Tag: beijing jazz
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Suburban Swing Escape: A Day at the Defactto Jazz & Art Life Fest
Day 4 of the Defactto Jazz & Art Life Fest featured swing-dancing adults and frolicking children, people kicking off their flip-flops to enjoy microbrews and kebabs on the grass, and musical acts hailing from as near as Beijing and as far as Hungary. Surveying the brightly lit scene under a blue afternoon sky, it was… Read more
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Los Amigos de Pekín
Want jazz you can dance to and a touch of salsa in the land of beef noodles? Throw on your guayabera, grab a hot date, and check out Los Amigos at Beijing’s East Shore Jazz Café. Arrive on Chinese rather than Latin American time, though, or you’ll be watching over dancing heads through the doorway.… Read more
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Hutong Jazz: The Music of Billie Holiday & Lester Young
Hutongs are an iconic feature of old Beijing. These grey-brick courtyard homes have long lost their residential appeal from lack of modern amenities like private bathrooms; instead, the narrow cobblestone alleys are packed with bars, cafés, and live music venues. The Jianghu Bar offers blues, funk, jazz, and other styles on rotating nights of the… Read more
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Jazz for Five: Zhang Zhuoran’s Quartet at Smoke Bar
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… Read more
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Cordâme at the Blue Note, Beijing
Blocks away from Tiananmen Square, so near the seat of China’s government that a pedestrian has to cross two security checkpoints just to get there, lies an institution well-known to Western music lovers. A steep staircase leads you down from an austere courtyard into an expansive cavern where young people dine on burgers and fries… Read more