A life in improvisation
A record-shop discovery in Melaka set a young pianist on a new course. Two decades of WVC later, curiosity still leads the way.
At fifteen, Tay Cher Siang heard a recording of Corcovado drifting out of a Melaka record shop. He asked the shopkeeper to hold the CD while he saved his pocket money. The music stayed with him. In Merel Nahuysen’s July profile, that remembered encounter becomes the opening to a career shaped by listening, persistence and a willingness to experiment.
Learning to play without a score
Classical piano lessons had given Cher Siang a foundation, though enthusiasm did not arrive straight away. Jazz changed the relationship. Its sound made him want to understand how music could move beyond the page, but improvisation initially felt unfamiliar after years of reading a score.
He listened closely, practised, studied theory and explored the lives of other musicians. The technique eventually became more instinctive. Finding a personal sound took longer, emerging through composition, collaboration and the experience of playing for an audience.
A band, and an evolving conversation
WVC began during his time at West Virginia University with fellow musicians Adam Osmianski and Jon Cavendish. The original name, West Virginia Connection, reflected those beginnings. After his return to Malaysia, new collaborators helped the ensemble develop an identity beyond its geographical origin.
The July interview marked the ensemble’s twentieth anniversary. Looking back, Cher Siang described a musical life full of unexpected moments, including continuing to play after a keyboard stand collapsed during a concert in Penang. It is an apt image for the practice he has chosen: prepare thoroughly, listen to the people around you, and respond to what actually happens. The conversation keeps moving.
Tay Cher Siang: Jazz, Joy and the Art of Improvisation
Original story by Merel Nahuysen. The Expat, July 2026, pages 64–65.
This digital preview is adapted from the original magazine feature. Text has been shortened and rewritten; photography and artwork come from the print edition.
