American jazz saxophonist Ray Blue recently gave the last performance of his first Beijing tour, playing at the Beijing Midi Music School Rock Festival with blues singer Hang Tian and the Midi Temporary Group.
The four-week stay in China's capital was a revolutionary experience for Blue.
"It has been a tremendous experience, and I was warmly received by the people of Beijing," Blue said. "I was enthusiastically embraced by members of the music and artistic community there."
A native New Yorker who has performed with the greats of jazz in his career, Blue has a voice and style all his own. He tells a story every time he toots that metal horn in a heartfelt, stimulating manner.
Blue participated in an opening night jam session led by well-known Chinese saxophonist Liu Yuan at the Loft on April 14.
"To meet Liu Yuan was both an honor and a privilege," Blue said. "I enjoyed listening to him as much as I enjoyed performing with him."
Blue also performed weekly at the Neo Lounge. And he put in weekly appearances at The Big Easy and showed up for a cameo night at The Jazz Loft. There he performed with Beijing pianist-vocalist Dou Peng, with whom he claimed "instant musical chemistry" that mesmerized the audiences.
Another highlight was playing in a trio with pianist Christopher Lier and bassist Daniele Putumi at the Novotel.
His duo performances with Lier were creative acts that featured inspired blends of rhythms with colorful harmonic and melodic interchanges throughout the music and should have been presented on the concert stage.
"I find all of this music very interesting and relevant," Blue said. "It is fun and necessary to experiment with different styles."
In addition, Blue was introduced to several clubs, club owners and managers from The Big Easy, Neo Lounge, The Loft, The Jam House and Salsa Cabana as well as other key people in Beijing who promote and support jazz.
The introductions afforded him the opportunity to listen, speak and perform with an expanded array of talented musicians.
"Although the pool of jazz musicians in Beijing is small, the players are very talented, very professional and very exciting," he said.
Besides performing, Blue conducted clinics at the Beijing Midi Music School and Beijing Contemporary Music Institute.
"Teaching jazz is another of my passions and it goes hand in hand, in my opinion, with being an artist," he said. "To teach young people is essential for their development, and to share my talent is essential to my own development."
(China Daily May 25, 2002)
