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

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)

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

The Core at Glamour Bar

First of all, I made it down to the bund to listen to The Core on their final night in Shanghai a few nights ago. It was an enjoyable show, one of the few jazz groups that is perhaps a perfect fit for the Glamour Bar in terms of both style and the sound filling the space effectively. As I mentioned in the post before this, they were channeling John Coltrane’s second quartet sound, and hearing them live it was apparent that they draw quite a lot of inspiration from that particular group and its members in many ways. But thankfully they do so while maintaining their own individuality, creating their own unique group sound as well. But the influence of the members of Coltrane’s most famous quartet is unmistakable in most of these players, with a strong dose of McCoy Tyner apparent in the pianist’s sound, Elvin Jones’ characteristic fullness in the drummer’s playing, and of course late-era Coltrane in the saxophonist’s quick vibrato and powerful tone. So for me the general effect was that the melodies of songs were quite original and the arrangements interesting, and then the solo sections had the effect of Coltrane’s spirit entering the room. It was intense!

I think it fit the club because the Glamour Bar tends to have great attendance for things like this, whether edgy avant-garde or other jazz groups, yet oftentimes people who come might only listen for a short while and talk the rest of the time. Of course, the hard core jazz listeners usually turn up on time, while the socialites come a bit later, so the prime listening time for all these shows is the first set before too many people are talking. However, this group was a good fit for the social tendencies of its audience that day because they had the raw power to reach all corners of the room no matter how loud the conversation level was.

The music itself was lots of fun to listen to, with a nice amount of tunes in odd time signatures (they opened the show with the tune in 7 that I heard on their website) and a few with characteristically Scandinavian harmonies (lots of major triads changing in quick succession). The players all have mad skills and are well-rooted in the jazz tradition (especially the tradition of Coltrane’s second classic quartet–did I mention that already?) while also expressing something unique and interesting individually.  So I was glad I went.

Lawrence Ku trio at the Oriental

I’d be cheating if I said I went to hear Lawrence Ku’s trio at the Oriental Arts Center yesterday afternoon, so I won’t claim that I did. However, I heard from others that it was a good show, featuring Shanghai’s favorite Australian drummer Nicholas McBride and bassist Peter Scherr who is up from Hong Kong for a few shows. They played a program of mostly Thelonious Monk tunes. Did you happen to catch the show? Liked it? Hated it? Leave a comment!

ETH Big Band at JZ last night

A few different things have been happening at JZ in the absence of some of the regular bands who play Sundays and Mondays while the regular players are on tour in North America. Coco Zhao’s band is playing a few shows in Canada and the States, so his regular Sunday night slot has been filled this week by a student big band from an institute of technology from Switzerland (ETH). The regular Monday night band is usually run by EJ Parker, who plays in Coco’s band. Replacing that group has been a band run by trumpeter Theo Croker playing lots of great original music. Anyway, back to the topic at hand–the ETH big band.

What struck me first about this band was the strength of their lead trumpeter. Also their percussionist was pretty great. The arrangements the band played were mostly pretty modern-sounding and interesting, I didn’t recognize most of what they played. Generally speaking, this was a pretty solid band, but some of the members were not as solid as others, which made it clear that it was a student band. Still nice to listen to anyway.

In fact I went in a few weeks ago hoping to check out the band, which is led by former JZ all-star big band tenor saxophonist Tang Ying, but when I showed up I was told they had already finished for the evening.  I was incredulous, as it was barely eleven p.m. at the time, but apparently they play from 7-10 p.m. rather than trying to compete for listeners with the later-night jazz venues.  Fair enough.

So when I returned a few days ago at the appropriate hour, I was disappointed to miss the band’s show yet again–I was told the band is now only performing two nights a week due to the high musician overhead and low revenue situation the club is in.  So if you are ready to check them out, go on a Friday or Saturday night between 7 and 10 p.m.  On Fridays, the show features a female singer who has an eclectic style drawing on jazz, pop, and R&B.  On Saturdays, the show features the electro-jazz-pop-funk sounds of E-Groove, a group Tang Ying has played with for a few years already.

