Jazz at Peking University
We came to Peking main campus to see a jazz show on the twenty sixth of May. Dr. Burgess, Jennifer, Danielle and I had high expectations, as the headlining act came all the way from Austria to play here in Beijing. Opening for them was a three member jazz band consisting of a standup bassist, a drummer, and the singer who also happened to be the lead guitarist as well. The group played into the night waxing and waning between songs of heartbreak and the ubiquitous subject of nascent love. Their instruments exuded sounds of jazz full of moods and emotions.
The second group, of which the bass clarinetist was also a member of the headlining group, consisted of two members, the second manned an instrument that resembled a WOK with a top on it. The member who manned the instrument, or shall I say, piece of cookware, described the peculiarity of the instrument, stating that those from Europe thought it was from China, and those from China think its from Europe. The two man group commenced with their set that shocked, but impressed the mainly Chinese audience who seemed unfamiliar with the sounds coming from the group’s instruments. Groovy African rythms from the WOK, which had varying pitches depending on where the musician hit the instrument, combined with complementary notes of the bass clarinet served to capture the attention of all in the auditorium of Peking University. It was clear that they and the audience were having a lot of fun.
Finally, the Christopher Auer Pepe group, the performance advertised to the public performed. A four person jazz group they were, consisting of members manning the saxophone, piano, drums, and stand up bass. Incredibly disciplined, yet creative, they had true mastery of their musical creations. Quiet and subtle at times, building suspense for the audience, they would then explode into a most comprehensive wall of sound. One of their pieces, titled, “Chocolate Cake,” started off slow and stagnant, seeming to illustrate the way fudge oozes down the sides of a chocolate sponge cake. Rich was the use of the saxophone, which depicted this picture best in my mind. Halfway through the piece however, a sudden tension gripped ensued within the band, as a cacophony of well controlled instruments all vying for dominance, which reminded me of the potential tension at a dinner table, as the last piece of delicious chocolate cake is being stared at for consumption.
- Steve
The second group, of which the bass clarinetist was also a member of the headlining group, consisted of two members, the second manned an instrument that resembled a WOK with a top on it. The member who manned the instrument, or shall I say, piece of cookware, described the peculiarity of the instrument, stating that those from Europe thought it was from China, and those from China think its from Europe. The two man group commenced with their set that shocked, but impressed the mainly Chinese audience who seemed unfamiliar with the sounds coming from the group’s instruments. Groovy African rythms from the WOK, which had varying pitches depending on where the musician hit the instrument, combined with complementary notes of the bass clarinet served to capture the attention of all in the auditorium of Peking University. It was clear that they and the audience were having a lot of fun.
Finally, the Christopher Auer Pepe group, the performance advertised to the public performed. A four person jazz group they were, consisting of members manning the saxophone, piano, drums, and stand up bass. Incredibly disciplined, yet creative, they had true mastery of their musical creations. Quiet and subtle at times, building suspense for the audience, they would then explode into a most comprehensive wall of sound. One of their pieces, titled, “Chocolate Cake,” started off slow and stagnant, seeming to illustrate the way fudge oozes down the sides of a chocolate sponge cake. Rich was the use of the saxophone, which depicted this picture best in my mind. Halfway through the piece however, a sudden tension gripped ensued within the band, as a cacophony of well controlled instruments all vying for dominance, which reminded me of the potential tension at a dinner table, as the last piece of delicious chocolate cake is being stared at for consumption.
- Steve