BIG BAND JAZZ THE SHANGHAI WAY
The Cultural Revolution in the late 1940s saw the arts in China almost irrevocably wiped out.
One of the aspects of music that suffered was jazz.
In the 1920s, the Shanghai Conservatory shunned jazz, calling it “yellow music” and considered it pornographic, vulgar, and being a bad form of western music.
At the same time, they also scorned Chinese folk tunes because they were old-fashioned and limited because of their use of the pentatonic scale.
However, despite all these oppositions, a man who is now considered a visionary and artistic patriot, Li Jin Hui, gathered together a group of musicians to combine big band jazz style with Chinese folk music.
There was a major scandal.
It did not help that he also enlisted the help of young girls to go on stage with their arms and legs exposed. This was the era where even to have women and men sharing the same stage was taboo.
Shanghai city itself was already earning itself a reputation for its brazen mobsters, night clubs and seedy activities. Jazz music, since it was played in the clubs where most of the profiteering was going on, was associated with the sleeze and the decadence.
One of Shanghai’s jazz scene supporters was the war lord and gangster, Du Yu Sheng.
Du Yu Sheng grew up in rural poverty, and made his way up to become Shanghai’s most feared leader of the Green Gang that controlled almost every vice and drug activity in Shanghai. It was said that nothing moved in Shanghai without his say-so and even the government leaders had to consult him or ask for his help in several matters.
He went on to consolidate his position of power even more by getting himself elected as the Commissioner of Police in the French Quarter. This ensured him of ultimate control since he now ran everything on both sides of the law.
This was the man who endorsed and encouraged jazz music during this era, thus making Shanghai become known as the Paris of the East.
He instructed Li Jin Hui to create a jazz band called the Clear Wind Dance Band. Most jazz bands before this had western or Philippino musicians. This was the first all Chinese band to perform at the Yangtze River Dance Hall in 1935. The combination of American big band jazz and swing with Chinese traditional melodies made a huge impact on the society – half of them were seduced by it, while the other half were outraged beyond belief. The result was Shanghai became the equivalent of the East’s New Orleans.
When the Cultural Revolution clamped down on all the arts, jazz was one of the worst victims. Li himself died in the hands of the ruling party. Once bustling nightclubs were shut down and jazz music banned completely. The musicians were either brainwashed or traumatized so badly that nothing of the music was left.
It took another 30 years before jazz slowly crept back into the life of Shanghai. It took another 20 years before it burst back into colour in the city.
Now, Shanghai is considered once again, the nucleus of jazz in China.
And to showcase this old-time music from days gone by is a group of very young musicians – so young that most of them were not even born yet when the Cultural Revolution ended – who will be playing at the Genting International Jazz Festival.
This is the SHANGHAI JAZZ ENSEMBLE. Ten wonderfully talented musicians on trumpet, saxophones, er-hu, piano, drums and bass with two frontline singers – Coco and Erica.
Their music is from the 1930s and 40s big band style revival.
It could almost be disorientating to look at such young faces but hearing such nostalgic history-gone-by songs, except that they do it so well and with so much panache. Look out for showy solos in the horns as well.
The Genting International Jazz Festival kick-starts on June 8th – 9th – a 2 day weekend with 10 most varied jazz bands from all over the world up at its highland’s resort.
This is the start of a long term plan to up the music pace in Kuala Lumpur city and to search out the most unique kinds of jazz possible and bring them together once a year.
Tickets for a one day Adult pass is priced at RM100 while a 2-day pass is available at RM150.
They can be bought online at www.genting.com.my or call 03-2718 1118 from April onwards.
The website will also have information on packages that have been tailored for the event.
