KUALA LUMPUR – Reviving the audience-filled hall of Jao Tim at Jalan Sultan with smooth sounds and jazz grooves, the recent WVC Jazz Ensemble ft Eddin Khoo: ‘After So Long’ was the kind of fundraising soiree patrons needed to beat the prolonged monotony of social distancing blues.
For the past two years, in-person gigs have been cancelled due to outbreak concerns, leaving the music industry – and its musicians – restricted in sustaining their livelihoods.
As a way to welcome back the love we have for great entertainment and good company, the two-hour event boasting some local Malay cabaret and international jazz tunes reminded us how paramount it was for those attending to come together in support of the arts.
“Nothing could replace face-to-face interactions in live performances,” said WVC Jazz Ensemble pianist Tay Cher Siang.
“The ephemeral nature of live music is that it happened right there right then. The music fed off the reactions and encouragement from the audience.
“I enjoyed the performance experience tremendously. To be able to perform with my buddies AJ Popshuvit on bass, and Adriel Wong on drums, and to support Eddin Khoo's singing,” he added.
The night also saw the celebration of the singer’s birthday, for which the band prepared a surprise.
Setting the mood right, the show began with a lighthearted instrumental rendition of ‘Hitam Manis’ to ease the crowd into the night.
Pusaka founder-director Eddin Khoo then joined the band to serenade the audience with ‘Let's Get Lost’, a jazz standard with music written by Jimmy McHugh and lyrics by Frank Loesser.
Timeless melodies of east and west such as ‘Temasya Alam Pilu’, ‘Malam Purnama’, ‘Just the Two of Us’, ‘Tunggu Sekejap’, ‘Lenggang Mak Limah’, ‘Joget Malaysia’, ‘Summer Wind’, ‘Kalau Datang ke Singapura’, ‘Fragile’ and ‘Bintang Malam’ graced the swanky stage of Jao Tim.
Twelve songs were played in total during the event with an encore of ‘Don't Explain Encore: Perfect Day’ at the end.
Arts and culture events throughout Kuala Lumpur and across other major cities have taken a huge hit during the pandemic.
Sharing in detail how hard it was to sustain the business with over two years of performance hiatus (of sorts), Cher Siang said, “It was very hard, very hard.”
“Financially, I didn't have income for that many months. Mentally it was draining and fearful – where the unknown is the most fearful thing. But at the same time, choosing a career in music in the first place was never easy, it was never secure and ensured that we will always have jobs.
“It demands self-discipline, savviness in business acumen and financial planning. Creativity is not just in music, but also in building your career, networking with clients and audience, people skills etc.
“So I guess the last two years' hiatus only reinstate the career path of an artist,” he noted.
“Moving forward, I hope that as a society, the ‘orang kampung’ of this global village, we would tackle the many issues that would threaten our survival as human species. [I know] I will do my part,” the pianist added. – The Vibes, October 16, 2021
