Bold and brassy

Jazz pianist Xia Jia (pictured) wants to bring big band sound to Beijing. And he is confident the city has enough brass instrument musicians to make his mission a success. Xia stands out among a current crop of young talents who are breathing life into the fledging jazz scene here in China.

His professional skills and innovative compositions incorporate music elements both eastern and western. In addition to his stint as the keyboard player of Chinese rock godfather Cui Jian, Xia has been a defining voice in Beijing's jazz scene through his collaborations with the Red Hand Jazz Band and the Beijing City Jazz Orchestra. His trio band is a frequent performer at the annual Nine Gates Jazz Festival.

"The brass instruments musicians in Beijing are enough for a big band. And I'm confident of getting them together and forming a band. The key point is to cooperate. We need to make many trumpeters sound just like one," Xia says.

He learnt to play the piano when he was just five. In 1993, he enrolled in China's Central Conservatory of Music, majoring in piano. But to the surprise of many, Xia made a radical switch during his studies, from classical to the pursuit of jazz - which, in the 1990s, was regarded by many in China as alternative music.

"One day I watched a jazz music video at a friend's home. What impressed me the most was an old man playing the saxophone. Later I realized that it was Joe Henderson. How wonderful that would be if I could play just like him when I'm approaching his age!

"So right after I returned to my home that night, I decided to learn this form of art," Xia says.

Armed with professional skill and knowledge, Xia found little difficulty gaining an insight into jazz. In 1997, he and American-born Chinese guitarist Lawrence Ku (Gu Zhongshan) founded the Touchstone Jazz Quartet. It was for this group that Xia began writing original compositions. And the Touchstone Jazz Quartet became the first Chinese jazz group to perform at the Beijing Concert Hall.

In 1999 he went to Rochester, New York, to pursue his jazz piano study at the Eastman School of Music. A virtuoso jazz pianist, Xia knows the essence of improvisation well - both in his works and in his life.

"In our daily lives we need to sometimes play off the cuff as well, to accommodate yourself to new environments," he says.

"You have your principles and philosophy of living, but you still have to learn to be flexible and adjust to the changes."

Xia Jia Trio will perform March 1, 9pm. Oriental Taipan Bar, 6 Ritan Lu, Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District. 6502-5722

(China Daily 03/01/2008 page6)