KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 30 — If you had the chance to make a life – a good life – for yourself in the United States, would you take it? One out of three Malaysians would probably say yes to that question.

But that was not the case for Az Samad. With four music degrees under his belt – including a Masters from San Jose, California – he had a choice to stay on in the States but he chose otherwise.

If he didn’t choose to come back to Malaysia, he would be living the American Dream now. So why did this soft-spoken guitarist decide to come home?

“I love Malaysia. We’ve got the best food ever. My family is here, my friends are here,” he replied simply.

The jazz-influenced fingerstyle guitarist has collaborated with many talented musicians including Grammy winners Leonardo “Flaco” Jiménez and Max Baca, drummer Bernie Dresel from the Brian Setzer Orchestra, singer-songwriters Tara Linda and Reza Salleh, guitarists Mike Dawes, John Stowell among others.

Despite his accomplishments, he remains down to earth and still speaks with a Malaysian accent. Starting out at the International College of Music in Malaysia, he flew to the States in late 90s to get his Jazz Composition and Guitar Performance degrees from Berklee College of Music, California. In between his studies, he was also teaching music and performing. The accomplished musician got his Masters in Music (Jazz Studies) from San Jose State University.

Az has performed with some of the greatest jazz musicians out there but he remains humble about his achievements. – Picture by Ramesh Chitty

“I was looking into doing a doctorate in music. I got my Masters because I wanted to teach. In the US, so many people have doctorates. While teaching and practising, I was finding out what was happening in the music scene in Malaysia. In 2005, I started using Facebook and through social media, I saw that so many Malaysians like Liyana Fizi, Zee Avi and Yuna were doing very well in their musical careers,” said Az.

Keeping tabs on the local music scene made Az realise that he would not regret coming back. Before he left the country, he saw that there were a lot of up and coming musicians and in the few years he was away, the local music scene just flourished. This made it an opportune time for him to come back to pursue his musical career.

“Since coming back over two years ago, I have had the opportunity to play with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) in Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy conducted by Arnie Roth. I was also part of the MPO’s other performances, working with conductors from the US and UK,” said Az.

He has also been invited to perform in music festivals in Langkawi, Singapore, Penang, Philippines and for two years, he was a guest judge for KLPac’s Short + Sweet. Other projects that he was a part of include being a judge for the Boh Cameronian Awards, composing the soundtrack for local film Relationship Status and organising Open Mic sessions at The Venue, Pavilion.

Besides performing, he also teaches guitar to students in Malaysia and abroad. Recently, the coach of the American national gymnastics Olympics team asked about taking up guitar lessons with Az.

On top of that, Az is a columnist with a national newspaper, writing about technology and music.

“A lot of interesting things are happening in KL. There’s so much more going on here than when I left. When I came back, I opened for Tommy Emmanuel and Mike Dawes. It’s one of those things where it’s all about opportunities and experience. It makes perfect sense to be in KL. KL is my base but I perform in Singapore, Hong Kong and I recently toured Europe. Having a base doesn’t mean I’m stuck in one country. You can now connect to the organizers with the Internet,” said Az.

He actively uses the Internet to connect to his fans, teach online guitar lessons over Skype, post reviews on guitars on YouTube as well as communicate with fellow musicians and possible collaborators online.

Vocalist Cheryl Tan is one of the US-trained Malaysian artistes Az frequently collaborates with. – Picture by Yin Yin Boey

Sometime last year, he performed with singer Cheryl Tan and violinist Fung Chern Hwei as part of The Satay Trio. Fung Chern Hwei is based in the States and how The Satay Trio came about was when Az and Fung contacted each other via Facebook. A few months down the road, they met up for the first time and all three of them performed together in Petaling Jaya.

Az and US-trained Tan also started a project called the Malaysian Music Project where they perform Malaysian favourites like P. Ramlee songs as well as original compositions written by the both of them. The main idea behind the Malaysian Music Project is to showcase locally-produced music and take the listeners on a walk down memory lane.

Recently, Az and Tan were invited to speak at TEDxKL 2013 which was attended by 2,000 people.

“It was the largest listening audience I have ever had. We were the last presenters to leave the hall because people kept coming up to us. They really liked our performance,” said Az.

He said that the reason why Malaysian musicians are not as popular as international musicians is because nobody has heard of them. You can hear Lady Gaga’s music over the radio but if you want to listen to a Malaysian indie band, you’ve got to go to a gig.

Although he was trained in the West, Az is obviously in touch with Malaysian music, naming veterans such as Aubrey Suwito and Michael Veerapen as musicians he admires. He is passionate about promoting locally-produced music which was why he organised Open Mic sessions at The Venue.

This coming Malaysia Day on September 16, he will be performing at Jalan Bangkung as part of the Malaysiaku celebration. The event will start at 5pm with Az slated to perform at 7.30pm.

So working as a professional musician in Malaysia is probably more difficult than working as a musician in the West. How does Az do it?

“It’s a challenge but I do a lot of different things such as teach, practise and perform. I constantly come up with new albums and collaborate with different musicians. Doing all these things helps me develop new skills as a musician. The thing is, it’s like everywhere else in the world. You have to do quite a number of things at the same time if you want to succeed as a musician. It’s possible to make a living here. In the US, it’s the same thing. They tour, produce albums and constantly improve their skills,” he said.

As an educator, Az has students who want to do music professionally and some who want to do it for leisure. For Az, he says it’s about teaching them how to learn. To go out there to perform, explore possibilities, compose original music and collaborate with different people.

Performing is just one of the things Az does for a living. He teaches, produces albums, organises Open Mic sessions and was recently a speaker at TEDxKL 2013. – Picture by Wong Horng Yih

He often gets asked about things like how to get a gig and what it is like working as a musician full-time.

“I would share the experience I’ve had. Music has helped me open doors. It’s not just performing but also paying attention to the business side,” he said.

“The career of an artiste is fluid. You’ve got to be open to possibilities.”

Being in the music industry for decades has given Az the chance to see its evolution.

“The indie scene is so connected and so grown-up now because of social media. We know about more musicians through their Soundcloud page or their YouTube channels. It’s easier to share a link to a music video. Back then, you had to buy a CD or your friend made you a mix tape. The younger generation is also very adventurous and there is a lot of talent out there,” said Az.

How can the local music industry evolve further? The answer is straightforward.

“Musicians should find out about what other people are doing in that field and be top of their field. Who are they listening to? What are their musical influences? Also, now you don’t have to be in the same place to take lessons. It’s possible to take music lessons over Skype.

“Enrich your craft not just as a musician. Study to make your music sound better, collaborate to sound better. It’s about longevity. I talk to students about time. You should be coming out with one album per year. Not one album in 10 years. In the long run, you can’t just do a one-year plan. You have to invest in yourself because it’s your career.

“There is something lacking here, though. There is no real touring circuit in the indie scene. People play in KL all the time but they don’t tour other states. It’s slowly starting to happen and it’s important for performers to form a wider audience. The more it is part of the culture, the more people will be appreciative of it,” said Az.

Find out more about Az Samad on his website http://www.azsamad.com.

This story was first published in the print edition of The Malay Mail, August 29, 2013.