Jazzing up the scene: Xiong has played in numerous club gigs and music festivals, and has a respectable following on social media.
As a boy growing up in Ipoh, Lee Hung Cheong always dreamt of playing a guitar before a cheering audience.
That passion inspired him to go all the way to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, to obtain a music diploma.
During his studies there, Cheong, popularly known as just Xiong, discovered the exquisite music of bossa nova jazz, which was to become a hallmark of his musical career.
The bossa nova is a style of samba music that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
“As music students, we used to practise from a jazz book called Real Book, and it had a number of bossa nova tunes in it. I was immediately attracted to its melody and made friends with a number of Brazilian students who shared my interest,” the acoustic guitarist said in an interview.
One friend in particular, globally renowned Brazilian song producer Heitor Pereira, played a pivotal role in showing him the beauty of Brazilian culture and music.
“I was fortunate to have met Heitor in school and we hung out a lot in Boston and his home in Rio. He opened up a whole new world to me of what being a musician was all about,” he added.
Xiong has played in numerous club gigs and music festivals, and has a respectable following on social media, leading to the release of a self-titled album called Xiong in 2013.
For his efforts, the 66-year-old will be honoured by the Brazilian government with the Order of Rio Branco award.
He is the first Malaysian musician to receive the award, which is the highest-ranking Brazilian honour given to national or foreign persons who have carried out noteworthy deeds.
Asked how he came under the Brazilian Embassy’s radar, Xiong said it was a classic case of “being in the right place at the right time”.
“I was just doing my thing playing a gig, singing a song by Dorival Caymmi called Marina, when a gentleman introduced himself. I later found out he was the then Brazilian ambassador to Malaysia.
“I remember him showing up at my gigs, being very encouraging and supportive of my endeavours throughout his stint here from 2004 to 2008,” he added.
Xiong even captured the heart of the current Brazilian ambassador here, Ary Norton de Murat Quintella, who decided to submit his name for the Order of Rio Branco award.
Xiong still feels he has more to give to his fans and wants to improve even more.
“The music that you play is for other people, but the ‘playing’ of the music is for you. I will continue to perform with that in mind,” he said.
He will receive the Order of Rio Branco award from Ary Norton after a concert tonight at the Jao Tim jazz bar in Jalan Sultan here.
The envoy said the Brazilian government recognised Xiong’s efforts to promote Brazilian culture and music in Malaysia.
“He is a distinguished and original artist in the field of bossa nova, recreating with immense talent classics such as The Girl from Ipanema”, he added.
