Jeremy Monteiro: King of Swing

Photo courtesy of Russel Wong

Jeremy’s career in music started in the mid-1970s, at the age of only 16, just two years after he made the decision to pursue jazz professionally. Today, Jeremy is 64 years old and has more than 40 solo albums to his name, but it hasn’t always been an easy route for the widely-acclaimed musician.

Although better known as a the ‘King of Swing’, Jeremy’s career extended beyond jazz gigs and eclectic piano compositions – he also produced jingles for companies such as KFC and arranged for iconic National Day songs such as Count On Me Singapore and We Are Singapore as an alternative source of income.

“I play for the love of music, but it may not always be a lucrative living, which is why I believe in the importance of intellectual property rights as it gives artists the due recognition and credit they deserve.”

With the continued honing of his craft, Jeremy saw his international breakthrough in 1988 when he became the first Singaporean to perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival, one of the largest annual jazz festivals in the world. After making a name for himself, Jeremy went on to perform with other iconic jazz musicians such as Toots Thielemans, Ernie Watts, and even the folk rock duo, Simon & Garfunkel.

The composer-pianist is now the Executive Director and Music Director of the Jazz Association (Singapore). He is also a Fellow of the London College of Music and a Visiting Professor of the University of West London where he shares his love and passion for music with aspiring musicians.