JAZZ is recognised as a bona fide American art form, growing organically from the unique sounds of New Orleans in the early 20th century. Taking influences from African rhythms, it has evolved over the decades into a multi-faceted beast.
The music was spread far and wide through the works of giants of the genre such as Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis and John Coltrane, cementing America’s status as the ground zero for jazz.
But over the years, many artiste outside the US such as Malaysia have adopted the genre too. Local jazz ensemble WVC and The Shang Sisters are among the practitioners from the local music scene.
Since its formation in 2006, WVC has established itself as one of Southeast Asia’s leading jazz bands, pushing musical boundaries with its transformation of pop, Chinese, Malay and mainstream music into jazz.
The band has released seven albums, won numerous regional accolades and toured extensively around Southeast Asia. The Shang Sisters, on the other hand, are Asia’s leading Chinese female jazz trio who are known for infusing Eastern and Western music together, while staying true to its Nanyang Jazz roots.
Together with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO), the band are celebrating their love for jazz together for the first time at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP) on April 26 at 8pm.
Titled “All That Jazz With WVC Jazz Ensemble & The Shang Sisters”, the concert will see them perform a collection of genre classic and jazz interpretations of modern songs with an Asian twist. In an interview with theSun, Tay Cher Siang of WVC and The Shang Sisters (TSS) shared their thoughts about the upcoming show.
How did the concert all come about?
Tay: I have had the opportunity to perform on MPO’s stage three times. So, back in 2008, I joined a multi-national band called Unit Asia. We had our Southeast Asia tour but we started with MPO. So, it really meant a lot when the opportunity knocked on our door this year. We immediately said yes without hesitation.
We did not care how the whole collaboration was going to be as long as we got to play with the orchestra. Upon saying yes, we texted The Shang Sisters asking them if they were interested to join us. This is because we have been working together with them over the years. We thought it was a good opportunity to share the love, so we can showcase different sides of our music.
What was the inspiration behind the show’s song choices?
Tay: Being Malaysian, our culture is big on mixing things together. So, musically for us, we enjoy combining different elements such as Western and Asian music as well as ancient and contemporary music.
We take songs and we merge them. We make them tell a different narration that has a Malaysian flavour. We called it Nanyang Jazz, jazz that centres around Southeast Asia.
Was it easy to combine those songs together?
Tay: Sometimes, it is difficult. There is a Hokkien song on the set list called One Little Umbrella and we mix it with a Broadway song called Singing in the Rain.
We were initially thinking “How do we combine these two together – the famous scene in Singing in the Rain, where American actor Gene Kelly is singing with the umbrella and Chee Kee Siu Ho Suah (One Little Umbrella)?”
But, we thought of them as food. It is as if you have nasi lemak but you try to put cheese on top. It looks weird but it tastes good. So, it was that kind of creative process and we really enjoyed that.
TSS: That is the fun part about making music especially with the One Little Umbrella and Singing in the Rain rendition. We do not think you can find it anywhere else in the world.
How do you pick the songs to match?
TSS: Our Winnie Ho, The Shang Sisters’s resident music producer has all these cheeky, funny and clever ideas to match the songs. For instance, our classic match up Fever came from her.
It is Peggy Lee’s Fever and De Bu Dao De Ai Qing. It is a Shanghai jazz classic. So, she applies the same logic as if she is cooking, turning whatever ingredients she has in the fridge into new dishes.
And, we are glad Tay shows excitement whenever we propose an idea. He will handle the production aspect before sending the recording to us for vocals. So, it is a group effort actually.
What do you hope for audiences to take away by the end of the night?
TSS: We hope for audiences to go home with a good memory. A good night spent with us, WVC and the orchestra at MPO. Hopefully, this will inspire them to come back for another afternoon or evening to enjoy beautiful art on stage.
Additionally, we hope for them to take our music with them, bring a few copies of our album home if they are willing to.
Tay: This show is going to be an omakase, giving audiences a good mixture of different stuff and we serve them in order. Some of it will be on the serious side and some will be easy to swallow.
So, we hope through the show, audiences know we also have homegrown flavours of jazz that we can be proud of.
How would you like the show to impact the local jazz and orchestra scene?
Tay: I hope it shows them that their dreams of playing music are reachable, that there are real people playing music for a living and they are Malaysians. It is not just reserved for Americans. Your dreams are possible as long as you keep working hard.
There is a possibility for your music to be heard and you can become an inspiration for the next generation as well. I believe in this continuity, to keep passing down this legacy.
TSS: We hope it shows that as female musicians, it is possible to work harmoniously together and that there is so much more to offer as female musicians.
Rather than the typical slinky, glittery, sexy and glamorous diva, we bring a jazzy, snazzy and refreshing look to the scene. Hopefully, by doing so, it opens up the imagination of people in the arts, especially youngsters.
This includes performers, producers and even fashion stylists to see that women can also be playful with their appearances.
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