"Shanghai is so often associated with jazz. But the jazz you hear is mostly filled with nostalgia, decadence and petit-bourgeois mentality," according to Jiang Yipeng, who plans to shake up the scene this month with a new jazz festival. "The jazz that we're bringing into the 2004 Jazzy Shanghai week is upbeat and wayward" - much like Jiang's mission to transform this city's music scene.
Beginning on May 2, Jazzy Shanghai has invited top musicians from Norway, France, Britain, Japan, China and the US to perform in various venues. "The purpose of the event is to keep Shanghai abreast of the latest musical trends in the world," Jiang says. "The spirit of modern jazz represents the spirit of Shanghai; it's all about improvisation, creativity and fusion."
In constrast with traditional Afro-American jazz, modern jazz tends to mix in elements of other forms including electronic music, folk, drum n' bass and hip hop, while often retaining its focus on improvisation and virtuosity. Some of the brightest stars of the festival hail from the flourishing Norway jazz scene - including Terje Rypdal and Ketil Bjornstad, Sidsel Endresen, and Nils Petter Molvaer.
2004 Jazzy Shanghai will also feature such international jazz figures and groups as the British Matthew Herbert Big Band, Erik Truffaz, Yoko Noge and Jazz Me Blues. Matthew Herbert brings his brand of big band music infused with modern electronica, as French trumpeter Erik Truffaz blows jazz with hints of drum n' bass and rock. Avant-garde Japanese jazz diva Yoko Noge injects her Osaka flair into authentic Chicago blues. And Liu Yuan, father of Chinese jazz, and CY/B6, Shanghai's own talented young digital musicians will also grace the stage in separate concerts.
"We're very excited," exclaims Jiang. "The festival will add more cultural diversity to Shanghai." It certainly looks like an occasion not to be missed by Shanghai's cool cats, and those just looking for some smooth grooves.