The Malaysian Real Book: Page to Performance

For more than a century, ‘real books’ have been the jazz musician’s best friend. Originally, they contained collated lead sheets for a raft of standards from the Great American Songbook. Over the last ten years, the Malaysian jazz scene has been revolutionised in the same way. Thanks to a community-driven project, led by some of the most prominent and dedicated musicians, there is now a unique publication, The Malaysian Real Book, containing hundreds of tunes, the first of its kind in Asia. It is nothing less than a mapping of the popular music history of Malaysia. This pair of concerts – The Malaysian Real Book: Page to Performance – celebrates the rich and diverse heritage of Malaysian music while also showcasing the work of current composers and songwriters. The concerts are fronted by two of Malaysia’s best jazz vocalists – the soulful Alwagera and the classical May Mow – both with a deep passion for the Great Malaysian Songbook. Singing traditional standards and contemporary originals from the treasure trove of The Malaysian Real Book – songs in Malay, Chinese and English – their individual and combined styles are innovative and charged by boundless musical joy, all rooted in a distinctly Malaysian jazz sound. Expect soaring vocals and a foot-tapping vibe carried by the rhythms of swing, bebop and soul, and accompanied by the award-winning WVC Jazz Sextet.

May Mow 媚毛 (Singer)
A seasoned bilingual performer on the live stage, May Mow is known for her alluring stage presence, with a sultry and magnetic voice. In recent years she has garnered great popularity in the private event circuit and is a favourite performer at prestigious ceremonies and occasions. She was, for many years, a vocalist with the Shang Sisters, the leading female jazz trio. May’s debut album, Flirtation – Passion – Reflection (2015) was released to great popular and critical success. She followed this up with a full-length studio album, The Exquisite Sound of May Mow (2019). She has performed concerts and at festivals in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia.

Alwagera (Singer)
Alwagera is an educator, film composer, writer, arranger and singer. She also teaches at the College of Creative Arts, Universiti Teknologi MARA. She has produced original soundtracks and scored films including Tiga Janda Melawan Dunia, Kencing Malam, Handbag and the award-winning animation Batik Girl. As a celebrated singer, Alwagera’s forte lies in jazz, RnB, pop and ballads, and has also created numerous works that adapt traditional Malaysian music such as gamelan, folk songs, joget, asli and keroncong and has pioneered ethnic jazz fusion music. She released a single, ‘Hujan’, in 2020 to critical and popular acclaim. Alwagera actively performs with musicians such as Rizal Tony and has appeared at Simply Jazz, Jao Tim, Liberal Latte, Jazz Up9 and the Malaysian Jazz Piano Festivals, among others.

WVC Jazz
Formed in 2006, WVC Jazz are one of Southeast Asia’s leading contemporary jazz bands. The group has toured extensively in the region, recalling the spirit of being on the road – the lifestyle of touring jazz bands of old. The present incarnation of WVC consists of band leader/composer/arranger/music director/pianist Tay Cher Siang, bassist AJ Popshuvit, drummer Adriel Wong, guitarist Rizal Tony, and saxophonist Farid Izwan Muhibbuddin. WVC have released six instrumental albums of original music: WVC TRiO (2008), Eleven (2009), In the Dark, I See Her (2011), Waiting for That Day (2014), Do Not Go Gently (2016) and Give Thy Ear (2018). Their most recent album, Purnama (2021), revisits songs from the era of Malaysian independence and presents them in fresh contemporary arrangements. WVC won three awards at the prestigious BOH Cameronian Arts Awards in 2016 and a further two awards in 2020. The band also appeared briefly in the Hollywood film Crazy Rich Asians.