As of October 2011, Willow Neilson is now the official editor of Shanghaijazzscene.com. He will add his own information in this space shortly.

about the originator of Shanghaijazzscene.com:
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.

Playing at a jazz fest a few years ago

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.  We recently began broadcasting our shows in Shanghai, so check it out if you get a chance.  It plays every Saturday and Sunday evening from 9-10pm on FM 94.7, and should be increasing in frequency to every day within the year.  It’s another great project that has a strong jazz component, 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.

Update Feb 2011: I have moved from Shanghai back to my hometown of Santa Fe, NM, USA for the time being. I will be in Shanghai a few months of each year though, if all goes according to plan, and my next trip is scheduled for mid-April to mid-May 2011. Get in touch if you’ll be around, hope to see you then or in the fall!