Jazzing up the park

The annual Taipei Jazz Festival, set for this weekend, features musicians of various ages, styles and nationalities

By Han Cheung / Staff reporter





Da-an Forest Park (大安森林公園) will get groovy this weekend as an eclectic selection of local and international musicians descend on the park for the ninth annual Taipei Jazz Festival (台北爵士音樂節). The music starts at 7pm today and 4:30pm tomorrow and Sunday.

The festival also features free classes with some of the visiting musicians tomorrow and Sunday afternoon at Rhythm Alley (享巷), 21, Ln 66, Roosevelt Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路二段66巷21號).

Sponsored by the Taipei City Government, the show is organized by award-winning Sizhukong Jazz Band (絲竹空爵士樂團) and the Department of Applied Music at National Tainan University of the Arts (國立台南藝術大學應用音樂系).

Honduran band Hibriduz will open up the festival tonight. Photo courtesy of Taipei Jazz Festival

Department dean, acclaimed conductor and composer Chen Shu-si (陳樹熙) says his school has been developing its jazz program and he hopes to do the same for Taipei through this event.

“We Got the Rhythm” is this year’s theme, inspired by George Gershwin’s standard I’ve Got Rhythm.

The song and its derivatives will be featured in the performances, but Chen says the rhythm has a deeper meaning.

Interestring Quartet features two violinists, one viola player and one cellist. The group takes the stage tomorrow. Photo courtesy of Taipei Jazz Festival

“What I want to express is that Taiwan has its own jazz pulse,” he says. “We have quite a few people learning and performing jazz here, and jazz is all about the rhythm, right? So in Taipei, we can feel the rhythm. We should harness it and develop our own jazz.”

The first night is “Jazz vs Classical” as Honduran band Hibriduz contrasts its Latino flair against local string ensemble Philharmonia Moments Musicaux (樂興之時) and its classical interpretations of jazz songs.

Tomorrow is “Senior and Young” as National Taiwan University Jazz Big Band (台大騷動爵士大樂團) and Taiwan Youth Elite Jazz Band (臺灣青年菁英爵士樂團) share the stage with veterans Andy Jaffe Sextet (featuring John Clark) from the US and local Interestring Quartet (玩弦四度).

Sizhukong jazz band plays on Sunday. The band is one of the co-organizers of the festival. Photo courtesy of Taipei Jazz Festival

The event concludes Sunday with “Taiwan and Italy,” featuring Sizhukong’s jazz interpretations of Chinese melodies, Mission Formosa Jazz Quartet (福爾摩沙任務爵士樂團) which has both Taiwanese and Italian members and Paige Su (蘇珮卿) and the Flying Monkeys with their fusion of jazz, pop and world music. The final act is the Max Taylor with Mark Ionata All Star Band, a must-see for jazz lovers.

Chen says that jazz is very suited for city culture, and hopes it becomes another popular option for public enjoyment outside of classical and pop music.

“What kind of activities in Taipei can attract the citizens, connect them together and become their collective memory?” he says. “I hope jazz can slowly develop to that scale. It’s a musical language that allows global interpretation. It’s also very relaxing — you don’t have to sit there and listen seriously.”

National Taiwan University’s Jazz Big Band is one of the younger performing groups invited. Photo courtesy of Taipei Jazz Festival