Marlowsphere Blog (#129)
Western perceptions to the contrary, jazz in mainland China has survived through four generations. Starting in the 1920s when jazz first came to China, specifically Shanghai, till now there have been several generations of indigenous jazz musicians.
The first generation responded to the demand for jazz at the time—dance hall music. While there were a plentitude of non-Chinese jazz musicians performing in Shanghai—such as drummer Whitey Smith, pianist Teddy Weatherford, trumpeter Valaida Snow, and trumpeter Buck Clayton, and a host of bands from the Philippines and Russia—Chinese jazz musicians eager to perform for their own also formed their own ensembles to perform in Shanghai’s many dance halls.
A ccording to an account by bassist Da Ren Zheng (who also contributed charts to the Peace Hotel Jazz Band profiled later), these early Chinese jazz bands included: Yu Yuezhang (who organized the first all-Chinese jazz band), several so-called Cantonese jazz bands, Chen’s “New Band,” Jin Huaizu’s (a.k.a. Jimmy King) famous Paramount Dance Hall band, the Huang Feiran Band, and the Kaixuan Band. Fan Shengqi (dubbed “The King of the Saxophone”) was a member of this generation; he survived Mao’s tenure, and began performing jazz again in Beijing after his demise.
Following Mao’s takeover of China in 1949 through his death in 1976 all performances of jazz in dance halls were forbidden. But by 1980 China was opening up economically to the west.
At that time the Chinese government requested that a group of former dance hall jazz musicians—who survived in the intervening years by playing Chinese classical music—create a sextet and perform at the Peace Hotel on the Bund in Downtown Shanghai. The motivation was economic: entertainment for western visitors. This group—holdovers from the 1930s-1940s—has performed there (with some changes in personnel) every night for the last 35 years. They are the subject of a German produced film entitled “As Time Goes By in Shanghai.”
Since the mid-1980s a second generation of jazz musicians—partly influenced in Beijing by German diplomat (and bass player) Martin Fleischer, now an ambassador in Brussels—began to emerge. Among this small group is tenor saxophonist Liu Yuan considered the “father” of jazz in China (Martin Fleischer can be called the “godfather of jazz in China”). Liu Yuan gained initial fame by performing with trumpeter/songwriter/protester Cui Jian, China’s so-called “father of rock” in the 1980s. Liu Yuan now owns a club in Beijing called the East Shore Café. Liu Yuan and others of his generation have performed and are performing jazz as a means of individual freedom of expression, much like Cui Jian on the rock side of the musical ledger.
A third generation of jazz musicians—definitely in the mode of individual freedom of expression—include (in Shanghai): 
guitarist Lawrence Ku, singer/songwriter Coco Zhao, saxophonist and professor Zhang Xiaolu, and singer/pianist Joey Lu. In Beijing this third generation includes: virtuoso bassist and jazz festival promoter “Adam,” “cool” pianist Xia Jia, pianist Kong Hong Wei (a.k.a. Golden Buddah), Mongolian-born alto saxophonist Liu “Kenny” Xiaoguang, drummer Xiao Dou, singer Yao Yi Xin, bassist Zou Tong, bassist Zhang Ling, saxophonist Yinjiao Du, and saxophonist Wu Yun Nan (formerly with the Chinese Navy Band). Several of these musicians received training in jazz in the United States.
The youngest and fourth generation of Chinese jazz musicians is now coming to the fore. With the Chinese government’s apparent blessing, 20-year-old saxophonist virtuoso Li Gaoyang attended International Jazz Day, April 30, 2013 in Istanbul, Turkey. Heading up the delegation was saxophonist Liu Yuan, profiled briefly above.
Li Gaoyang(李高阳) started learning music at the age of 4. By the tender age of 8 he had already been playing and studying the saxophone. Basically he’s self-taught on the instrument and has become the most famous jazz saxophone player, educator and composer of his generation in China.
Li has embraced East coast jazz and has considerable experience in this style of performance. With his unique style, Li considered tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone and EWI (i.e., Electric Wind Instrument), 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 the age of 14, Li Gaoyang has founded the Li Gaoyang Trio and Li Gaoyang Quartet with drummer Shao Ha Ha, bassists Hu Hao, Bi Zi Gang, keyboardists Jin Ye and Han Yun, all recognized 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 Gaoyang 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, Blue Head Sextet, among others.
In 2012, Li Gaoyang was invited to join the famous Golden Buddha Jazz band, headed by virtuoso jazz pianist Kong Hong Wei, also profiled above. Li has also been featured on some performances of American jazz instrumentalist Antonio Hart during Hart’s tour in China. Through his acquaintance with the legendary Sonny Rollins, who is his biggest influence on saxophone so far, Li has received valuable teaching from the maestro. Li has also received had lessons with masters such as Bob Cranshaw, Sammy Figueroa, and Peter Erskine among others.
The Chinese jazz musicians notwithstanding, performing spaces for these musicians appear to be expanding. Jazz @ Lincoln Center has announced plans to open a jazz club in Shanghai in 2016, and Blue Note Entertainment (owner of the famous Blue Note jazz club in New York City) has announced plans to open a jazz club in Beijing in 2017.
Eugene Marlow, Ph.D.
September 21, 2015
© Eugene Marlow 2015