JQ playing at JZ

The Shanghai Jazz Scene is making a comeback post with a shameless plug for my own concert!  Oh well, please agree that it’s better than no comeback post at all.

This Thursday, March 12, 2009, I will turn 30.  I’m holding a big concert that night at JZ to celebrate, and to give some new music to all my wonderful friends and family here in Shanghai.  Here’s a basic rundown of what the show will consist of:

Set 1 will feature The Magnificent Seven, a septet that premiered in a slightly different configuration back when the Atomic Bombshells (a burlesque group) first came to the Glamour Bar early last year.  It will be a light-hearted set of jazz standards and original tunes, with lots of excellent arrangements by the great Rolf Becker, the man who started the JZ all-star big band.  In this set a very special birthday arrangement will premier as well, a tune of mine that the illustrious guitarist Lawrence Ku has arranged for the group.

Set 2 gets a bit more intense with the addition of 3 more brass instrumentalists, which will bring the total number of horns up to 7.  This is the real meat of the show, featuring some of my favorite arrangements originally played by Edison Machado, an amazing Brazilian drummer who revolutionized Samba on the drum set back in the 1950s and 60s.  His music has been among my favorite for years, especially the amazing horn arrangements on his album “E Samba Novo”, from which the tunes we’ll be playing come.  This set will also feature more original tunes written and arranged by myself, but also another special birthday premier arrangement Rolf Becker has done of one of my tunes.  Coco Zhao will join us for the final piece of this set after he runs over from his gig at the bund that night. This will be a very climactic and dramatic piece, in true Coco style.

Set 3 will see the Cotton Club band come over to play a few tunes with me, featuring Sugar Mama on the vocals as well as the long lost Terrence Bowry who is back in town for a while.  After they play a couple of tunes, I intend just to play with all my friends together in a wild jam session that never ends.  Or see what else happens.

I hope you can join me there for some or all of this special show!

JZ Club has started hosting concerts at the Shanghai Center Theater (the one in the Portman Ritz-Carlton building) and the next one is tomorrow.  This show is featuring Bob James, the smooth jazz pianist who recently recorded his album “Angels of Shanghai” here in town with a number of local traditional intrumentalists.  There’s more information about the project on Bob James’ website.

leaning on the piano

Performers:
LI li – pipa
LIU zhen – erhu
LU cong – dizi
MA jiajun – erhu
Gene JACKSON – drums
Bob JAMES – piano
Tetsuo SAKURAI – bass
Jack LEE – guitar
XIA tao – gu qin

Tickets are available at JZ Club or through Smart Shanghai, and are 100, 200, 300, 400, or 500 kuai.  There will also be tickets for sale at the door.

Start time: 7:30pm (2 sets of approx 1 hour with 15 minute break)
Friday 21 November 2008
Shanghai Centre Theatre
1376 Nanjing Road West, Suite 710
Tel: 6279-8600

If you can’t go tomorrow or would rather see Bob James in a more intimate (read: crowded) setting, you can also see him on Saturday night at JZ Club.  However, for this show he will only be performing with his quartet and not the “Angels”.  I don’t know why not, if the big band can pack 17 people onto the stage every other Saturday night why can’t they fit a couple of guzhengs and pipas up there?

Saturday 22 November 2008
Jz Club
46 West Fuxing Road
Tel: 64310269
Start 9:30pm (2 sets of about 1 hour with 20/30 minute break)
***Please note the unusual start time***

Bob James Quartet

Gene JACKSON – drums
Bob JAMES – piano
Tetsuo SAKURAI – bass
Jack LEE – guitar

This past weekend, the Shanghai Jazz Festival held in Jing’an park for the first time was an overwhelming success, with tickets selling out for each of the three days. Enough hype was created to make the entire thing a highly desirable destination, with hundreds being turned away at the gates expecting to be able to buy tickets on the day of. Luckily, the water stage offered some free music for the unlucky souls who weren’t able to get into the main festival grounds, with bands playing all afternoon Saturday and Sunday.

The water stage had a great mix of styles, as did the entire festival; generally it featured smaller groups and locally-based favorites like Abraham Carmona, Coco Zhao, Erica Li, and perennial visitors from Japan–the band called YAA (Yokohama Artists Association).

Of course it was the main stage’s eclectic mix of local and foreign jazz, funk, blues, rock, and pop groups that managed to draw such massive crowds all weekend, and listeners stayed around even through the (luckily short-lived) rainstorm Saturday afternoon. Sunday’s hot and humid weather didn’t keep anyone away either, and in the evenings the temperature was ideal.

Highlights

Friday night’s opening ceremony was just that, the symbolic gesture of cooperation with the JingAn district to put the entire thing together. The bands that night played short sets, with just a few tunes from Rolf Becker’s JZ All-star Big Band before and after the ribbon-cutting ceremony, a few tunes from the Shanghai Latin Project, and then a longer set from Tian Square, a Beijing jazz group. But of course, the main draw Friday night was Gilles Peterson’s DJ set, which didn’t disappoint. He got the crowd dancing through his hour-long set, and it felt too short when it ended. I guess it’s always good to leave everyone wanting more.

