My Trip To Shanghai in 2001
In 2001 I took a trip to Shanghai, China. My long time dream of visiting China was realized.
Before I arrived I did some research on the web and discovered the local jazz club, The Cotton Club, downtown Shanghai. When
I arrived it was one of the first places I hit. The scene was friendly and swingin'. The band had a real multi
cultural look, but the music was all swingin' Blues and Jazz.
The only name I can remember right
now is the female singer, Ginger. She has a real deep sultry voice for such a tiny girl. Very good.
The guitarist was from the mid-west USA, the singer was from Toronto, the drummer's from the Philippines, and the trumpet
player, who sounded hauntingly like Miles, was a local Shanghaiese. There was a number of other foreign musicians who came
by to sit in as well. The pianist at one of the large hotels was from France, and an American saxophonist who was living in
Beijing dropped in to jam, as did another European trombonist.
Visiting teacher.
I had the opportunity to visit one of Shanghai's
music and arts schools, much like the school for music and art in New York, or Canturbury and De Lasalle in Ottawa.
Pianist Yin Lin acted as my interrupter, and I was invited
to hold a guitar class. The students were quite attentive and interested. I taught the Blues form and scale.
There
was a performance in the afternoon where the students performed. I was invited to play solo guitar for the school. I was very
impressed with the caliber of the entertainment, and especially Lin Yins traditional Chinese group which was piano, the Chinese
harp called gu jung, the bowed two strings of the er hu, and the Chinese traditional flute. I liked the gu jong so much that
I purchased one and brought it back to Canada, using it in my recording studio when I need that sweet sound of a real harp.
Afterwards a group of the teachers, students and
I went to a great restaurant owned by one of the teachers and her husband. We sang Karaoke and had a huge meal of the most
delicious Chinese food.
