shanghai jazz scene .com

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

These two jazz vocalists are among the best Shanghai has to offer, and their show tomorrow afternoon will see them accompanied by a very strong rhythm section as well. Part of a series of monthly jazz concerts put on by JZ clubp at the Oriental Arts Center, the show will also feature pianist Steve Sweeting, bassist Tinho Pereira, and drummer Ronnie Williams. For more info and tickets:
JZ Club
Culture.sh.cn
Smart Shanghai

The JZ All-star big band is taking a break for most of the summer, but will start up playing Saturdays again in mid-August. The band’s director, Rolf Becker, has left town for a well-deserved vacation with his family and will return ready to bring the band back with renewed vitality and a continuously expanding repertoire.

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!

They’re not coming to play together, but rather in two separate shows happening this week. Swiss trumpeter Erik Truffaz is performing Thursday (tomorrow) at JZ Club with his band, and Saturday is Mike Stern’s show. Each of them are bringing a quartet, ostensibly touring to promote new albums. Mike Stern’s quartet consists of Bob Franceschini, Lincoln Goines, Lionel Cordew. Erik Truffaz is bringing Marcello Giuliani, Marc Erbetta, and Patrick Muller in his band. Both of these guys are pretty big names, and so the cover will be 100RMB each of the nights. As usual, the show will start at 10pm.

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