Tan Cheng Bock ‘very proud’ as he watched his grandson perform with NUS jazz band

SINGAPORE: Opposition leader Dr Tan Cheng Bock took to social media to express how proud he was of his grandson who performed with the NUS Jazz Band recently. Dr Tan is the chairman of the Progress Singapore Party and is also well known for his fondness for music.

“On Thurs night (26 Oct), I joined a very young crowd of students and music lovers, to watch the NUS Jazz Band play a selection of songs at a small cafe ‘lowercase’ in Lasalle College of the Arts.

We ate pizza on our laps and drank craft beer while each band played their hearts out. My grandson was among them and I was a very proud grandfather! Well done NUS jazz band!,” wrote Dr Tan in a Saturday (Oct 28) on Facebook, posting photos of his grandson in action as well.

The NUS Jazz Band, established in 1994, describes itself as “a dynamic and supportive space that champions jazz music in Singapore.” Here’s a clip of the band from March of this year, in a concert titled “I’ve Got Rhythm! 2023” the NUS University Cultural Centre Theatre.

In 2018, Dr Tan showed his own musical talents at a live concert at Tanglin Halt. While he had originally been invited to the community event, he ended up on the stage singing a song with the performers.

Read also: Tan Cheng Bock unleashes his musical talents at Tanglin Halt live concert

“Last night, a friend invited me to a live concert at Tanglin Halt Open Plaza. The concert featured The Quests with Vernon Cornelius. He kindly invited me onstage to sing a song for me and I choose ‘Save the last dance for me’. Somehow, I ended singing as well – but it was fun and I hope the crowd enjoyed it. There were also dances and other performances. Events like these bring communities together and we should attend and support them,” he wrote in a Facebook post back then.

But the PSP head does not only sing, he plays the ukulele as well. He said in 2015, “I love playing the ukulele. It is a very simple musical instrument I learned to play during my scouting days.”

Read related: Tan Cheng Bock serenades Instagrammers with song on kindness

In 2020, Dr Tan serenaded Instagrammers with song on kindness. Shortly before the General Election that year, he posted a video of himself singing a Glen Campbell song titled, Try A Little Kindness. 

The lyrics include such lines as: “If you see your brother standing by the road with a heavy load from the seeds he’s sowed…And if you see your sister falling by the way, just stop and say, ‘you’re going the wrong way’. You got to try a little kindness. Yes, show a little kindness.”

/TISG