I’ve just learned a bit of very disturbing news: last thursday evening one of Shanghai’s best-knows jazz singers Coco was beat up by two men outside a new bar called “the House” on Yueyang Rd.?? I went to hear Coco sing sunday night at JZ, so he’s up and about, but has a lot of pain in his chest still and can’t breathe deeply without major pain.?? According to his own account, he was asked by the club to perform for the opening night party on friday, as well as do a sound check there thursday night.?? When he showed up for the sound check, he was denied entry by a man in a black suit, ostensibly the head of security, and an argument ensued.?? Finally he was let in only after calling the club’s manager himself and completed the sound check.?? After he left the bar, however, he had only walked about ten meters when he was attacked from behind by two men wearing all black.?? They pushed him to the ground and kicked him repeatedly for a while, then ran away.?? After recovering his breath, Coco immediately went back to the club and confronted the security guard about it, who denied any involvement in the incident.?? After that Coco left and went to the hospital for treatment.?? He was told there were no broken bones, but that he had suffered serious contusions to the soft tissues of the chest cavity and to come back again for another checkup.
It’s not clear exactly what would cause these people to physically assault Coco, though it seems likely that it is connected to the argument he had with the security guard.?? The uniforms worn by the club’s security guards are all black, and it doesn’t seem likely that it would have been random passers-by attacking him without cause.?? Was he set up??? Was it because he’s gay??? Hard to say.?? But it is a shock to us all, especially happening to someone like Coco.