About me
My name is JQ Whitcomb, and I’ve been living in Shanghai since 2003. In the few years that I’ve been here I’ve watched the jazz scene grow exponentially, and even now there’s no slowing in sight. It’s been amazing to witness and be a part of, and I’m committed to helping the scene continue to expand and improve.
I have worked at most of the jazz venues (and quite a few non-jazz venues) in town at some point during my time in Shanghai, and I’m happy to continue to support them, in the spirit of furthering a sense of community among jazz venues and musicians here.
My focus is now directed towards furthering the JZ School, a jazz school in Shanghai. Jazz education is a key facet of a jazz scene that Shanghai had lacked until it opened here in the fall of 2006. A course of study that can give young people the foundation they need to become professional jazz musicians is essential to keeping a scene growing and developing, so this is an exciting project for me to be involved in.
I’ve also been working for Soulfire, a radio program, as the music director since the beginning of 2007. It’s another great project that is also jazz-centered, and will have a great impact on the local jazz scene more and more as time goes by.
My band, Five Below, plays every Tuesday night at JZ Club if you’d like to check us out. Feel free to email me if you need a classy and professional jazz ensemble to play at your next event.
I have posted a few recent recordings of myself playing original compositions on my myspace page, if you’d like to hear them.