KUALA LUMPUR – In a packed and cozy corner of Bangsar sits a wonderful space for local jazz and acts that would absolutely rival the international scene. Welcome to BoboKL, the city’s premier music lounge, home to the signature Tarakucha big band concert, assuring audience members of a night of romance, thrills and magic with their carefully curated set of classic songs in English and from the Malay songbook.

In their latest iteration, the team takes you to the movies, with Cinema TARAKUCHA!. It seems only appropriate, as the name Tarakucha itself was born from the lyrics of a song from P Ramlee’s classic 1962 comedy film Labu dan Labi. Now, led by music director Nish Tham, starring lead singers Sean Ghazi and Ida Mariana, and the stupendous 12-piece “terrer-menerrer” big band spanning the entire BoboKL stage-wall. a Tarakucha experience is like no other; romantic, thrilling, magical and totally immersive.

Some of the very best movies couldn’t be achieved without an iconic soundtrack, and Cinema TARAKUCHA! aims to highlight that onstage, starting like all movies do, with the opening credits. As the band comes up onstage, they get into position and perform the 20th Century Fox Fanfare, readying us for the show to start.

Lead singer Sean Ghazi oozes with star power as he arrives, spiffy in his white suit and receiving loud cheers and applause from the audience. This isn’t a stuffy show though – he starts with Spiderman‘s theme song, crooning ‘Spiderman…spiderman’, and we feel enraptured by his voice, a sense of warmth and comfort gathered here to have a good time, a mainstay of the area now with its 7th year here.

Tarakucha has always firstly been about celebrating the Malay songbook, and Sean goes on to perform ‘Hujan Di Tengah Hari’ from P Ramlee’s debut film, the romance Penarek Becha. Cleverly, he intersperses it with one of his specialties – ‘Singin’ In The Rain’, appearing as a cover in one of his earliest albums, and it’s a beautiful rendition of this song, especially poignant with the wet season in KL, enjoying it while it lasts while also looking forward to the sunshine after the rain.

P Ramlee is of course, a mainstay of the song selection, and his next song is ‘Malam Bulan Di Pagar Bintang’ from Pendekar Bujang Lapok. Originally performed as a duet by P Ramlee and music icon Saloma, Sean is now joined by Ida Mariana, almost floating onto stage like a moon princess, and you feel their onstage chemistry, believing in the romance of the song.

Ida Mariana then takes centrestage with her next song, Rita Hayworth’s ‘Amado Mio’ from 1946 film noir Gilda, jazzy and sultry in the rendition. Music director Nish nails the complex rhythm to a T on the ivories, and commands the band from his seat at the piano. Watching the band, with two violins, a viola, a cello, a guitar, an upright bass, drums, percussion, trumpet, saxophone and trombone, everyone is clearly focused, ready to look out for Nish’s lead.

They then move into the rarely performed ‘Bintang Mulan’ from P Ramlee’s Do Re Mi (1966), a song that speaks to the very souls of the audience, before segueing into more contemporary times, with ‘Di Buai Mimpi’ from the film Spilt Gravy on Rice. Based on a play by Jit Murad, Sean takes the opportunity to speak about the censorship and red tape the film had to go through before release, and coincidentally, Jit Murad’s own brother, wife and family were present in the audience that night, and dedicated the song to Jit’s life, complete with a black and white photo of Jit onscreen.

Sean’s next song was a cover of Joan Crawford’s ‘How Long Will It Last?’ from Possessed (1931), before Antonio Banderas’ ‘Beautiful Maria of My Soul’ from The Mambo Kings (1992), showcasing his range and ability to adjust his vocals, connect with the audience and bring both songs to life. Ida then takes over with ‘Waiting For Your Return’, made famous again through Crazy Rich Asians. Now associated with Taiwanese legend Theresa Teng, Ida’s version was fun and recognisable, and captured the spirit and heyday of big band music before breaking for intermission.

Changing out of his suit to a kurta and sherwani, Sean returns to the stage and performs Indian classics ‘Main Shair To Nahin’ and ‘Paarthe Padava, before transporting us to 1961 London, with Cliff Richard’s ‘The Young Ones’ from the film of the same name. Ida too returns, matching Sean in a red sari, and sings alongside him to warm applause.

Ida is always given a chance to show off her vocals, and does them justice with a rendition of ‘Goldfinger’ – thanks to the video and production team, many of these songs are also accompanied by a visual onscreen that captures key scenes from the film, enhancing the significance of every song. Watching Sean and Ida together filled with poise and grace, their voice fills the room and our hearts throughout the performance. Sean also takes the time to acknowledge the musicians, introducing us to each one in turn, from which town they hail from (the audience cheers whenever their own hometown is mentioned of course), important towards the recognition of true, Malaysian homegrown talent.

Going into the song ‘Tudung Periuk’, from Sumpah Orang Minyak (1958), it’s a reminder to be proud of one’s own culture and heritage. Storytelling is important, and comes through especially strong in ‘Getaran Jiwa’ from Antara Dua Darjat (1960), and even Olivia Newton-John’s ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You’ from Grease, with rhythmic tremolos accompanying Ida’s sultry voice.

As we reach the finale, the energy is brought up again with Grace Chang’s classic ‘Wo Yao Ni De Ai’ featured in Crazy Rich Asians, where the entire audience seemed to know the song and brought out a huge sense of excitement, before segueing into ‘Bunyi Guitar’ from Tiga Abdul (1964). The energy from the audience is felt, elevating all the numbers, before a smashing finale with P Ramlee’s Kwek Mambo.

But that’s not all – in a Tarakucha special, Sean adds in a rousing encore with ‘Sabrina Kekasih Lama’ from 3 Abdul, in a moving tribute to his own mother, a love story that spans ages and marking a wonderful end to a concert that celebrates cinema and life, and Malaysian people and culture. There’s a verve to the performance and authenticity to every note and lyric, a love for the arts and culture and warmth for everyone in the room. As the singers meet and greet guests for photographs, we’re served nasi lemak for supper, in the tradition of BoboKL, and it feels like more than a performance venue – it feels like a home.

Cinema TARAKUCHA! runs till 26th November 2023 at BoboKL, 65-2, Jalan Bangkung, Bangsar, 59100 Kuala Lumpur. Tickets available here