The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, led by U.S. trumpet master Wynton Marsalis, performs at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 9, 2024.(NCPA/Handout via Xinhua)
Editor's note: This year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States. Over the decades, cultural and artistic activities -- especially musical events -- have played a vital role in normalizing and enhancing bilateral ties. As early as 1973, a historic tour by the world-renowned Philadelphia Orchestra signaled a thaw in cultural exchange between China and the United States. Today, the musical landscapes of both countries are more closely interwoven than ever, reflecting a high level of mutual learning in the fields of culture and the arts. This week, Xinhua will release a series of three profiles on this topic, and the following text is the first piece.
by Xinhua writers Wang Xiaopeng and Shi Yifei
BEIJING, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- Jazz and Chinese folk songs may seem worlds apart, as distant from each other as the space between China and the United States.
However, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, led by U.S. trumpet master Wynton Marsalis, brought to Chinese audiences an amazing blend of the two arts during their recent China tour. Over four weeks, up to Nov. 3, the orchestra staged performances in multiple cities including Beijing, Shenzhen and Hangzhou, captivating fans eager to experience the latest trends in the world of jazz.
In Shenzhen, the ensemble performed jazz arrangements of popular Chinese folk music like "Where's the Road that You'll Take" for the first time. The arrangement is the theme song from a renowned TV adaptation of "Journey to the West," a classic novel centering on Sun Wukong, or the Monkey King.
With his hallmark cross-cultural flair, Marsalis, the artistic director and leader of the world-renowned big band, infused "Horse Racing" -- a classic piece of Chinese folk music traditionally performed on the erhu -- with a jazz interpretation, leading his ensemble in collaboration with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra.
The creative, experimental blending of jazz with Chinese musical heritage, as well as selections from Symphony No. 4 "The Jungle," Marsalis' acclaimed original work, wowed an audience of around 1,400 at Shenzhen Concert Hall on Oct. 15.
"Changes in instrumentation and harmony have enhanced the auditory experience of the folk music," Shenzhen resident Liu Gang said, expressing appreciation for the richness of the performances.
The pieces performed in Shenzhen represent the latest results of Marsalis' deep dive into Chinese musical heritage, an interest initially sparked by the influence of his Chinese friends.
Acknowledging the difficulty in fathoming the meaning of melodies in another culture, Marsalis told Xinhua in an exclusive interview during his recent tour that he had "listened to Chinese traditional music many times."
Over time, the nine-time Grammy Award-winner reflected, he had tuned into Chinese folk music; the instruments, the sound of the space in the music and the lyrics and the directness of the melodic nature all resonated deeply with him.
This kind of music is "distilled through a lot of people over a long time," he said, adding that he also likes Chinese folk music that features high-pitched voices because it has "a very penetrating quality and a kind of clear emotion."
The orchestra arrived in Beijing -- the first leg of their tour -- on Oct. 7, ready for the 27th Beijing Music Festival.
At the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Marsalis and other artists in the orchestra performed the "Shanghai Suite," an intriguing album composed to blend jazz with Chinese mythology, folklore and traditional musical heritage. The performance was the first time an audience in the Chinese capital had heard the arrangements live.
The 9-movement suite, inspired by Marsalis' experiences in Shanghai, premiered at the Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai in 2019 and was staged in Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York in 2022.
One movement called "Hot Pot!" was particularly memorable. Paying tribute to its namesake culinary inspiration, Marsalis said he enjoys this Chinese meal partly because "it's like a dish we have in New Orleans called gumbo, everything in one pot." "And also I like hotpot because it's such a communal dish. I like that people get around," he added.
Marsalis reflected on the sheer variety of Chinese cuisines, confessing that he is also a fan of Beijing Roast Duck, also known as Peking Duck, and often gets roast duck on New Year's Day in the United States.
There is another highlight in the suite called "Li Bai's Blues," which reveals his enthusiasm about Chinese poetry.
Li was a renowned Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet. At Marsalis' home back in New York, there is an English-translated anthology of ancient Chinese poetry. Among the authors, he especially felt kinship with Li.
"I like Li Bai's embrace of life," Marsalis said. "He embraces the ephemeral nature of life. We're here, we're gone."
"And I like also Li Bai's ability to accept as it comes," he added.
The poems of Li, a household name in China, much like the Monkey King, have been translated into multiple languages and are a treasure trove for many people studying Chinese culture.
"I love the Chinese culture," Marsalis said, adding that with a deep history and rich culture, China is "one of the great cultures and countries in the world."
Though he did not visit China until the 1990s, Marsalis' connection with the country dates back to the 1960s, when he was still in short trousers.
"I have a coin collection and in the coin collection are some Chinese coins," he recollected, adding that at that time he never thought he would go to China.
More than 50 years on, he has traveled to China on multiple occasions and boasts a growing fanbase here. He said that there are many things he likes about today's China, including the increase of trees, the modern railway system, the nightlife and the ever-evolving skyline.
Believing that everything is connected to people, Marsalis highly values the role played by people-to-people exchanges. "A building is a building. But if somebody takes you through it and shows you and tells you, then it becomes more of an experience."
As one of the most influential figures in modern jazz, Marsalis has been working hard to bring people together through music throughout his busy, prolific career.
Over the decades, Marsalis, also director of Jazz Studies at the Juilliard School, has made education a significant mission and devoted much of his career to teaching and advocating music education, assisting young musicians from various backgrounds. On Oct. 22, he interacted with young musicians at Hangzhou-based Zhejiang Conservatory of Music, tutoring them in improvisation techniques.
Huang Ye, a Gen-Z clarinetist, first met Marsalis during a high school jazz contest 10 years ago. Today, the trumpet master remains an inspiration for him. Since 2017, Huang has worked with Marsalis on many programs, performing with the U.S. artist on some movements of the Shanghai Suite.
Marsalis' performances in China are a significant access point for many people into the world of jazz, said Huang, adding that he is working on programs that integrate Chinese musical heritage, such as elements of Kun Opera, into jazz, and encourage more Chinese musicians to perform their works in the United States.
"Wynton has not only taught me the techniques of music, but also how to be an artist with a sense of responsibility," Huang said. ■
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, led by U.S. trumpet master Wynton Marsalis, performs at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 9, 2024.(NCPA/Handout via Xinhua)
U.S. trumpet master Wynton Marsalis performs at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 9, 2024.(NCPA/Handout via Xinhua)
