Wes Meets Pat – A Tribute to the Music and Genius of Wes Montgomery and Pat Martino

Led by one of the leading lights of jazz guitar in Singapore, the Joshua Francis Trio was assembled to delve deep into the sounds of jazz, R&B and the blues. Influenced by the legendary collaborations of Montgomery–Smith, Rhyne–Bernstein and McDuff–Benson, groove is of no question. Featuring the classic organ trio configuration of guitar (Joshua Francis), organ (Xavier Lim), and drums (Asher Lee) these young lions of Singapore Jazz are here to present an unforgettable evening of music.

Joshua Francis is a self-taught jazz guitarist, composer, arranger, and educator. Familiar with the genres of the blues, rock, country, folk, classical and Brazilian guitar, he offers a versatile approach to the instrument. From a young age, he has been in-demand as a sessionist, performing with international and Singaporean artists such as Atozzio, Sharik Hassan, Amar Sundy, Jeremy Monteiro and Chok Kerong, amongst countless others. His talents have since taken him to venues in Australia, China, Indonesia and Malaysia as well as Singapore’s Victoria Concert Hall and Esplanade. A force in the local scene, Joshua is lauded for his soulful style and visceral understanding of music.

18-year-old drummer Asher Lee (aka phenyl music) is a rising young talent in Singapore’s jazz scene. Though musically inclined from an early age, it wasn’t until his secondary school years that he would encounter jazz, discovering that many of the musical ideas he had previously explored have strong roots in the art form. This realisation would spawn a journey of instrumental self-teaching and see him swiftly establish himself as a sought-after jazz drummer and pianist. He has since performed alongside notable Singaporean and international jazz luminaries such as Aaron Goldberg, Sharik Hasan, Christy Smith, Aya Sekine, Andrew Lim and Joshua Wan, and continues to deepen his appreciation and connection with jazz, pursuing nothing short of excellence.

Asher currently helms Singapore Polytechnic’s Jazz Band.

Xavier Lim is a pianist, arranger, composer, and educator from Singapore. He is primarily interested in the language of jazz, blues, R&B, funk and soul. A versatile performer, his musical forays range from traditional swing to contemporary pop. 

Lim has performed at a variety of venues including Esplanade, Botanic Gardens Symphony Stage and Marina Bay Sands Theatre. 

Inspired by titans of the Hammond organ such as Jimmy Smith, Groove Holmes and Joey DeFrancesco, Lim will perform on this iconic instrument that has been a staple in much of jazz, R&B and rock history. 

Andrea Cui graduated from Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music and is currently pursuing a diploma at Berklee College of Music. Well-versed in both classical music and contemporary styles, he regularly performs original compositions, as well as in jazz combos, big bands, and pop groups. At Berklee, he has been studying under Tiger Okoshi, Billy Buss, Jason Palmer, Marquis Hill, and Philip Grenadier. So far, he has played in more than 50 studio sessions, achieved finalist in Al Natale Brass Competition and Berklee Brass Showcase 2023, performed with Latin pop legend Andres Cepeda, and continues to perform regularly both as a sideman and a bandleader.