Caravan: Raffles Jazz Swings into the Spotlight

Reading Time: 4 minutes

By Christian Adriel Tan (26S07B)

All photographs provided by RIAC

When we think of jazz, the image that often drifts to mind is gentle and subdued—the kind of mellow music that hums softly beneath dinner conversations in candlelit restaurants. Brushed cymbals, warm saxophone lines, piano notes that wander without urgency — the quiet, unobtrusive soundtrack of hotel lobbies and late-night lounges. But Caravan!—Raffles Jazz’s ARTSeason 2025 showcase—turned that image on its head. Here, jazz stepped into the spotlight not as ambience, but as art: music that twisted, teased, and transformed with every phrase.

The house lights dimmed. For a moment, the Performing Arts Centre sat in total darkness. A slow amber glow crept across the stage—revealing two crisp silhouettes and saxophones glinting gold beneath the haze. One in a midnight-blue gown, the other in a sharp suit and maroon tie. They didn’t need introductions. Just a shared glance, a held breath—and then, music. What followed was Yes or No, a piece that began hushed and unfolded into a dialogue of daring solos, each one improvised on the spot.

From the moment that first solo hit, the audience knew this was no typical school concert. Yes or No unfolded like a question passed from player to player, each answer more daring than the last. With every riff, every improvised detour, the band laid bare an overlooked truth: that jazz, at its heart, is an art of risk. In an era dominated by flawless classical recitals and note-for-note replication, these performers chose spontaneity — raw, live, and fleeting.

And it was not just their musicianship on display, but their stories. Every piece was personally selected by a graduating member of The Dipole Moment, accompanied by a short speech explaining why it mattered. The effect was intimate and grounding. These were not just songs. They were snapshots: of childhood memories, admiration of jazz legends, or simply the thrill of finally playing that one tune live. It turned the concert into a curated collage of lives in motion—each piece a musical autobiography.

Then came C’est Si Bon, and with it, a change in atmosphere. The stage transformed into a charming Parisian café scene—musicians lounging with newspapers, winking at the audience as the music meandered. It was playful without being gimmicky, smooth without feeling sleepy. Their ease on stage, the deliberate theatricality, showed a confidence beyond their years—an understanding that jazz, too, can tell jokes.

The setlist was nothing if not eclectic. There were cross-genre mashups like Falling Behind × From the Start and Plastic Love × Stay with Me, where the band danced gracefully between indie haze and city pop nostalgia. So What simmered quietly—a jazz classic in testing a musician’s control—while There Will Never Be Another You glittered with a kind of delicate finality. The audience remained locked in throughout, buoyed by transitions that were polished yet full of personality.

And then came Take the ‘A’ Train—a show-stopper in every sense. As the familiar opening riff rang out, anticipation rippled through the crowd. But it was the vocalist, Shayna Cheong (25S06A), who turned the piece from good to unforgettable. She moved between registers with astonishing agility, her tone at once silky and bold, weaving in scatting phrases and playful inflections that made the standard feel fresh and immediate. It was jazz vocalism at its finest—equal parts technical control and unrestrained soul.

After intermission, the baton passed to 101 Fahrenheits—the Y5 batch, now making their debut. Any nerves they may have had were completely undetectable. They glided into Lullaby of Birdland with polish, then spun the atmosphere around with the explosive NAB THAT CHAP!!—a chaotic, cartoonish caper of a piece that felt like it had been plucked straight from a Tom and Jerry chase scene. But amid the fun, there was finesse. Every cue was hit with precision, every punchline landed with musical wit.

Rosalina in the Observatory offered a quieter interlude, glowing with restraint and longing, before the audience was swept into the emotionally resonant Getaran Jiwa. The vocalist, Fatih Hamdani (25S03A), delivered vocals that were raw, fluid, and sincere—a moment of real stillness in a show filled with motion.

Even in the smallest details, there was delight. Listeners with keen ears would have caught quotes from jazz standards cheekily folded into solos, or familiar motifs from Mario Kart or Spongebob Squarepants drifting through the trumpet lines. These easter eggs—improvised, never signposted — felt like private nods between musicians and their most attentive listeners.

The concert built toward its namesake and climax: Caravan. With the full ensemble assembled once more, the stage practically pulsed with energy. The song roared forward, filled with sharp syncopations, crashing cymbals, and solos that swung between control and chaos. And just when it seemed over, the bands returned for one final burst—All of Me—a celebratory encore that left the audience clapping and whooping, cheeks sore from smiling.

Caravan! was bold. It was a mosaic of meaning. It was jazz—in its full, chaotic, radiant form. And as Raffles Jazz took their final bows, they did so as artists speaking to a room that had come alive with them.

If this was the end of a chapter for The Dipole Moment, they left the stage not in silence, but in full, roaring colour (both literally and figuratively). As for 101 Farenheits—their journey is just beginning, and from the looks of it, they have already hit their stride.

Performer List:

The Dipole Moment:
Chloe Chee (25S03A)

Isaac Teo (25S03D)

Julian Low (25S06A)

Brice Tan (25S02B)

Ang Ben Yi (25S05A)

Olivier Lim (25S03N)

Li Anyi (25S03H)

Shayna Cheong (25S06A)

Fatih Hamdani (25S03A)

101 Fahrenheits:

Matthew Wang (26S03K)