Jazz in Beijing has come a long way since the days of Martin Fleischer's "Swinging Mandarin" in the 1980s. Now there are dozens of talented players and numerous venues where they blow hell high and croon blue notes each night of the week. For the first time ever, though, the cream of Beijing's jazz elite has come together to form the Beijing City Jazz Orchestra, or CJO, which will kick off the second annual Nine Gates Jazz Festival on May 25. "There is no genre or music requiring more talent, technique, passion and life experience than jazz," says Xia Jia, virtuoso pianist and leader of the CJO, "and China needs a big band, a good one." Formed late last year upon Xia Jia's invitation, the CJO has been rehearsing steadily, nurturing a genuine, big band sound, the likes of which China has never heard before. "We can be the best because we have the best. We bring out the best in each other, which makes the band as a whole sound so great," Xia Jia says of his cross-cultural creation.

Born in Beijing, Xia Jia fell in love with jazz while attending the Central Music Academy, where he majored in conducting. Classical music made him a first class pianist but failed to satisfy him creatively. Jazz, with looser structures and emphasis on improvisation, was his way forward. "When you play classical music you are just a player, but when you are playing jazz you are a composer at the same time," Xia reflects. "The cool thing about jazz is that you learn all the rules and guidelines which apply to all the other genres, then you get to break them. Every time you pick up the instrument the sound is unique to that time, place and state of mind. Every jam is an experience of life."

Xia studied jazz in New York City for three years, playing with the Grammy winning choral group, New York Voices. Still savoring the cultural and artistic ferment of jazz in an international metropolis, he knows full well the importance of musicians from different nationalities jamming together. "I love playing with my big band," Xia gushes. "It is an honor that we get to kick off the six days of shows."

Nine Gates provides precisely this international stage for Beijing's jazz best to rub shoulders with the international elite. "Nine Gates gets a lot of credit for bringing the best musicians in the world to China and showing the world how far Chinese jazz has come," Xia says.

Sharing the spotlight with the CJO will be Rony Holan, the Israeli "king of drumming;" Didier Lockwood, the world famous French violinist; and Steve Houben, renowned Belgian jazz musician.

Nine Gates Jazz Festival

Address:Forbidden City Concert Hall
Date: May 25-30
Price: 30-580 yuan
Tel: 800-810-1887