Not music for old men

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According to Dai's father, a jazz fan who usually takes his son to watch live jazz music at Beijing's popular jazz music venues like CD Cafe and East Shore Cafe, the high pressure of the classical music world can be cruel to children and cause young geniuses to burn out. That's why the father is pleased his son has chosen jazz.

"Jazz is flexible and relaxing. There's really no pressure here," says Dai, who just returned from a musical master class in New York during the summer vacation and will study at the middle school affiliated with the Central Conservatory of Music. "Though my main training is still classical music, I spend lots of time playing jazz and searching for the latest information about jazz, because the music genre makes me happy."

Jazz is a fluid genre, and the jazz scene in China is fluid, too. For both the new wave and the veteran artists, faithful entrepreneurs are setting up stages and hoping that the fans will follow.

Huang recalls that in its first year at the Forbidden City Concert Hall, the music festival only lasted for three days with seven bands. While the growth is good, the music festival is still not successful compared with commercial performances, says Huang.

Folk musician Feng Mantian, who will perform in the festival with Golden Buddha, sits with the band on a recent night and plays his zhongruan, a Chinese plucked-string instrument. With a five-minute solo, the 50-year-old paints a musical picture of sunset in Beijing, which is followed by piano, saxophone and drum.

When the surprised audience applauds the combination of the traditional Chinese musical instrument with jazz band, they all continue by playing the renowned jazz song, The Summer Palace, which is one of Golden Buddha's most popular songs.

Feng, who joined Golden Buddha just a month ago, says he was also surprised to find out how the traditional Chinese folk music works with jazz.

"When Golden Buddha found me after watching my shows on the internet, I was so happy and couldn't wait to rehearse with them," says Feng, who has been trying to combine traditional Chinese instruments with other music genres for decades.

"I haven't been so excited for years until I joined the jazz band, which made me feel like I've been reborn," Feng says. "Now I practice at least three hours a day to adapt into the band, just like a newcomer."

"You might think that jazz scene in China is still catering to a minority taste," says Huang. "But when you walk into those jazz clubs, you'll find surprises - those young musicians are playing their original jazz tunes and veteran jazz men like Golden Buddha are still progressing and inventing with new sounds."

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn.