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Beijing - China

The connoisseurs admit it: Beijing lacks a real jazz scene. However, if you look carefully, some gems can be found. 

"There aren't many places where you can listen to good jazz in Beijing. The Chinese musicians are influenced by classical music. They follow the bass, but there is no freedom or creativity," laments Chen Chibo, a Taiwanese resident of Beijing and former local bar owner of Jazz & Blues DJ.

When Chen lived in Tokyo and Singapore, he went to jazz bars nearly every day. To satisfy his craving for good jazz music in China, Chen occasionally visits Le Café Igosso on Saturdays or CD Jazz Café.

Le Café Igosso is a cozy Italian restaurant and lounge opened by Mori Fujisaki, a Japanese jazz practitioner who studied bass in New York for more than ten years. Fujisaki personally selects music from his impressively large collection of jazz, blues and Bossa Nova, all imported from Japan.

 However, on Saturday nights at the lounge, he pulls out his bass and performs with Bulgarian vocalist Diliana Georgieva and French pianist Christophe Lier. Georgieva and Lier are long-term expatriates and solid members of the Beijing jazz scene. They play innovative renditions of jazz standards, as well as improvisations of bebop tunes. 

One of the best kept secrets in Beijing, visitors are not only hypnotized by the sultry voice of Georgieva, but also charmed by the warm atmosphere and great cocktails. Opened in 1995 by jazz fan Hu Xiaoyun, CD Jazz Café is considered by many to be the mainstay of jazz in Beijing. With the aim of developing Beijing's jazz scene, the venue invites both local and overseas talent to perform in its intimate setting.

Raw Emotion

On Sunday, September 16, talented Danish trumpet player Jens Winther, composer and band leader, accompanied by a tenor sax, piano, bass and drums, performed at CD Jazz Café. Audience members included the Danish Institute, who helped facilitate the event, local rock celebrity Cui Jian, foreign and local jazz fans of all ages, a group of curious Chinese theater students and many others.

Shen Mo, 24, admits that she is more a fan of mainstream pop and rock but said, "The bassist is very handsome and his emotion is very communicative." Indeed, even for those who do not understand jazz, it is difficult to remain unaffected by the passionate performance given on the small stage.  "He is really good! It is very rare to have this in Beijing," said Chen. 

After ‘encore' cries from the enthusiastic public, the group performed a last sentimental song. A rendition of Elvis Presley's "Crying in the Chapel" provided the perfect closing note.