SALIM HOLDS COURT

DATUK S.M. Salim took baby steps to reach the centre of the stage. An aide held his left arm by the elbow and ushered him slowly to an elevated stool just behind conductor Ramli M.S.

At one look, you wouldn't believe this was the entertainer who was going to serenade us the whole night through. But believe it or not, the frail-looking 73-year-old tried and successfully completed his mission in a two-and-a-half-hour concert, singing all of 18 songs.

He may have problems walking, but once on stage, the veteran asli singer forgot about his illness. He was beaming with pride and grinning away. His was the pride of a seasoned singer who had sacrificed 55 of his best years in the music industry.

It is easy to understand why that evening was specially memorable for Salim. It was a moment he had waited for all his life - he became the first local entertainer ever to be backed by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra at the prestigious Dewan Filharmonik Petronas in Kuala Lumpur.

On stage, Salim cut a cool figure in his traditional blue baju Melayu and samping, a picture of composure and a ``been there, done that'' entertainer.

Salim made everyone feel at home with his good-humoured greetings: ``Kaki aje sakit, lain-lain tak ... (Only my legs hurt, the rest is fine).''

The audience roared. And Salim sang his first song for the evening, Sri Siantan, in both ghazal and masri style. It was the masri version that really got the audience clapping.

Before he tackled his second song, a joget number, Salim spoke candidly of his involvement in the music scene. All eyes were on him - a veteran who used to travel wide to entertain in places as far as Congo.

Sadly, the same man finds it difficult to walk without a stick these days. Because of spinal problems, if Salim stands for too long, his hands and feet will go numb and he may pass out.

This worried those close to him that evening. But not Salim. He was obviously unperturbed for all he wanted to do was to entertain the crowd who had come to see him that evening.

He crooned the catchy zapin number, Pantun Budi. Each time he finished a song, Salim would tell a short story or joke before doing the next number.

His stories were funny. But it was the manner in which he told them - with a dash of spontaneity - that tickled many. And this was Salim's special way of winning the audience's hearts. Salim's sense of humour made him the perfect stand-up comedian.

The choice of songs was rather clever - especially slotting the slow inang in between the catchy zapin and joget. A colleague complained that the selection of songs did not live up to her expectations. But it would have been virtually impossible to field all of Salim's hits from his 11 albums and over 100 songs.

The second half of the concert saw popular singer Siti Nurhaliza appearing as guest artiste. Together with Salim, Siti tackled the soulful inang-joget tune, Pandang, pandang, jeling-jeling, which was once popularised by the S.M. Salim-Yusni Hamid duo.

Looking attractive in a rich, shimmering peach kebaya, Siti went on to sing Salim's popular Mohon Kasih as a tribute to the veteran. The song sounded more soothing when the young singer delivered it although it paled in comparison to Salim's power-packed vocals.

Salim's two-day concert was a brilliant affair, not only because the star himself delivered what was promised but more so because of the concerted effort put together by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and the traditional music guests who included Nasser Abu Kassim (bass), Fauzi Marzuki (guitar), Swa Karya on traditional percussion and gambus, Kajang group (keroncong musicians), and Chobib (guitar). Not forgetting too the strong backing vocals of Arab, Anis and Eja.

But of course the man who deserved a special mention here is conductor Ramli M.S., who cleverly set Salim's songs to beautiful arrangements. Except for Sayang Musalmah (the inang-ghazal song), which failed to come across quite like it should have, Ramli's other interpretations were superb and flawless.

In a heart-rending encore, Salim delivered his classic Seniman, the song which depicts the plight of an artiste who always entertains but is never entertained. Almost as if he were living out the song, Salim faltered a few times and unabashedly let his tears flow.

He took out a chilli-red hanky, wiped his tears and like a true entertainer, finished the song.

Many were moved but somehow most of the audience in the hall were slow to react. After the song was over, the applause was first scattered, before it built up to a thunderous crescendo. Then, the standing ovation, something only a legend of Salim's calibre truly deserves.

BY ZIEMAN - PUBLISHED 10/4/2001