Saturday was packed full of shows, and the rain only managed to interrupt the water stage’s schedule. I’m sure I missed some great bands during the time I was playing on the water stage Saturday afternoon, so please leave comments if you caught the bands on the main stage at that time. That would have been the Rhythm Junks, Xiao Juan, and Tuan Jie Hu Groove.

I did get to hear Bai Tian’s sextet start the day off on the main stage, which was excellent. Bai Tian, or Mark Bai, has been establishing himself in town as quite a skilled composer and arranger in recent years, and his set at the festival got the day started right in spite of the quick but heavy rain that hit during his set. That evening, after the 3 bands I missed, I witnessed Joanna Wang hypnotizing the packed field of fans with her gorgeous singing before Incognito rocked the house with their funky soul grooves. Incognito’s show was probably the most fun I had all weekend. But it didn’t end there, because the after party at JZ club saw plenty of musicians jamming together late into the night. After Andy Hunter and I got the show started with one sextet set, Alec Haavik and Toby Mak continued with another set which segued into a crazy jam. I saw some musicians from the Rhythm Junks jamming, as well as most of Alexandre Cunha’s band at one point (who played at the festival the following day) and then later on most of Incognito played a few long, rocking funky jams. That pretty much capped the evening, however I couldn’t keep my eyes open to stay any longer but I believe more jamming ensued subsequently. There was also a killer trumpet player jamming with them at the end, a woman who must have been playing with a band whose set I missed because I didn’t recognize her from any of the sets I saw. Anyone know who that was?

Sunday was generally a bit louder, though it started with a low-key set from Lawrence Ku’s guitar trio. Things got rolling when Sugar Mama and Eugene ‘Hideaway’ Bridges each did a half set with Greg Smith and the Cotton Club band, doing some rockin’ down home blues. Zhang Ling’s band from Beijing followed with an even more rocking set, and then things turned a fresh direction when Alexandre Cunha’s band came on with their tight, rhythmic Brazilian jazz. Cunha’s group was my favorite among those who played on Sunday, perhaps because it was such a nice contrast to all the other groups that played that day. Li Quan, a local favorite, followed with some better-than-average jazz-pop songs before Laura Fygi did her festival-closing set backed up by the JZ all-star big band led by Rolf Becker. She brought down the house with her solid voice, voluptuous dancing, and suggestive commentary. I have seen her perform at other events to a CD backing track and always been disappointed, but she really was fantastic with the live big band. That band creates some intense energy onstage.

Now what?

As great as the festival was, there were plenty of problems. Since most of them were small, it didn’t detract much from the overall great vibe; however I hope that they manage to set up some ways to receive feedback about it so that many of the issues are resolved for next year’s event. As I understand it, this year was really a sort of test year for the Jing’an district government to see how it went so they can perhaps increase the scale for coming years.

I’ve already put together a list of suggestions I’d like to give them to improve for next year, including things like selling food inside the festival grounds (or at least letting you re-enter the gate to buy the food outside!  To their credit, they did in fact finally allow re-entry on Sunday), not running out of beer at the drink stand, more trash cans around the field, etc.  If you have suggestions, leave them in a comment and I’ll pass them on to the right people also!

The next in the series of concerts put on by JZ at the Pudong Oriental Arts Center, the David Friesen show promises to be quite a bit different than the others.  Solo bass, especially upright bass, seems like the most difficult sort of instrument to perform solo on.  Let alone entire concerts!  But I have faith that it will be good, since he is known as a master of the instrument and his solo concerts are purported to be phenomenal.

Plus he’s got Lawrence Ku joining him, so that should change things up a bit as well.  If you didn’t know, Lawrence Ku is Shanghai’s jazz guitar guru whose skills are unparalleled in China.

Friesen will also be performing at the Shanghai Jazz Festival the following weekend, and will give a master class at JZ School. More on that once the times are announced.

For more information, check the JZ Club website or call 021-5403-0187.  For tickets, call 962388.

David Friesen solo bass concert
Sun, Sep 14 at 3:00PM
At: Shanghai Oriental Art Center
Tickets from 100-200 RMB

George Benson and Al Jarreau this Saturday

If you haven’t heard about this concert yet, then you probably don’t ride in taxis, watch TV, browse any of Shanghai’s bigger magazines or websites, and don’t have friends who are into this kind of music. Either that or you’re really good at ignoring advertising and your friends. In any case, it’s likely to be a good show since either of these two individually put on a great show as it is, at least according to everyone I know who have seen either of them live before.

I’ve got my tickets already. You can get yours from a few places, including mypiao and Smart Shanghai. Or call mypiao at 400-620-6006.

