Tribute to composer

A Bu, 21, has just returned to Beijing from New York, where he is pursuing his bachelor of music degree at Juilliard School, with a major in classical piano performance. It is going to be an eventful summer for the pianist, who is already a sensation in China's jazz circle.

He gained wide attention as a 13-year-old when performing at the Beijing Nine Gates Jazz Festival in 2012. He even shared stage with such international jazz greats as Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter.

A Bu is going to perform in two concerts－at Blue Note Shanghai on Saturday and Blue Note Beijing on June 16, commemorating Chick Corea, the Grammy-winning jazz legend who died of cancer at the age of 79 on Feb 9. Corea would have been 80 on Saturday.

A Bu initiated the concerts because he had known the US jazz pianist and composer.

In June 2013, Corea gave a solo recital in Shanghai. A Bu met him for the first time during a dinner arranged by the event organizers before the concert.

"I cannot remember what we said exactly but I was very excited when he invited me to perform with him. It was not planned," A Bu recalls, adding that Corea watched some videos of him performing onstage and the pianist was keen on collaborating and supporting young musicians.

"I was too young and I didn't play very well. He was very nice. I just basked in the thrill of the music while performing with him," A Bu says.

On Sept 13, 2016, Corea performed in Beijing along with his band during a concert marking the opening of Blue Note Beijing, the first branch of the Blue Note Jazz Club on the Chinese mainland. The New York establishment was founded in 1981 by Danny Bensusan in the city's Greenwich Village. Many legendary jazz musicians, including Corea, have performed on the Blue Note stage.

A Bu, who was studying in New York then, flew back to Beijing to attend the concert.

"Corea greeted a room full of guests and he joked that the last time he saw me, I was just a little boy. He also joked that he could detect my New York accent clearly already," recalls A Bu.

"It was a dreamlike experience, which was very rewarding, just like having a master class by Corea."

For the upcoming concerts, paying tribute to Corea, A Bu has selected classic pieces by Corea and will perform with other Chinese musicians, such as saxophonist Li Gaoyang, bassist Liu Yue and drummer Xu Zhitong.

Before the concert in Shanghai on Saturday, A Bu will share his stories of Corea with the audience. One of the songs he will perform is Windows, composed by Corea.

"He was here in Beijing to introduce Blue Note to the Chinese audience. It was like opening a window for music lovers, who may not be familiar with jazz music," says A Bu.

Other music pieces he is going to present include Corea's most famous compositional pieces, Humpty Dumpty, 500 Miles High and Spain.

At the opening of Blue Note Beijing in 2016, Corea expressed his excitement in front of his audience.

He said: "When I was cutting my teeth in New York in the '60s, seeing Miles Davis and John Coltrane play, Asia seemed so far away. Not now.

"Jazz became what it was in the clubs. That's the basis of it, more than Carnegie Hall or any other fancy hall. The clubs are where it can live because they're experimental. So my advice is make a vibe here, where the local musicians and people interested in jazz can come hang, not like at a concert hall where they come, listen and leave."

Beijing's jazz scene has improved since then.

Tickets of A Bu's concerts sold out fast, and he also composed new songs for the concerts in particular.

Corea once said, "It's not only that the world needs more artists, it's also just a lot of fun", which has had a great influence on A Bu.

"He once told me that it's important to sustain that passion and interest in music. He also encouraged me to meet people," says A Bu.

"Though he was in his 70s, he was just like a friend to me, not a big star."

Born in Beijing, A Bu, whose real name is Dai Liang, began training in classical piano when he was 4.Before he turned 10, he was enrolled to study at the primary school of the Central Conservatory of Music in the capital.

His father, Dai Bin, a music lover, found that the boy enjoyed playing impromptu for hours after finishing the practice sessions assigned by his teachers. Then he invited Chinese pianist Kong Hongwei, who formed one of the country's pioneering jazz bands, Golden Buddha, to teach his son for more than five years.

The father usually took his son to Beijing's popular jazz venues, where the boy not only watched a lot of live jazz performances but also jammed with musicians.

Because of the pandemic, A Bu has spent a lot of time practicing in his home in New York, which allowed him to write music.

In January, he released a third album, titled One Step East, featuring 11 pieces he composed and adapted from classic jazz songs, which showcased the chemistry between the musical languages of the East and the West that he absorbed.

"I feel lucky that I found something I love. I get ideas for composing from everyday life and I collect them on my phone or notebook," says A Bu.

"They may not all be developed into full music pieces but they're part of the creative growth."

Before A Bu goes back to New York to continue his study, he will give live concerts in a few Chinese cities, featuring his original compositions.