To and From China: The International Jazz Scene

BIG JALCThe Marlowsphere Blog #61

This week’s blog focuses on the “spirit” of Jazz Appreciation Month (which is held in April each year) and International Jazz day which was held on April 30 in Istanbul, Turkey. Both focus on the evolution of jazz in China:

  • On April 12, 2013, Jazz at Lincoln Center announced a joint venture with a Chinese-based firm to establish a jazz presence in Shanghai, China. Yes, Shanghai, China.
  • April 30 was the UNESCO-sponsored Second Annual International Jazz Day, taking place this year in Istanbul, Turkey. The Chinese government sent two representatives.


JALC in Shanghai, China

The headline reads as follows:

BIG and Global Institutions, Shanghai Bund Investment Group
& Jazz at Lincoln Center Announce Joint Expansion in China
Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai at The Central in the Bund
To Revitalize the Jazz Capital of the Far East

 The news release states:

Shanghai Bund Investment (Group) Co., Ltd. (BIG) and Jazz at Lincoln Center announce today their joint development of Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai in the historic Bund district.  The announcement was made at the groundbreaking ceremony of The Central, a high-end, mixed-use development by BIG, scheduled for completion and operation in 2016.  Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC), led by Managing and Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis, will program Jazz concerts at The Central, and through this development, residents The Bundand visitors of Shanghai alike will enjoy a night of great Jazz music in one of Shanghai’s premier retail properties against the backdrop of a revitalized Bund.  Also, people of all ages will learn about Jazz − the music, and its contemporary relevance − through JALC’s many Jazz education programs.

The release goes on: Scheduled to open in mid-2016, the Jazz club will be similar in character to JALC’s Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola at its home in New York City, where sensational acoustics and an intimate club setting, with great food and drink, are framed visually by a classic backdrop of a great world city − for Dizzy’s, it’s Central Park and for Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai, it will be the Bund waterfront.  The development of The Central and the opening of Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai add to the Bund and Nanjing Road as the epicenter of commerce, leisure, and culture in Shanghai.

Shanghai Bund Investment Group and Jazz at Lincoln Center intend to conclude the partnership agreement after the groundbreaking ceremony and continue planning for their joint development of the venue, with a focus on the first year’s programming schedule, strategic relationships with local education organizations and schools, and corporate sponsorship partners.

The announcement, of course, that the joint venture will “Revitalize the Jazz Capital of the Far East” is only half right. Yes, Shanghai was the jazz capital of the Far East in the 1920-JZ_Club1940s. Shanghai itself was dubbed “The Paris of the East” which is where the more recent phrase comes from. But to say that this venture will revitalize Shanghai or even jazz in Shanghai is a bit of distortion. Drawing from my book on jazz in China—Jazz in the Land of the Dragon, fast nearing completion—I can state without equivocation there is already a strong jazz presence in Shanghai, for example, the JZ Club (certainly the center of the jazz world in Shanghai), The Cotton Club, CJW, and The House of Blues and Jazz, not to mention the band at the Peace Hotel on the Bund. Also, Shanghai is the economic capital of China. Even a few years ago, 25% of the world’s building cranes were working in Shanghai.

This aside, the addition of JALC in Shanghai in mid-2016 will certainly punctuate the “international” spirit of jazz.

 With the Chinese Government’s Blessing:
Saxophonist Li Gao Yang Attends International Jazz Day

Li Gao YangTwenty-year-old Chinese saxophonist Li Gao Yang(李高阳) was in attendance at the recent April 30, 2013 International Jazz Day event in Istanbul, Turkey—and with the blessing of the Chinese government no less! To my knowledge, this is the first time the government has underwritten such an occurrence.

Li started learning music at the age of four. By the tender age of eight he has already been playing and studying the saxophone. Basically he is self-taught on the instrument and has become the most famous jazz saxophone player, educator and composer in his generation in China.

Li has apparently embraced East coast jazz and has considerable experience in this style of performance. With his unique style, Li considers tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone and ewi, in descending order, his main instruments. Through the years, Li has composed a considerable amount of originals covering different style/spectrum of music and has been lauded as the top jazz saxophone player by audience and critics alike.

Since age of 14, Li Gao Yang has founded the Li Gao Yang Trio and Li Gao Yang Quartet with drummer Shao Ha Ha, bassists Hu Hao, Bi Zi Gang, keyboardists Jin Ye and Han Yun, all recognized top jazz players in China. Li has brought his groups to many large scale events and jazz festivals. Li Gao Yang Quartet has been recognized as one of the top jazz bands in China.

Next to leading his own group, Li Gao Yang has also performed in the following established jazz formations: Beijing Jazz Orchestra, Du Yinjiao Jazz Big Band, CD Swing Band, Big John (Zhang Ling) Blues band, and Blue Head Sextet, among others.

In 2012, Li Gao Yang was invited to join the famous Golden Buddha Jazz band.  Li has also been featured on some performances of Antonio Hart during Hart’s tour in China.

Liu YuanThrough his acquaintance with the legendary Sonny Rollins−who is his biggest influence on saxophone so far−Li has received valuable lessons from the maestro. Li has also received valuable lessons from such masters as Bob Cranshaw, Sammy Figueroa, and Peter Erskine, among others.

Li was accompanied to Istanbul by Beijing-based tenor saxophonist Liu Yuan—all expenses covered by the Chinese government. This has two implications. Liu Yuan (his last name pronounced Yuar) is considered the father of jazz in China. He is the owner of one of the central jazz clubs in Beijing, the East Shore Café. The government’s involvement in the International Jazz Day event underscores in a quiet way the government’s endorsement of jazz (a western style of music Mao never would never have approved of). Second, it gives greater credibility to Liu Yuan in terms of his place in the history of jazz in China—rightly so.

 

Please write to me at meiienterprises@aol.com if you have any comments on this or any other of my blogs.

Eugene Marlow, Ph.D.
May 6, 2013

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