On May 26
th, the Taihu Jazz Festival 2023 kicked off at the NCPA Taihu Open-air Theatre. The CMA All-Star Big Jazz Band presented the jazz adaptations of several Chinese folk classics and the Japanese jazz pianist Makoto Ozone made his debut with his Jazz Quartet. During the festival, 12 famous jazz bands and more than 100 jazz musicians at home and abroad will gather to offer a jazz feast with diverse styles and forms.
Taihu Jazz Festival 2023
This year’s Taihu Jazz Festival features both Chinese and international jazz musicians, who come together to create a dialogue between traditional Chinese music and jazz music. On the evening of May 26
th, the CMA All-Star Big Jazz Band staged under the artistic director and famous jazz musician LI Xiaochuan, performing seven works including
The Distant,
Kangding Love Song,
Colourful Clouds Chasing the Moon and
Jasmine Flower.
CMA All-Star Big Jazz Band
The Japanese jazz pianist Makoto Ozone gains international fame and has been nominated for the Grammy Award for his jazz compositions. At the opening concert, his Jazz Quartet delivered seven specially-curated works, showing a diverse style of jazz music.
Japanese jazz pianist Makoto Ozone
Makoto Ozone with his Jazz Quartet
LI Zhixiang, Vice President of the NCPA, said, “The Taihu Jazz Festival scales new heights every year. At the Second Taihu Jazz Festival held last year, we livestreamed all performances on a global scale, with over 25 million audiences watched online. This year, the festival continues to empower the stage with ‘immersive Dolby Atmos technology’, creating the first immersive outdoor jazz festival and enhancing the quality of live music.”
The festival kicked off on May 26th and will continue on until May 31st. In addition to the CMA All-Star Big Jazz Band performed at the opening concert, Big jazz bands from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the School of Popular Music, Sichuan Conservatory of Music will also take the stage. Through the big bands, the festival combines the spirituality and ebullience of jazz with the profoundness of symphonic music.
Jazz musicians from many countries, including the United States, France, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Mauritius, will impress audience with classic jazz works from around the world. In response, Chinese musicians represented by FENG Mantian, KONG Hongwei, LUO Ning and GU Feng, will engage in a dialogue between Eastern and Western instruments and musical works.
It is worth mentioning that, in addition to the open-air performances, leisure areas of food, cultural creations and bazaars have been set up on the scene. Ticket holders can also visit part of the exhibition area at the just-opened Taihu Stage Art Museum to discover the stage productions behind the scenes.
This year, the Taihu Jazz Festival will continue to expand the influence of jazz culture in China through communication technologies and artistic activities. On May 24
th, the “Taihu Jazz Festival 2023—In Conversation with Artists” was held at the NCPA Arts Library, with renowned Chinese jazz pianist LUO Ning as the lecturer, talking about the establishment of the jazz style, the relationship between jazz and classical music, and the influence of jazz on the early Chinese pop music, etc. The performance on the evening of May 27
th will be livestreamed on many online platforms, including the NCPA Classical Channel. Well-known musicians, including GU Feng, Lawrence Ku and HUANG Yong, will offer an audiovisual feast of Eastern and Western jazz music.
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