Life of Guangzhou - The Guangzhou Jazz and World Music Festival

Date: October 3-16, 2009
Venue: Sculpture Park, Xiatang Xi Lu, Guangzhou (广州市下塘西路雕塑公园)
Inquiry: 020-8527 0885

Starting on Mid-autumn Day (Oct. 3), dozens of bands and musicians will be on stage for a two-week world music festival. Organized by the "Hit FM885" fan club, the event will take place in the Sculpture Park and bring together acclaimed artists from around the world. With names like Richard Galliano and BConnected, you'll be surprised to learn that admission to these concerts will be free (200 yuan for minimum consumption for drinks or souvenirs.) [Click here for the schedule]

Jazz Artists

Youn Sun Nah (Korea)

With for father a conductor father and for mother a classical singer, Youn Sun Nah was born with all the qualities to become a great musician. She made her debut on stage at 23 in a joint concert with the Korean Symphony Orchestra. After receiving numerous awards she later decided to go back to school, studying jazz piano and singing in Paris. Youn Sun Nah is an artist who never fails to move audiences wherever she may be performing, which has led to over 100 successful performances across Europe, USA, Australia and Asia.

Yosuke Onuma (Japan)

Born in Japan in 1974, Yosuke Onuma has devoted himself to the study of jazz guitar since the age of 14. First introduced to jazz by his father, the young boy soon developed a life-long passion for the guitar. In 1995, he took the third place as the Japanese representative in the Heritage Jazz Guitar Competition, and in 1999 won the Gibson Jazz Guitar Contest.

Tsang Tak Hong (Hong Kong)

Born in Hong Kong, like many teenagers, Hong started learning bass guitar at 16 and began playing rock music 2 years later. To date, he has performed and recorded with numerous pop stars. But on the side of the pop scene, Hong has established himself as a jazz musician. Over the past 8 years, he has played the Krakow Art festival (Poland) 2001, the Seoul Fringe Festival 2004, and the Hong Kong Jazz festival 2005.

BConnected (Switzerland)

In 1994, guitarist Eugene Montenero launched BConnected with electro sounds, in a subtle blend of energy and expression. 15 years later, the group has come to full maturity. An analysis is revealing: 7 records, Asian tours, concerts across the globe; prestigious festivals such as the Montreux Jazz Festival, Tabarka Jazz Festival, Willisau Jazz Festival, Shanghai Jazz Week Festival 07, and the 10th Bangkok Dance & Music Festival 2008.

Bruno Tocanne "New Songs" (France)

"Bruno Tocanne is to his drums and cymbals what a Japanese calligraphy is to the art of painting" --- Liberation

Born in Paris, percussionist Bruno Tocanne studied jazz and improvisation in the 1980s. He joined a symphonic orchestra in 1983, touring extensively in Canada and Europe. In the 1990s, Bruno Tocanne began a series of collaborations that included a duo that toured Japan, Poland and Canada. Since 2000, Bruno Tocanne has formed the Trio Résistances with Lionel Martin and Benoit Keller.

Tim Garland Lighthouse Trio (UK)

"A stunning virtuoso" - Daily Telegraph

Tim Garland is a British jazz saxophonist, composer and the leader of the trio. He is also known for his innovative bass clarinet playing and for his prolific output as composer, blurring the boundary between modern jazz and classical music. As composer, Tim Garland has written for the LSO, RPO, Sydney Symphony, Boston Pops, Lincoln's Symphony Nebraska, the BBC Concert Orchestra, the Northern Sinfonia, Westminster Abbey Choir and many other ensembles that appreciate his eclectic vision.

Sept Tete (France)

Sept Tete is a Florent Brique original project including drums, guitar, organ, flute, vocals, bass, trumpet and computer. These talented musicians have all played with numerous of artists in many international festivals: Umbria Jazz Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, Jazz a Vienne, Shanghai Jazz Festival,Paris Jazz Festival, Marciac, Jazz Festival, Paris Jazz Club, New York Jazz Club, Tokyo' Cotton Club...

Guy Le Claire (Australia)

Guy's career began in Hong Kong in 1980, playing solo guitar in LKF. Guy then moved back to Australia to form various jazz bands with the best of the Young Australian Jazz Talent. However, in 1985 Guy made a big change, and started performing pop rock music. For the next 5 years, he toured, recorded and played with most of the famous Australian bands and musicians including The Tribe, The Eurogliders, Matt Finish, Rick Price, Ian Moss Band, Troy Newman, as well as Raging Waters – Sydney's favourite Funk Band.

Michael Schiefel (Germany)

Inspired by a desire to join the emerging post-Wall jazz scene, Michael Schiefel moved to Berlin in the early 1990s to study at the city's renowned University of Arts. Since then, he has dazzled his fans at home and abroad with an array of solo and band projects that have yielded a dozen albums over the past decade. In all of his solo projects, Michael experiments with his distinctive virtuoso voice by combining it with loop machines and other electronic devices. In 2001, Michael joined the Franz Liszt Conservatory in Weimar as Professor of Vocal Jazz, thereby becoming the youngest music professor in Germany.

Richard Galliano (France)

Richard Galliano changed the history of the accordion: today we can speak of speak of "before" and "after" Galliano."
(Yasuhiro Kobayashi - Japanese accordionist, Björk's accompanist).

Richard Galliano has succeeded in imposing his instrument in musical contexts that previously ignored it - jazz festivals in Marciac, Vienne, Montréal, etc. and classical concert halls in Rome, Paris, Milan, etc. In 1983, Astor Piazzolla invited Richard Galliano to be the bandoneon soloist at the Comédie Française in his original music to accompany William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Since then, Richard Galliano has been sharing the stage with great musicians in concerts all over the world. Richard Galliano has inspired an entire new generation of international accordionists.

Folk music part

Hani Minority Folk Song and Dance Ensemble

Composed of villagers from a town in Yunnan province, the ensemble is infectious by their vigorous dance and folk music

Dai Minority Folk Artists

The elder brother is over 70 years-old and enjoys a lot of respect amongst villagers. He is expert in local hand-made traditional musical instruments and supervises the most important local folk events.

Bulang Minority Camellia Ensemble

The ensemble is made up of local villagers and aims to promote their traditional music and songs.

Lahu Minority Choir

Lahu people are fond of playing guitar in their daily lives. Their traditional music is strongly influenced by religion and the rhythms that define their music seem more ancient than time.

Wa Minority Folk Artists

Tian Kaixiang is a professional singer from the Wa minority. He plays traditional songs on local instruments.

Small Sanxian

Under the tutelage of the blind artist Zhang Laowu, Chen Yingkai and Guo Zhengming are the successors of local Sanxian music.

(By Jessie Hwang, David Keyton)