Chendering (another famous Jimmy Boyle tune about a beach in Terengganu) with Bizhu, which will be played at the Penang House of Music. Dad was a great fan of the Malaysian landscape.

“Jimmy Boyle was consigned to do patriotic songs then, and we need to have more of such songs today. “The Penang House of Music is a tribute to our music legacy. Most of the musicians from that era came from Penang. David Yeoh, Ahmad Merican, Ahmad Nawab. and of course, Jimmy Boyle.”

The Penang House of Music is another brainchild of Paul Augustin. “Music matters to Paul, and that’s one reason why the Penang Jazz Festival has lasted for 13 years.

“The artistes who are invited to perform are different from the big names at other jazz festivals. I go to the Penang festival to absorb new sounds. It also connects with audiences, and there is space for young musicians too, giving them a platform to perform, which is not the same scene as clubs.”

For James, there is a dearth of jazz festivals in Malaysia today, and even the jazz clubs don’t last very long.

“The love for jazz music must begin from the grassroots level. People must relate to how the artistes developed their style. It’s important to know who you like, and the struggles the artiste has gone through to come up with their sound.

“When I was learning, in the 1980s, it was Sting, and when his album Dream Of The Blue Turtles came out, I bought the cassette. I had to find out who the engineer for the drum sound was, the studio it was recorded in, that kind of thing.”

James has performed with many Malaysian music luminaries over the years, including the late Paul Ponnudorai. “It was Paul Ponnudorai And The Handsome Coconuts on television. It was a great learning curve for me.”

Paul, who died in 2012, had himself backed up most of Malaysia’s greatest recording artistes including Datuk Sudirman Arshad and had co-produced his hit song, One Thousand Million Smiles, with jazz maestro Michael Veerapen.

Adds James: “It’s not a good sign when a student is asked to name a favourite jazz player, and he tells you he just clicks on YouTube and google.

“It’s scary, it says the young are taking things for granted. We should know who Ahmad Merican, Alfonso Soliano and ‘that Jimmy Boyle guy’ was.

“It’s embarrassing that the young know more about Mozart’s life than P. Ramlee’s. Honour starts from the home. Honour your own, before others. Honour our own heroes first. It’s about a sense of patriotism. It’s important.

“As for the Boyle on Boyle show, it’s up to me to leave the legacy of Jimmy Boyle, however I can for the future generations.”

To download the alphanotes and chords sheet music, look here. Enjoy!

Lyrics: 

Putra Putri negara jaya

Bersatu berpadu tenaga

Padamu harapannya bangsa

Seandai cita-cita

 

Putra Putri sejati mulia

Kota bandar desa sepasti

Padamu harapan dewi suci

Bakti jasa jiwamu

 

Menegakkan nusa

Mendirikan bangsa

Putra Putri dewi

Cekal gagah berani

English translation: 

Sons and daughters of the glorious nation

United together with strength In

you the hope of the nation

As long as the ideals

 

True noble sons and daughters,

towns, cities, villages, as sure as

you are the hope of the holy goddess, the

service of your soul

 

Upholding the homeland,

Establishing the nation's

sons and daughters, the goddess

stop from bravery