I WAS BORN IN Hong Kong in 1962. My dad was Filipino, my mum Chinese and, if I’m not mistaken, they were introduced by the wife of (legendary Cantopop composer) Joseph Koo. That would have been about late 1960. My father was Bading Tuason, music director of the Hongkong Hilton. My father’s side was very musical. A couple of my uncles also played instruments. They played in the Philippines but would earn only a small amount of money. So, they had to go abroad, to Japan and the United States territory of Guam. Dad and Uncle Tony came to Hong Kong. Everyone called my dad Mr Bading. He first worked in the Ambassador Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. Then he became the band leader in the Miramar Hotel. Then, in 1965, the Hilton grabbed my dad and he worked there until the hotel closed down (in 1995). He took care of the music across the whole hotel – the den, the ballroom, if they had a big function for the US Navy or when Prince Philip came and there was a big ceremony, where my father said that as well as Western songs they had to play a song to represent China. They played “Butterfly Lovers”.
Andrew Tuason’s father, Bading Tuason (centre), with his band, at the Hongkong Hilton in 1966. Photo: courtesy Andrew Tuason
I HADN’T STARTED to play yet but I always went to watch. I was the only one of the siblings interested in music. I have two brothers and one sister. I’m the eldest. Growing up, I spoke English with my dad and Chinese with my mum. So I’m not very fluent in Tagalog.
At first I was interested in the drums and I would go to the drummer’s house to play. But my father was unhappy about it. He said, “If you only play drums, you are just percussive, but if you play the piano, you can be an arranger.” I didn’t start playing the piano until I was 16.
Andrew Tuason (left) with his parents and baby brother in 1964. Photo: courtesy Andrew Tuason
MY GRADES WERE really bad at school. I went to La Salle Primary School and then on to Delia Memorial School in Tsim Sha Tsui. My mum wanted me to go to a famous school, so through the connections of a friend, she was able to put me in St Francis. Bruce Lee and Michael and Sam Hui, those guys all went to St Francis. But I was already losing interest in studying, and almost every night I went to the Eagle’s Nest (bar at the Hilton where the band played). Later on, my dad said that I’d better stop, so actually I didn’t finish secondary school. Instead, I went with my dad every night, and at the age of 19 he gave me a job as a keyboard player. He was very strict when he was working. If I made a mistake, the first time he wouldn’t get mad, but if I made the same mistake a second time, then he’d get mad. After work he was very nice, a very sweet dad. I worked with him for two and a half years.
Andrew Tuason (wearing glasses) with his family in 1972. Photo: courtesy Andrew Tuason
WHEN I STARTED PLAYING the piano, I was learning classical. My ambition was to do commercial recording in the Hong Kong music business. So, I called Joseph Koo’s wife to see if he needed an assistant. But he rejected me saying he already had a lot of people helping him. I was very disappointed. Less than a year later, I tried again and it was just the right time as he was very busy. I would go to his house every morning at 10 o’clock and when he had a recording, I went with him to the studio. When he didn’t, I stayed at his home and transcribed scores. We went to the studio frequently because of all the television drama songs he composed in the early 1980s. The most valuable thing he taught me was how to arrange for strings – violin, cello and viola.
All the songs we did became famous
Andrew Tuason
BECAUSE I WAS working with Joseph, I got noticed and received a call from PolyGram Records. A young producer, Michael Au, asked if I could arrange a song for a new artist called Jacky Cheung. At that time, he had just signed with PolyGram. We were all young and all the songs we did became famous. Many of the top 10 songs on Jade Solid Gold (TVB) had my name on them. I’m lucky I have a very good ear, so I can hear a lot of things that other people can’t. Back in the 1980s, there were no computers. You had to write every note by hand. There was so much work. In the morning there were three or four hours of arranging, then it would be into the studio for the rhythm section, then after lunch we came back to do the overdub, maybe more guitar, some other percussion. One year, a music magazine tracked my work, and in that year I arranged 176 songs. I didn’t just arrange for Jacky but for almost every artist at PolyGram Records – Alan Tam, Kenny Bee, a lot.
Andrew Tuason with Jacky Cheung outside London’s Abbey Road Studios in 2014. Photo: courtesy Andrew Tuason
IN 1989, ANDY LAU’S manager called and asked me to be musical director for Andy and Cally Kwong on a US tour. We had 10 or 12 shows all over North America and then two stops in Amsterdam. Because Andy and I spent a long time working together, it was easy for us to talk like we were buddies already, and he asked me to be his producer for his upcoming album. Andy was the first artist for whom I was a producer, not just an arranger. That involved choosing the songs together, finding a lyricist, doing the arrangement and the recording. After the arrangement was done, I would have to chase the lyrics, because the lyrics were always late. The music he would leave to me, but Andy was very much into the lyrics – the story had to be right.
Andy Lau and Andrew Tuason in April. Photo: courtesy Andrew Tuason
MY BIGGEST INFLUENCE is (American jazz pianist and composer) Chick Corea. I listen to Chick a lot and, when it comes to arranging, (American composer) Dave Grusin is my one and only idol. I was so lucky with Chick Corea. I met him in 1987, when the Chick Corea Elektric Band came to Hong Kong. They performed two shows at Baptist University. Then at night they would have a jam session at Rick’s Café in Kowloon and I was able to speak to Chick. In 2015, he performed a piano duet with Herbie Hancock in Macau and I went there with my dad and met Chick again after almost 30 years.
The Andrew Tuason Big Band in 2022. Photo: courtesy Andrew Tuason
HERMAN HO WAS the managing director of EMI Hong Kong. He asked if I wanted to work there as an A&R (arrangement and recording) director. So, we’re talking about Cass Phang, Eric Moo, George Lam. I got to work with a lot of singers I hadn’t worked with before. It was very fulfilling. I left the company after three years, in 1999, and formed my own company, Bebop Music. I do concerts, records, I even do jingles and I work with new young arrangers. In 2021, Uncle Ray (DJ Ray Cordeiro) told me he was retiring. This idea popped up in my head – let’s do a big band. He loved big bands and every night on his radio programme, he would play Frank Sinatra and Count Basie. So I created the Andrew Tuason Big Band to perform an Uncle Ray tribute concert. He loved it. This weekend, I’m doing a musical (Madame Showbiz in Cantonese) at Tsuen Wan Town Hall with the band.
Andrew Tuason with Uncle Ray. Photo: courtesy Andrew Tuason
THESE DAYS IT’S not easy to be a musician. The golden days have passed; that was the 80s and 90s. When I listen to music, I like high, high fidelity. I have a good hi-fi set. I’ve got huge JBL speakers and I have this McIntosh power amplifier. I like a big sound. I was married and divorced and am with my second wife, Nancy. I have a son from my first marriage and Nancy has a daughter from hers. My son, Brian, is a guitarist. He’s the only guitarist in my orchestra. He’s doing well because I’m very strict, you know, when it comes to accuracy in playing.
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This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity
