Time to jazz it up

"We decided to perform those music works to pay tribute to the great jazz musicians and to show our respect to the long history of jazz music," says Yang.

Beginning his music training at 5 years old, Yang studied composition at the Manhattan School of Music in New York from 2006 to 2008, before returning to his home country to perform as a trombonist and dedicate himself to jazz education.

"Blue Note China Jazz Orchestra previously didn't participate in the official activities on International Jazz Day, but we held events every year on April 30 to mark the occasion," says Yang, who took up the position of the conductor of Blue Note China Jazz Orchestra in 2021.The troupe was established in 2016, and regularly performs at Blue Note Beijing Jazz Club, which opened in the capital in September that year.

It was the first Chinese branch of the well-known Blue Note Jazz Club, which opened in 1981 in New York's Greenwich Village. Since its opening, Blue Note Beijing Jazz Club has brought some of the biggest names in jazz to perform there, including Grammy-winning bassist Stanley Clarke and legendary pianist Chick Corea, also a Grammy winner. In 2019, Blue Note Jazz Club opened a second Chinese venue in Shanghai.

"This year, we are honored to be part of the International Jazz Day All-Star Global Concert. The band is home to professional musicians who are among the most active and well-known in the country," says Yang. "We are excited to see a vibrant jazz music scene in the country, with the number of people who love the sound growing fast."

"It's a great opportunity for Chinese jazz music to be recognized by a global audience. I am glad to be able to perform two of my original music pieces with my colleagues," says guitarist Liu, who was introduced to jazz in his early 20s and combines Chinese folk music elements into his works.