You might have noticed the new poster in front of JZ with life-size photos of yours truly and a few other players staring at you as you walk by or eat a sandwich at the cafe across the street. Starting in April, which begins this coming Tuesday in fact, the JZ performance schedule will see some changes, just as the poster promises. Nothing huge actually, just a switch between Tuesday and Thursday nights. The two bands affected are Alec Haavik’s Friction Five and my own band that plays both straight-ahead and modern original jazz, Five Below.
April also will see lots of special shows happening at JZ and a few other venues in Shanghai. The first special concert will replace Alec’s band’s first Thursday night show in April, and will feature a Norwegian organ trio including Shanghai’s favorite Hammond organ player Steinar Nickelson and guitarist Bjorn Solli (who will be featured guest in 5 below as well this week for our first Tuesday night appearance). Later in the month will see the arrival of Danish jazz group Mais Uma, who specialize in a unique mix of Brazilian jazz and other musical styles. They will play in a few different venues in town, including 3 nights at JZ, a night at each of the branches of the Melting Pot, and a Speakeasy party at the JG bar on the bund. And at the end of the month, Canadian pianist David Braid will be joined by son-of-a-jazz legend Matt Brubeck for a couple of concerts in town before the duo plays in Beijing. More on all that as the time nears…