Min Xiao-Fen’s Blue Pipa Trio Presents “FROM HARLEM TO SHANGHAI AND BACK”

Dean Johnson, bass

Steve Salerno, guitar

Min Xiao-Fen, pipa, sanxian and vocal

 

"In her trio, Blue Pipa, with guitar and double bass, the lutelike pipa becomes a super-banjo." -The New York Times

"Min has taken her ancient Chinese string instrument into the future." - Village Voice

 

Collected from the many regions of China, Ms. Min's compositions are inspired by Chinese folk, regional operas and Taoist music. The pipa master/vocalist/composer from Nanjing and her trio perform her thrilling new project FROM HARLEM TO SHANGHAI AND BACK, reinterprets the work of legendary jazz trumpeter Buck Clayton, Chinese composer Li Jinhui, Count Basie and Duke Ellington. The result is a bold cutting-edge Chinese fusion that transcends time and borders.

 

Jazz trumpeter and composer Buck Clayton was a leading member of Count Basie’s Old Testament orchestra. He brought Kansas City Swing to Shanghai in the mid-1930s and worked closely with the father of Chinese popular music Li Jinhui, who contributed hundreds of songs to the Chinese musical canon. Clayton is credited for helping close the gap between American jazz and traditional Chinese music. His effect on Li’s music helped ushered in a brief era of “Chinese jazz” and helped change musical history.

 

The photo credit: Andrei Matorin