Part II      Fusion Quartet with string ensemble (2011 - 2013)

(Write up to be inserted}

Stories from Wonderland, Tze n looking glass' debut album was reviewed and selected as one of top 10 music albums in 2011 by The Business Times. 

(Extracted from The Business Times article "Best CDs of 2011, by Christopher Lim, 16 Dec 2011)

It's hard to be both sophisticated and accessible, and local pianist-composer Tze pulls off that combination with Stories from Wonderland, a jazz fusion adventure inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass.

Many musicians have tried to find a uniquely Asian sound that doesn't dumb down the traditions they draw from, and few have succeeded as well as Tze and his band, Looking Glass, Indian violin meets Chinese erhu without sounding like rojak, and Tze anchors everything from the piano with his unerring sense of melody, which comes to the fore most on Goddess Of Rain.

Fusion jazz - with its flexibility to add ethnic instruments and melodies without losing its globally accessible jazz vibe - is one of the most promising genres for Asian musicians to excel in, and local pianist-composer Toh Tze Chin is a prime example.

First full concert Stories from Wonderland

Tze n Looking Glass debut at the NUS Arts Festival in 2011

16-17 March 2011, University Cultural Centre Theatre

(Extracted from Artzone article, Contemporary Singapore Music Talent, Jan-July issue, 2012)

Full time composer-pianist Tze won at the UK Songwriting Contest 2011. An Indian Folk Song meets Jazz by the NUS Piano Ensemble alum scores for originality in fusing traditional Indian music and western jazz. Tze returns to NUS Arts Festival for the second year running through his original music for Jeffrey Tan's choreography in Solo/Duet on 16-17 March 2011.

A collaboration is like a dialogue where two artists who mutually understand and respect each other go off on this journey of adventure and discovery. I think it's important to feel energized, inspired and excited each time you meet, rehearse and experiment. It is like that with Jeffrey who is unassuming, amazingly supportive, and there was never any pressure working with him. We both wanted to enjoy the process ad make this the best work possible.

A new world fusion sound combining film score, jazz, Chinese, Indian, European classical music. An exotic ensemble of piano, Chinese erhu, Indian violin, saxophone, bass and drums. Each performance features exciting improvisations, blending sonic textures with Bebop, ragas and cool grooves. It's an exciting, spiritual new world fusion journey!

Tze n Looking Glass features NUS Piano Ensemble alumnus Tze (piano), NUS Chinese Orchestra alumnus Dai Da (erhu), Lazar (violin), Boon Chye (sax) and guest musicians.

                                                                            Read full article here

Looking through Tze's Glass

(Extracted from The Ridge Magazine article, Looking through Tze's Glass, by Nicole Kang, March issue, 2011)

Inspired by the story of Alice in Wonderland, the upcoming performance at the University Cultural Centre Theatre promises to deliver music quite contrary to the fast impetus of life in NUS. Carroll's tale is one of escapism, alluding to reality; similarly, their upcoming performance may be a symbol of reflection and escaping to new worlds, new possibilities, while at the same time daring us to dream. And like Carroll's tale, we return to reality, but with a new perspective. 

Indeed, Tze and his bandmates play music that forces the listener to listen and reflect; a rare quality found in today's music. Their music "draws from life itself, and [the] stories around [them]." What makes their music stand out is their 'uniquely Singapore[an]" flavour as they borrow from the "cultures and sounds around [them]" and blend them together in their works. It somehow offers Singaporeans hope that perhaps Tze n Looking Glass will be Singapore's answer to a musical identity. Their distinguishing factor thus lies in the blending of the different elements of music to create a new whole of "familiar sounds."

Read full article here

Official Opening of Garden by the Bay

29 June 2012, Garden by the Bay

Return to Wonderland

Album sequel to the critically acclaimed : Stories from Wonderland

First concert with string ensemble

(Extracted from The Business Times article, Cinematic Jazz Sweep, by Christopher Lim, 2012)

When you listen to a composer's work on a single album, it's hard to gauge how the music has evolved in the course of its composition and live performances. A case in point is Return to Wonderland by acclaimed local compose Tze Toh. In his work, he returns to the vision he originally had - for last year's studio effort, Stories from Wonderland, which was picked as one of last year's best album.

Second album "Return to Wonderland" was recorded "live" at the Esplanade Recital studio 

The main band, Tze n Looking Glass, comprises Teo Boon Chye on saxophone, Lazar. T. Sebastian on Indian violin, Dai Da on er-hu and himself on piano. Bassist Patrick Wong and drummer Jennier Ng backed them up. Joining them this album is 11-member local amateur string group The Contemporary String Ensemble.

Some musicians play more aggresively live than on record. This group seems audibly more relaxed. The musicians luxuriate in tasteful embellishment while fleshing out each piece well beyond their studio incarnations.The trade-off is that the delivery isn't quite as whiplash tight, which is to be expected because of the size of the ensemble and the relatively inexperienced string players.

"This is the cinematic vision I originally had in my head, but I first had to get fusion musicians together and see how well they played with one another before adding strings, so that resulted in the first album," says Tze. He credits soundtrack composers Ennio Morricone and Ryuichi Sakamoto as big influences, so it isn't surprising that he's sort to blend diverse instrumental textures.

First concert with small orchestra: Wonderland

 10th October 2012, Esplanade Recital Studio

Wonderland, the concert features original works by composer/pianist Tze Toh - a fusion of jazz, film score, Chinese/Indian and anime/video games soundtracks, Wonderland the concert is inspired by the Chinese mythology of Chang'e (嫦娥) and Houyi (后羿)Houyi the god archer and goddess Chang'e, beauty of Mother Earth/nature and humanity, the 5 elements, the music of Igor Stravinsky, Ennio Morricone, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Keith Jarrett, Yoko Kanno and Nobuo Uematsu and Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals.

TLG Orchestra is a symphonic orchestra which incorporates traditional Asian instruments - the Indian violin, Chinese flute, and also the jazz saxophone to create a distinctive blend of east and west.

The Longest Dream

5th September 2013, Esplanade recital studio

(Extracted from The Business Times article, Universal appeal, by Racher Loi, 2013)

"The concert is about existence, time and space, and the boundaries of reality and dreams, and most importantly, how it all began." explains Tze.

The music is also inspired by stories that involve origins. The piece Pan Gu, for instance, comes from the Chinese myth of Pan Gu creating the world; Boson refers to the recent discovery of the Higgs Boson, also known as the "God" particle; and Maya refers to life as a dream or an illusion.

Tze n Looking Glass Orchestra (TLGO), Singapore's contemporary fusion ensemble returns with its unique blend of film score, jazz, Indian, Chinese and European classical music, exploring the boundaries of dreams and reality, time/space and the origins of the Universe.

Although the music he composes has no words, Tze hopes that at least some of its meaning will be conveyed to the audience through emotions: like how Pan Gu seeks to show the appreciation of life and how small we are in the bigger scheme of things. "I think great music should have ability to connect. That's why music is a universe language." he says. "Everyone may have their own interpretation, but they should still be able to relate without the need for much explanation."