The end of the week is always busy for me, so I didn’t manage to let you all know in time that there was a classic big band in town last night playing at the Shanghai Music Hall. It was the band run by John Miller, nephew of the great Glenn Miller of big band fame. I wasn’t able to get to the concert myself, but I heard the swing dancing crew were all set to do lots of dancing there. I’m sure they had lots of fun.
However, you still have a chance to check out another type of big band tonight at JZ Club, one that is definitely not classic swing style. This group, called the Surnatural (french for “supernatural”) Orchestra, is run by a French fellow named Florent Brique, and plays in Shanghai once every year or two when Flo is in town to bring it together. He has composed and arranged all the music himself, and he is an accomplished trumpeter who will grace the listeners with his own playing as well. The group’s shows at JZ in the past have featured live painting by Kentin, sometimes on the dismembered hood of a taxi, and also projected video imagery, giving a multimedia aspect to the whole thing. I don’t think tonight’s show will be quite as elaborate, but Flo always manages to arrange an array of surprises so anything is possible.
The Surnatural Orchestra starts playing at 10pm at the JZ Club, 46 w. Fuxing lu.