Jazz lovers can ‘expect the unexpected’ at Hong Kong’s cross-border ‘seven-hour jamming session’
- Asian trumpeter Li Xiaochuan and guitarist Eugene Pao join global stars such as drummer Kendrick Scott at Jazz Gala – The Legend and Beyond
- Seven concerts offer eclectic mix of styles, including fusion and world music, at Hong Kong Cultural Centre on November 3 as venue celebrates 30th anniversary
Jazz is, by its nature, multilingual. Originating in the African-American communities of New Orleans in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it evolved from a meeting of African and European musical traditions with its roots in blues and ragtime.
Yet jazz is also a mindset that can be applied to playing other styles of music.
A few years ago, many people claimed jazz was dying, but I don’t hear that any more. Even major commercial music stars, from Lady Gaga to Kendrick Lamar, are putting jazz elements into their music
“Jazz is more an attitude than a musical style,” says Ted Gioia, author of the acclaimed History of Jazz. “For that reason, it mixes easily with all other musical traditions. In Scotland they can play jazz on the bagpipe and in Brazil it influences samba and bossa nova.
“It’s an attitude that emphasises spontaneity and personal expression, and those are qualities that can be applied in any musical setting.”
The impact of jazz can be seen in musical traditions around the world. Jazz soon made its way back to Africa from the US, informing the music of the continent from Benin to Ethiopia to South Africa.
South African greats of the 1950s onwards, including trumpet and flugelhorn player Hugh Masekela and singer Miriam Makeba, integrated jazz into their musical style.
