Klangbezirk

Henry Brun

Alex Sipia

Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra

Big bands, Latin flavors and much more: Taichung Jazz Festival's fresh directions in 2010

Words by Douglas Habecker
Translated by Naomi Lai

Any major event, irregardless of how successful or enduring it is, must constantly seek to improve, even reinvent, itself to stay fresh, relevant and interesting. This year, such has been the case with Taichung's annual Jazz Festival, which has long already found itself comfortably ensconced in its position as Taiwan's largest jazz event, not to mention central Taiwan's biggest, highest-profile cultural happening.

Thankfully, both first-time and regular festival-goers will have much to look forward to at the October 16-24 2010 Taichung Jazz Festival, which will see a number of changes and innovations that hold strong promise of making this year's event one of the best yet seen. Event host Taichung City Cultural Affairs Bureau has teamed up with the first all-new organizer in years--Taipei's Summit Brand Marketing Company Ltd.--to bring a total of 20 international jazz artists and groups to Taichung from around the world, part of a line-up of about 100 local and foreign artists. To start, one of the biggest, most exciting changes to look forward to is the fact the evening performances on the festival's big main Civic Square (People's Park) stage will now be held nightly, as opposed to the weekends-only format of previous years. The most enduring image of the Taichung Jazz Festival has always been thousands of audience members sprawled across that vast expanse of grass under clear October evening skies, enjoying the music--an experience that can now be enjoyed and seen on nine consecutive evenings instead of three or four. With the exception of an afternoon big-stage performance on Oct. 17, all of these spectacles will begin at 7 p.m. each night.

Of course, festival participants can also look forward to authentic, afternoon/evening, up-close-and-personal performances--the way true jazz aficionados prefer it--on the festival's two smaller stages, arranged between the festival's many food/drink booths along the Jingguo Boulevard right across GongYi Road from Civic Square. In response to feedback from previous festivals, this year's "international food street" will in fact exclusively consist of more international food and drink vendors, sans some of the booths that lent more of a night market ambiance to last year's festival. To address another common complaint--overcrowding--this year's organizers are also featuring a lesser number of 23 food/drink vendors, arranged along only one side of the boulevard, with the remaining space used for relaxing and eating. This, combined with some special exhibition areas, will stretch the entire event out to ZhongGang (Taichung Port) Road.

What will certainly not change at this year's event is broad variety of world-class jazz styles and performers offering something to please everyone, from true jazz lovers to general listeners with little interest in or familiarity with the genre. According to organizers, the 2010 festival will musically break some new ground with an emphasis on jazz "big band" music, as well as Latin Jazz. This can be seen in some of the highlighted acts, such as Dizzy All Stars Ensemble, a "who's who" gathering of American jazz artists named after jazz legend "Dizzy" Gillespie (performing on the main stage on Saturday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m.). On the local side, there will be the likes of the Taipei Jazz Orchestra (playing Oct. 24 at 7 p.m.). Representing the Latin Jazz focus will be groups such as award-winning Latin Jazz artist/composer Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (Oct. 24 at 7 p.m.) and Harry Brun and The Latin Playerz (Oct. 22, 7 p.m.), comprised of 10 of the best jazz/Latin Jazz musicians from the southern United States.

Beyond big band and Latin Jazz, there is an almost limitless variety of other jazz styles, from German-based Klangbezirk's lively a capella vocalists and France's Remi Panossian Trio, to American jazz sax legend Jimmy Heath (see separate article), rising American jazz vocalist Kat Edmonson, Japanese jazz bassist Daiki Yasukagawa, and Taiwan's Macy Chen, who brings an East-meets-West approach to her own brand of jazz vocals. More extensive Chinese/English information about all these and many more artists/groups, performance times, and other related events can be found on the festival's useful website, www.taichungjazzfestival2010.com.tw

With so much in store at this year's Taichung Jazz Festival, nothing remains but to grab your blanket and a group of friends, and head for the grass at Civic Square for another unforgettable nine days and evenings of amazing music and fun with tens of thousands of other like-minded people.

Left: Daiki Yasukagawa
Right: Antonio Hart