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The recording of Singapore Swing at Lion Studios
Nationhood is a composite of many things - shared geography, language, experiences and also the unique culture, dress, dance, myths, music and songs of a people.
 Every country has its own national anthem, which is revered by its people. Singapore also has its own unique genre of music which has over the years acquired a range of names - "Community Songs", "National Day Theme Songs" and "Singapore Songs". All these songs share something in common. To sing is to celebrate an identity, and these are all songs of joy, sadness, love and memories of happy days and places, reflecting the hopes and aspirations of a people. Their appeal, like any good and timeless piece of music, is one that traverses both time and space.
 Under the umbrella of the Sing Singapore programme, initiated by the then-Ministry of Communications and Information in 1986, many new community songs were composed. A few struck a chord with Singaporeans and were selected to be featured at the annual National Day Parades as part of the Singapore Song Medley before the fireworks. National Day theme songs were first introduced in the mid-1980s beginning with "Count On Me Singapore", featured in the 1986 National Day Parade, coinciding with Singapore's 21st birthday.
This album is an eclectic mix of 12 familiar favourites, put together by Cultural Medallion winner Jeremy Monteiro. With his talented band of friends, they have explored various nuances of jazz rhythms - swing, bossa nova and contemporary. We hope these pieces will help rekindle pleasant memories and reflections of being Singaporean and being in Singapore - this place we call our home.
You can read up more about the album, the origins of each song and even Jeremy's personal comments from the CD insert, which you can download here.
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