Malaysian jazz legend Lewis Pragasam dies at 66

KUALA LUMPUR – Lewis Pragasam – a long-time Malaysian jazz drummer known for his powerful performances, deep knowledge of percussion and music history, and inspiring educator spirit – has died at age 66.

According to the Lewis Pragasam Official Fanpage on Facebook, he died from a heart attack at a private hospital in Petaling Jaya at 3am on Dec 18.

A local article reported that he died peacefully, surrounded by family and friends.

Earlier on Dec 16, the Facebook account had posted videos of Pragasam interacting with fans at a Shah Alam event.

It was also announced that Pragasam was set to perform at a Christmas event on Dec 17 and a live music showcase on Dec 21.

The Kuala Lumpur-born artiste, who started out as a classic/progressive rock fan before discovering the jazz fusion possibilities of John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, was one of Malaysia’s most highly regarded percussionists.

With the ambition to create a fusion group driven by a cross-cultural music language, Pragasam founded the Asiabeat Project in 1979.

In 1983, the band leader broke new ground in the local recording scene when major label CBS released Asiabeat’s self-titled debut album, which offered a fusion of Asian ethnic rhythms and Western jazz.

The group, with Pragasam as the creative force, went on to release five more albums, including Dare To Dream in 1984, Drumusique in 1993 and Monsoon in 1994.

In 2021, he released a Lewis Pragasam’s Asiabeat album titled Akar, a collaborative project reflecting how he was actively engaged in the contemporary pop fusion scene.

His energy, vision and passion for drums had contributed to the huge regional interest in drums and percussion.

Pragasam often lent his drum skills to top local artistes such as Sheila Majid, including when she staged a jazz concert at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas in 2000. He was also an in-demand session drummer/musician on hundreds of local albums, spanning pop, rock and jazz genres.

As one of Asia’s leading percussionists, Pragasam performed with renowned artistes such as American jazz keyboardist Bob James and American musician Tony Levin, as well as at major regional jazz events and international festivals, including a royal command performance in 1995 for then Prince Charles in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Singapore jazz veteran Jeremy Monteiro, 63, and the late musician played in the same jazz band, Asiana, in the early 1990s.

He tells The Straits Times: “Lewis Pragasam was a force in Asian jazz. His work with his group Asiabeat was seminal, including Asiabeat’s notable work with shakuhachi (Japanese flute) musician John Kaizan Neptune. Lewis was also a founding member of my group Asiana and our inaugural concert with Lewis on drums was when we opened for American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel when they performed at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in 1992.

“He was one of the greatest drummers to come from Asean, and I will miss his strong presence on the scene.”

Singaporean percussion veteran Mohamed Noor, 56, was a member of Asiabeat in the early 1990s, and did recordings and played shows with Pragasam in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. It was Pragasam who inspired Noor and other musicians to form Singaporean percussion group Tribal Tide.

Noor, who spoke to Pragasam on the phone a week before he died, says: “He is pure magic on the drums, and he opened up a whole new world for drummers and percussionists in the region and India.”

Pragasam received a Fulbright scholarship from the United States in the early 1990s, where he researched ethnic music of South-east Asia and world music.

In the mid-1990s, the accomplished drummer added music educator to his resume, following his passion to nurture young talent and create a broader awareness of drum culture. He was a familiar and lively sight at drum clinics and percussion festivals across Malaysia.

In those years, Pragasam led his own Groove School, developed the “Drum Talk” educational series and was also the music director of the Centre of Performing Arts at Help Institute (Malaysia). THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK