Those of you already familiar to Shanghaijazzscene.com may notice that the author of these latest posts has changed. JQ Whitcomb, the originator of this site, has moved back to Santa Fe, New Mexico and will be visiting Shanghai intermittently over the year. One of the other prominent jazz writers for Shanghai, Mike Brownell of Layabozi.com has also vacated Shanghai (do they know something I don’t?). This has left a gaping hole in the already next-to-non-existent jazz writing presence in Shanghai publications both in print and online, leaving the gorgeous Jen Chan Lyman (recently too busy studying to write her elaborately detailed accounts of live performances but she promises to write for us here soon) and myself to record events for posterity. Cue heroic theme music; so I have decided to step in and rectify the situation.
Smart Shanghai’s MP3 Monday’s blurb for Johnathon Parker’s release decried the need for a jazz writer in Shanghai. To quote “To be sure, jazz in Shanghai is a widely celebrated and flourishing phenomenon — at least it seems like it from an outsider’s perspective…jazz in Shanghai seems to conducted according to a real communal, collaborative mindset — a real diverse array of mutually supportive international talent — with a steady influx of new visiting and resident musicians at places like the JZ Club and House of Jazz and Blues,… as well as the yearly JZ Music Festival, which is the only real outdoor music festival in town…I guess jazz writing in the city is more to blame (with the exception of Mike and Mache at Layabozi.com) — the lack of it, and it’s an under-represented art form, it seems, in the cultural focus of Shanghai” http://www.smartshanghai.com/articles/nightlife/mp3-monday-jonathan-parker
Realizing a need and having extra energy as a result of a long period of sobriety, I have decided to champion the cause of my fellow musicians whom have all chosen to call Shanghai home.
Who am I you may ask? My name is Willow Neilson. I am a local musician/composer/ and now writer, performing alongside many of the people who have been and will be mentioned in posts on this site. Conflict of interest I hear you say? Very possible, but I promise I will try to convince other writers to sing my praises instead of turning this respectable jazz site into any sickening self congratulatory homepage of narcissism, as tempting as that may be.
What can you expect from the site in the future? There will be a featured artist monthly who will be interviewed and will provide a list of their top ten favorite albums, I feel this will demonstrate the diversity of our music scene and will also provide a source of new musical exploration for the readers of this post as we have musicians ranging from Africa to Norway who can enlighten us to their influences. There will also be local CD reviews, an updated listing (so my friends will stop calling me to ask what is on around town tonight like I am the movie guide or something) and many other delights as the ideas present themselves.
It is my hope that if you love jazz music you will regularly visit this site to stay abreast of upcoming music events. If you are involved in the local music industry and have some important news you would like shared, please contact me through the site.


