Note: A longer version of this article, written by Jon Campbell, appears in the February 2005 issue of that's Beijing.
Jon Campbell writes: "Much like the landscape of venues at which local jazz is performed, regular shows in Beijing are ever shifting and evolving ... As far as musicians go, the current crop of players is a talented bunch. But Kenny G still has more influence over saxophone players than John Coltrane, Charlie Parker and Cannonball Adderly combined. One might be afraid. Very afraid.
But then again, one can be optimistic too: Jazz CD and DVD offerings run the gamut. The bulk of musicians visiting Beijing from overseas are jazz musicians, and some of the most highly-acclaimed and sought-after at that: Royal Hartigan, Pierre Favre, Sean McCleod and Nils Landgren are just some of the big names that have visited in the past eight months.
Jazz music is also, once again, making its way across town. But the CD Jazz Cafe is not the only jazz venue in town, though it is – despite seemingly self-destructive marketing, managerial and service strategies (or the lack thereof) – the best. While manager and saxophonist Liu Yuan keeps a stranglehold on the weekends, they have done a great service in hosting the Ah-Q Jazz Arkestra on Thursdays. Currently, several venues are trying to reinvent themselves as jazz haunts: The bar at Le Cafe Igosso, Lotus Blue, Pagoda and Nuage.
The local jazz scene is far from all local. Expats still make up a significant portion of players today. There is Lawrence Ku, a Chinese-American guitarist, teacher at the Midi School of Music and long-term resident; Izumi Koga, a Japanese drummer and long-time resident who is seen by many as their source of inspiration; Christophe Lier, a French pianist and teacher who is composing some of Beijing’s most groundbreaking pieces; trombonist and composer Matt Roberts, a ten-year-plus veteran of the scene, perhaps best known for working alongside Liu Yuan for many years and one of the earliest musicians to bridge the international gap.
Huang Yong and Liu Yue are two of the baddest bassists around – Liu has been known to wield quite the axe as well – Xia Jia has long been leading local pianists in interpretation and composition. Saxophonist Liu Xiaoguang (Ah-Q and others) is giving Liu Yuan a run. The bottom line: There is more to local jazz than hotel-lobby Jazz Lite."
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