Shanghai Jazz
Special guest Coco Zhao ("the boy Billie Holiday") will perform an intimate set of original works and old favorites. With a unique heritage (both parents were in traditional Chinese opera), Shanghai-based Zhao cross-pollinates Mandarin vocals with the distinct styles of contemporary American jazz sounds. His singing transcends cultures, as evidenced by his sensational reception at the 2007 Montreal Jazz Festival and his performance at the Kennedy Center. For his appearance at the Asian Art Museum, he will be backed by musicians Mark Izu, Anthony Brown, and Glen Pearson. Click here for an interesting NPR piece on Coco Zhao, featuring streaming audio of some of his songs.
Plus, don't miss a talk on the birth of jazz in Asia by SF Jazz Director of Education Cory Combs. He'll discuss the arrival of jazz in Asia, and how it traveled and returned to America in the hands of Asian expatriates and Asian Americans. From the arrival of swing in Japan in the 1920s, to the recent growth of jazz in China, musicians throughout the Pacific Rim have embraced the uniquely American art form of jazz, melding the concepts of swing with their own unique cultural and musical perspectives. Combs is a bassist, composer, lecturer and has performed with many internationally known artists. His last CD, “Valencia”, was listed as one of the ten best CDs of the year (2006) by All About Jazz, and given three stars in DownBeat Magazine.
There’ll also be art activities (make your own print), cash bars, docent conversations in Shanghai, and more.
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Event Schedule
5–9
Artmarking: Create a Print!
Shanghai Dumplings (available for purchase in museum cafe)
Cash Bars
6-6:30, 7-7:30
Docent Conversations: Shanghai
6:30-7:30
Talk: The Birth of Jazz in Asian by Cory Combs
6:30-7, 8-8:30
Shanghai Jazz Performance*
with Coco Zhao, Mark Izu, Anthony Brown, & Glen Pearson
* space is very limited; first-come-first-served
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