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Feat. Aaron James Lee (Drummer) & Matthew Tan (Pianist)
Music
11 Aug 2022
27 Nov 2025
~10mins
Feat. Aaron James Lee (Drummer) & Matthew Tan (Pianist)
Passion is a young man's game. Aaron and Matthew would know—they’re youths trying to make it big in the best way they know how: jazz music.
But as it turns out, it’s a rough road to tread without the network and experience afforded by age. RICE speaks to these two passionate young musicians who dream of an unorthodox career that promises them a life of doing what they love.
Aaron James Lee
Aaron has had the opportunity to grow up amongst National Treasures here in the local scene. Musicians such as Don Gomes, Christy Smith, Joshua Wan, Andrew Lim, Tan Wei Xiang, Wen Ming Soh, Chok Kerong and Jeremy Monteiro have paved the way for musicians such as Lee, who has been blessed with the opportunity to work with each of them, to thrive as an artist here in Singapore. Lee has worked with some international acts who have come through Singapore—James Moody, Alex Sipiagin, Tony Lakatos to name a few and as a former band member of The Steve McQueens, has also been brought on the road to Japan, London etc.
Matthew Tan
Entirely self-taught, Matthew is a pianist who is heavily influenced by the jazz idiom, which has inspired him to explore not only the aesthetics, but also the science of music. Matthew was a former band leader and arranger for the Singapore Polytechnic Jazz Band, and thereafter, he has performed at numerous venues and occasions in Singapore. He emerged as one of two best soloists in the Singapore International Jazz Battle in 2018. Besides being a pianist, Matthew also plays several other instruments including the saxophone and trumpet, and being classically trained in computer science allows him to share his knowledge of music from fresh perspectives.
Off Beat is a three-part video series about unexpected people in jazz, commissioned by Esplanade Offstage and produced by RICE.
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Ep 1: Ah Boys to Jazz
Feat. Aaron James Lee (Drummer) & Matthew Tan (Pianist)