With an audience of five—the bartender at Beijing’s Smoke Bar, the drummer’s girlfriend buried in her laptop, and three stray listeners—Zhang Zhuoran’s quartet played two long sets as if the room were packed. Jazz has always been about the interaction between musicians, whether or not anyone is there to hear the tree fall.

Bassist Zhang Zhuoran led the group with quiet authority, keeping steady eye contact with rambunctiously crafty drummer Chang Yichen to steer the ship through choppy waters. The setlist was all standards, contrary to my expectation of atonal free jazz after previewing some of Zhang’s performances online. Zhang was considerate enough to introduce each piece to our tiny peanut gallery. Pianist Zhao Meng slammed McCoy Tyner–esque chords during Thelonious Monk’s “Straight, No Chaser,” sparking the night’s most turbulent passage before the group settled down for Zhang to weave a playful, bluesy solo. Chang followed with a sprightly brushstroke solo that sounded like mice scurrying across the drum set.

Tenor saxophonist Tong Fei played with the most restraint, preferring melodic, lyrical lines over squealing outbursts. His most compelling moment came during Dizzy Gillespie’s “A Night in Tunisia,” where he quoted descending lines from John Coltrane’s “Spiral.”

Playing together for the first time, this young group was at its best when everyone coalesced around a heated solo, but didn’t always stick the landing when concluding a piece. The relaxed tempo of “House of Jade” by Wayne Shorter allowed the group to weave a delicate aura of mystery without individuals getting too flashy.

Jazz starts and ends with musicians listening to one another. Hopefully more of the public will listen too next time they perform.

五个人听的爵士乐：张卓然四重奏在Smoke Bar

观众只有五个人——北京Smoke Bar的酒保、鼓手那位埋头看电脑的女朋友、还有三位偶然路过的听众——在这样的情况下，张卓然的四重奏依然演了两套很长的曲目，就好像酒吧里坐满了人一样。爵士乐从来都是关于乐手之间的互动，不管有没有人在听。

贝斯手张卓然带着大家演奏，低调而有掌控力。他一直与闹腾中透着狡黠的鼓手常依辰保持眼神交流，在起伏不定的节奏中稳稳掌舵。曲目单上全是经典标准曲，跟我预想的不太一样——我本来听了网上张卓然的一些演奏片段，以为会是无调性的自由爵士。张卓然很体贴，每一首曲子之前都向我们这寥寥几位观众做了介绍。钢琴手赵濛在演奏Thelonious Monk的《Straight, No Chaser》时，砸出了McCoy Tyner式的和弦，引发了当晚最激烈狂放的一段，之后乐队情绪才慢慢平缓下来，让张卓然编织了一段俏皮、带点布鲁斯味的独奏。接着，常依辰来了一段轻快的鼓刷独奏，听起来就像一群小老鼠在架子鼓上窸窸窣窣地跑来跑去。

次中音萨克斯手仝飞是演奏得最克制的，他更喜欢旋律优美、抒情流畅的乐句，而不是尖利爆发的演奏。他最动人的一刻出现在Dizzy Gillespie的《A Night in Tunisia》中，他在里面引用了John Coltrane《Spiral》中的下行乐句。

这支年轻的乐队虽然是第一次一起演出，但每当大家围绕一段热烈的独奏凝聚在一起时，状态就最好；不过，在一首曲子结尾的处理上，有时收得不够干净利落。Wayne Shorter的《House of Jade》速度比较舒缓，让整个乐队能够营造出一种微妙神秘的气氛，同时每个人都不至于表现得太张扬。

爵士乐始于乐手之间的相互倾听，也终于此。希望下次他们演出的时候，能有更多公众也来听一听。