KUALA LUMPUR: Lewis Pragasam, who died of a heart ailment aged 66 early today, will always be remembered as a "titan" of Malaysian music.
Described by fans as the country's King of Percussion, Drum Master and world musician, he was one of the grand masters of live music whose powerful performances, in-depth knowledge of percussion, and inspirational guidance as a music educator, made him a much-sought-after collaborator and mentor to countless recording artistes.
The Kuala Lumpur-born artiste started out as a rock musician in the 1970s before discovering jazz fusion courtesy of John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra.
His love for fusion led him to start the cross-cultural Asiabeat Project in 1979, that merged Asian and Western musical styles, and four years later, major record label CBS released Asiabeat's self-titled debut album.
Asiabeat, with Pragasam as its leader, went on to release five more albums, including Dare To Dream in 1984, Drumusique in 1993 and Monsoon in 1994.
Two years ago, he released the Asiabeat album Akar, a collaborative project reflecting how he was actively engaged in the contemporary pop fusion scene.
Pragasam often drummed for top local artistes such as Datuk Sheila Majid, when she staged a jazz concert at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP) in 2000.
As one of Asia's top percussionists, Pragasam performed with renowned artistes such as Bob James, Nathan East, Paul Jackson, Tony Levin, John Kaizan Neptune, Billy Cobham and Andy Sheppard, as well as in major international jazz festivals.
He received a Fulbright scholarship from the United States in the early 1990s, where he researched ethnic music of South-East Asia.
In the mid-1990s, the accomplished drummer became a music educator, nurturing young talents in percussion.
He was a familiar face at drum clinics and percussion festivals across Malaysia, leading his own Groove School, organising the Drum Talk educational series and serving as the music director of performing arts at the Help Institute.
One of the last major performances of Pragasam, a "green" musician who made drums using environmentally friendly materials, was the Datuk Zainalabidin New Year Special at The Bee, Publika, Jalan Duta on Jan 31, 2022.
On April 9, 2021, Pragasam participated in the Alive Again concert at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre alongside singers and musicians as Zainalabidin, Zee Avi, Sham Kamikaze, Mac Chew and Daniel Fong.
This concert organised by Live Support was specially aimed at restarting the live events ecosystem following the relaxation of the Movement Control Order (MCO).