George Benson and Al Jarreau
Saturday, September 6, 8:00pm
YunFeng theater, 1700 Beijing Xi Lu near Jiaozhou Lu
ticket prices: 480rmb-1280rmb

And of course, the Shanghai Jazz Festival

This jazz festival, great as it’s going to be, won’t actually feature so much jazz as it does other kinds of music. But that’s the beauty of a good outdoor music festival, variety to keep the ears feeling fresh. From world-renowned DJ Gilles Peterson to Taiwanese jazz-pop singer-songwriter Joanna Wang, as well as the best of Shanghai’s own jazz groups like Abraham Carmona, Coco Zhao’s Possicobilities, and the Lawrence Ku trio, the festival should be a great couple of days.  Check out the detailed schedule here.

For tickets to the Shanghai Jazz Festival, call 021-962388 or online at Smart Shanghai. For general information about the festival, call 021-54030187 or check the festival website.

The 2008 Shanghai Jazz Festival
September 19-21
Jing An Park, with gates on Nanjing lu, Huashan lu, and Yan’an lu
Tickets: 100rmb/day (70rmb/day for students)

If you haven’t heard yet, the 5th Annual Shanghai Jazz Festival is happening at Jing’an park this year from September 19-21.  This is the one JZ club puts on annually in the fall, known in previous years as “JZ Festival” or “JZ Fuxing International Jazz Festival”, as opposed to others like “Jazzy Shanghai” usually held in the spring, or the Toshiba Jazz Festival that never made it past the “first annual” in 2004, as great as it was.

This festival has always been interesting and eclectic, bringing in Chinese pop names, well-known jazz greats, as well as other groups from completely different genres.  This year the headliners include European diva Laura Fygi (backed by the JZ all-star big band!), legendary British DJ Gilles Peterson, and genre-bending UK band Incognito.  The entire foreign and local lineup, as well as all the other details can be found on the festival’s website.

My favorite year of all the festivals JZ has put on was the last one at Fuxing park in 2006.  There was a solid lineup, mostly good weather, and some great sunny afternoons on the grass enjoying the music–mostly everything a jazz festival should be.  I think they have got the right idea this year with JingAn park, as the district seems quite supportive of jazz compared to the others.  It’s also a very different sort of place, one that I would never have thought possible for a jazz fest.

Yes, it is true. The gorgeous bright orange lane house that has been the home of Shanghai’s jazz education nexus for most of the last two years will soon cease to be such, and the jazz school will move to a larger space in the same neighborhood. The new location, which is is still undergoing renovations, is located in a lane off Wukang rd near Hunan rd. It has more space than the current location, including more large rooms for ensemble classes, rehearsals, kids classes, and even a larger room for student concerts which will double as a dance studio.

There are beautiful green tree views from many of the windows, and the charm of the French Concession is just as strong as the old JZ School’s lane house. The new space will be open just in time for the fall semester to begin, and of course that will mean lots of great back-to-school packages and class offers.

The new location is Wu Kang Rd Lane 280 – No.12, which is between the Hunan Rd junction and Ferguson lane. A good reference point is the Elementary School on the corner of Wukang Rd and Lane 280. They’ve just torn down some old ugly buildings in front of it and renovated it.

For other news about new classes and events for fall 2008 at the school, check the school’s website.

The big band is a favorite at JZ Club (at least it’s MY favorite) and has been rocking most Saturday nights there already for almost two years. It’s probably about time for a break, but I’ll be ready for the time when it comes back!

Also, after Mike Stern finishes his show Saturday, the “In Between Band” will play one late set. This is a group that has been playing the pre-big band set for the last few Saturdays while Flamenco guitarist Abraham Carmona is off touring for one month. The group consists mostly of members of the JZ Latin Project, but rather than playing salsa for dancing like they do on Friday nights, this show is more oriented toward original Latin jazz. Abraham’s Flamenco-jazz group will return in two weeks to take over the early Saturday set again from June 14.

For all the musicians out there

Mike Stern will also give an hour-long master class earlier on Saturday, to answer questions about music and offer advice on playing and practicing, etc. This short session should be an interesting opportunity for musicians to learn what makes him tick. My guess is that the question he gets asked the most often is “What was it like to play with Miles Davis?” He’s probably sick of that one, so we’ll see if it gets asked…and what the answer will be if so.

The master class is 50RMB and will also be at JZ Club.

UPDATE: Erik Truffaz will also give a master class the day after his concert, it will be Friday at 6:30pm at JZ club, admission is free. Here are some more details on the facebook event listing.

to recap:

Erik Truffaz – Thurs May 29, 10pm at JZ Club, 46 w. fuxing rd – 100RMB

Erik Truffaz master class – Friday May 30, 6:30-7:30pmpm at JZ Club, 46 w. fuxing rd – free!

Mike Stern master class – Saturday May 31, 5pm-6pm at JZ Club, 46 w. fuxing rd – 50RMB

Mike Stern quartet concert – Saturday May 31, 10pm at JZ Club, 46 w. fuxing rd – 100RMB