I’m a big fan of the music Steve and Jasmine have done on this album, which I’ve had the privilege of listening to in pre-release form. All the music on there is fantastic, and it’s a surprise that such simple instrumentation can still create the range of sounds they do on this recording. But also, as much as I dig the album, hearing their live performance of the music is sublime. I think it’s because one can see how the music is affecting everyone else, which makes it affect yourself even more!

And of course, every concert I’ve been to at twocities gallery has been great. I would even venture to say it is personally my favorite venue in town to play at, because everyone is there just to hear the music, and it’s not formal and uptight like a concert hall. Nearly every other venue in town that has regular jazz is still mostly about drinking and socializing, with jazz as a sort of background to create an atmosphere. Having the audience’s devoted attention really makes the musicians give extra-special performances.

Details:
Friday, August 29 7:30pm - 9:30pm, free entry
twocities gallery, 50 Moganshan Lu, Building 0, 2nd floor

for more info contact twocities:
52521518 or info@twocitiesgallery.com

These three fantastic jazz vocalists will do a unique performance this Saturday night at a venue I haven’t been to yet, called Lounge 18. Coco says it’s a fantastic space, which means it should be perfect for the magical evening the group has planned for Saturday. Joining the three singers will be Tinho Pereira, the extraordinary Brazilian bass player who joined Coco and Heidi for their recent show at the Oriental Arts Center, as well as Willow Neilson, an Australian saxophonist who is not playing sax at this show but instead playing Mbira, which is the Zimbabwean thumb piano. It’s quite a unique set of sounds to mix together, and a fantastic set of musicians, so expect an amazing night.

Saturday August 23, 9pm-10:30pm
Lounge 18 (18 on the bund, 4F–18 Zhongshan Dong Lu, near Nanjing Lu)
Free Entry

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.

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 first three nights (including tonight and tomorrow night) also feature live jazz from the Magnificent Seven to accompany the busty entertainers in their wild and humorous performance. The Atomic Bombshells are a Seattle-based group of gorgeous performers who wow the audience with their 1940s-style dance/strip-tease show, aided of course by a well-dressed and handsome male MC. The choreography is pristine, the band is swinging, and the Bombshells are HOT!  Above is a video of bombshell Kitten LaRue in a performance this last April in Seattle.

The burlesque shows will continue on Monday and Tuesday night without the live band.

Glamour Bar: 5 on the bund, 6F (number 20 Guangdong rd.)  Reserve a table at 6350-9988 or reservations@m-theglamourbar.com.  No cover, performance begins at 10:30pm

It was our good friend Anna Jacyszyn’s penultimate night singing at the newly renovated Ritz-Carlton 2nd floor jazz bar, so I went by last night to hear her and sit in a little bit. Little had I realized, the band is once again playing in their old haunt on the second floor that has been undergoing renovation for at least a few months (6 or more?). The bar was originally scheduled to reopen much earlier than now, but the extension of renovation time seemed to coincide with reports of billowing black smoke from the 2nd floor windows of the hotel around the original finish date. So until just a week and a half ago, the band had been performing in the lobby lounge, which I understand was not as inspiring a performance venue for them.

Anyway the new decoration looks good, the lounge is much more cozy now with a new wooden-slat ceiling and curtains defining the space; now I understand why the feng shui just didn’t feel right before. It was just too wide open and huge of a room. Also the cigar humidor has been moved from the center of attention to a far corner of the bar, giving the room one more spot to view the band without massive pillars blocking one’s view.

They’ve done an excellent job also with the stage and sound system; the stage has inlaid monitor speakers hidden in it, and the main speakers are hidden in the ceiling above the stage. That and some new sound equipment have improved the room sound a lot.

I’d recommend heading down there tonight to show some support for Anna on her final show there and to check out the new look.

The Portman lounge post-Anna?

After Anna J leaves us once again for her native Canada, what will Danny Woody and the boys do? The boys, of course, being Eric Harper on bass and Tom Finlay on piano. According to Danny, they’ll play as a trio through August, adding horn players occasionally to change up the sound a bit. Then a new vocalist will join them come September. Stay tuned for details.

Speakeasy party : Jean Georges, 3 on the bund 4F

No cover charge, music starts after 10pm

When Jazz Meets Kunqu
Fri, Jul 11 at 7:30PM
At: He Luting Concert Hall (Shanghai Conservatory of Music)
Shanghai