If you make it, let me know how it is in a comment here!  I do still intend to go hear them, I can’t go wrong the third time (hopefully).

TTing, next to Big Bamboo on Nanyang lu, near Xikang lu behind the Portman Ritz-Carlton.  Live music every Friday and Saturday from 7-10pm.

This Sunday, April 13, will be the first performance in the JZ Jazz Concert Series at the Oriental Arts Center in Pudong. This monthly series will take place on the second Sunday of each month, and will feature some locally-based acts and some foreign greats. The concert this month will be the Frank Harrison Trio featuring Poet RD Pennant from the UK. More details here.

At JZ Club on April 21 will be a performance by Chinese-born American jazz vocalist Xu Bei, who has become popular especially in Japan, where she is signed to Universal Music. This is a CD release concert. Not sure if there will be a cover charge, but I’m guessing there will be, usually around 50 RMB.

Coming up later in the month, we have a number of performances by the fantastic Danish Brazilian jazz group Mais Uma around town. Their schedule will see them performing on April 17, 23, 27, and 29 at JZ Club, as well as at at JG bar for the month’s second Speakeasy party on April 25, plus a night at each of the three Melting Pot clubs in town. At the Taikang lu Melting Pot they play April 24, at Hengshan lu Melting Pot on April 18, and at the pudong branch on April 19. Free entry.

At the end of the month, as I mentioned in an earlier post, the piano and cello duo Brubeck Braid will be gracing Shanghai with some exquisite music before they head to Beijing for some more performances. They will perform in Shanghai at twocities gallery on April 26 and at the Glamour Bar on April 27. Both are 50 RMB.

To recap, here’s the whole schedule:

Tonight, 11pm-2am at JG Bar, free, 3 on the bund, 3 Zhongshan yi lu – Speakeasy Party featuring Five Below

April 13, 3pm at Oriental Arts Center in Pudong, 100-200RMB – Frank Harrison Trio

April 17, 23, 27 and 29, 10pm at JZ Club, free, 46 Fuxing xi lu – Mais Uma

April 21 at JZ Club, possible cover charge – Xu Bei

April 26, 7:30pm at twocities gallery, M50, 50 Moganshan lu bldg 0, 50RMB – Brubeck Braid

April 27, 4pm at Glamour Bar, 20 Guangdong lu 7F, 50RMB – Brubeck Braid

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…

For the hour-plus long first set, the trio (made up of Burnett, Chris Trzcinski on drums, and E.J. Parker on bass) was joined by Alec Haavik on tenor and soprano saxophones. I missed the first couple of tunes, but got to hear the last 4 or 5 in the set, which were nearly all original tunes of Burnett’s. His own compositions ranged in styles from straight-ahead jazz to funky rock and 12-tone free stuff.  He also played or sang the occasional jazz standard.

Peppered throughout the night were songs from original jazz suites of his, the â??Creation Jazz Suiteâ? and the â??Planet Suiteâ?, which included a number of pieces named for various planets. A tune from the “Creation Jazz Suite” called “Heaven”, which was the one I joined the group on, was a 12-tone piece that was quite “out-there”, a listening challenge posed to the audience. I also heard “Neptune”, which was a fantastic tune played by the trio alone. There were plenty of other great tunes I also got to hear that I didn’t remember the names of.

He also was joined by the great Flamenco guitarist/vocalist Abraham Carmona for 2 tunes, one or both of which were compositions of Abraham’s own. Abraham sang and played guitar for one that was a sort of Flamenco-style rumba, and the other he was featured on vocals only–a passionate, fun Argentine-style Tango.

The illustrious Coco Zhao came up to finish the second set with the group, doing the old Shanghai classic “?????” (I want your love) in the great arrangement from Coco’s own album “Dream Situation“.

Unfortunately, I had to leave after the second set, but I understand they played some more original tunes in the third set.  Were you there?  Leave a comment about we missed.