A Bu Jazz Trio
China
2013.9.18 9:30 – 10：30pm
Venue: B10 Live, North District, OCT-LOFT
Artist：
A Bu – Piano
Ma Kai – Bass
Shao Haha – Drums
2011, A Bu Jazz Trio Band was formed by a 12-year-old piano boy, and also includes two young musicians—the drummer Shao Haha and the bass player Ma Kai. The band is good at performing elegant standard jazz and exotic Latin jazz, with amazingly classical tones interwoven. The perfect combination of sound and precise foundation of classical music with flexible and changeable modern music wins the emerging band increasing attention; the vigor and vitality of the band also promote the rise of the next generation young musicians.
A Bu
A Bu started to study the classical piano from Professor Zhang Shigu, a Chinese American piano educator, at the age of four, and won awards at several piano contests he participated later. After Zhang Shigu returned to the U.S., Professor Zhang Zhiwei from the Central Conservatory of Music took his place and taught A Bu classical piano. In 2009, A Bu was enrolled in the Affiliated Primary School of the Central Conservatory of Music, and had joined the Piano Master summer camp launched in the U.S. ever since then. In June 2012, A Bu was recommended for admission to the Affiliated Middle School of the Central Conservatory of Music for outstanding achievements.
Besides specialized and systematic classical piano trainings, A Bu has adopted a diverse approach since 2009, systematically learning jazz, Latin, music theories and impromptu performance in his spare time from the jazz musician, Professor Kong Hongwei (Golden Buddha) with the Central Conservatory of Music. Afterwards, A Bu began to learn recording software, guitar, bass, percussion music and saxophone from more music teachers, obtaining more extensive music knowledge and applying it to daily trainings.
In 2011, A Bu stepped out of the piano room, participating in live performances by musicians and gaining precious experience from jam sessions with jazz musicians of different styles. It was such experience that made A Bu master live performance skills and band cooperation abilities. A Bu, together with the drummerShao Haha and bass player Ma Kai, set up their first band——A Bu Jazz Trio Band in the same year.
Following the successful participation of Beijing 9 Gate Jazz Music Festival held in 2012, A Bu passed the sponsorship review by Edifier Musician Foundation, and, upon invitation, performed at the Sennheiser Momentum press release together with the famous Rolf Becker Big Band. At the end of 2012, the first studio performance album of A Bu Jazz Trio band was completed in Beijing, with Golden Buddha and Marc Vincent, President of Sennheiser China, acting as site production supervisors, and Jakob Haendel, a Grammy award winner from Germany, as the recorder. In the album recording, A Bu performed Giant Steps, the highly demanding works by John Coltrane, astonishing all with the maturity that went beyond his age.
A Bu perhaps is an extraordinary case among thousands of piano boys in China. All of those who know A Bu have great expectation of him. It might be too early to excessively assess and interpret a 13-year-old boy, and what we need is to wait for A Bu’s presentation of his own achievements to the Chinese music world.
Ma Kai
Graduated from the Department of Music of Capital Normal University, the Department of Jazz of Beijing Contemporary Music Academy and the Instrument Major of Master Class of Shanghai Conservatory of Music, he presently acts as the bass teacher of Beijing Contemporary Music Academy, the bass player of A Bu Jazz Trio band, the bass player and leader of Soul Decree Funk Big Band and the bass player of the Sand Band, and is the member of China Institute of Light Music. He has learnt jazz voicing, impromptu performance, composition and Latin music from Moreno, a well-known Italian pianist, educator and composer, modern voicing theories and jazz ensemble from the Italian composer Fabrizio Pellizzaro and the French piano performer Chris, and rhythm courses from the Japanese jazz drum master IZUMI. He once learnt jazz theories from Mark Levine, a famous American jazz theorist, and big band allocation, ensemble and impromptu performance from Bob Mintzer, a saxophone performer in the Yellow Jackets band of the U.S.
Shao Haha
Born in a musical family in Xi’an, he has received good music education since he was a child. He started to learn percussion music in 1986, and was enrolled in Xi’an Conservatory of Music in 1991. He began to learn jazz music in 2003, and successively joined Zhangchu Band, Zhengjun Band, Beijing Jungle Big Band, Golden Buddha Jazz Trio Band, Li Gaoyang Quartet and A Bu Jazz Trio band. Invited by Yamaha, he joined the first China International Drummer Festival held at Music China in 2005 as the endorser of Yamaha drum products. He once participated in the concert launched at Shanghai Stadium, the 10-Year Classical Music Review Concert held at the Capital Indoor Stadium, Shanghai Charity Concert sponsored by World Children’s Fund, Beijing 9 Gate Jazz Music Festival and Berlin International Jazz Music Festival. He also visited a number of European countries on behalf of the Ministry of Culture and performed in commercial activities held in several Chinese cities.
