Gallery: JZ Music Festival thrills Pudong

After the big turnout at Century Park for the JZ Music Festival, no one can say that Shanghai is not a great live music town

By Jessica Beaton, Shanghai Editor 19 October, 2009

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The JZ Music Festival was JZ Clubs's biggest endeavor to date, featuring 25 bands, 13 DJs and four stages spread over three days.

Although the JZ Music Festival has historically been about jazz, this year it included performances from acts ranging from Danish fusion trio Ibrahim Electric to local DJs and British hip hop-influenced acid-jazz outfit US3 to the man who started Chinese rock, Cui Jian.

Cui Jian, the godfather of Chinese rock, took the stage for a memorable finale to the 2009 JZ Music Festival.

When Cui Jian played, it was easy to confuse this Century Park music festival for a rock concert.

Beijing-based Korean-Chinese singer-songwriter, trumpeter and guitarist Cui Jian did not dissapoint the crowd that came out to see him perform.

Crowds who rarely make it to Pudong watched and enjoyed the musical spactacle.

Thanks to a legacy of cancellations -- often due to visa rejections -- Shanghailanders have become leery of large-scale music festivals featuring international artists. But JZ’s activities have remained undisturbed by local authorities.

Even though local jazz groups were out in force during the festival, promoters explained that increasing the mix of genres was what this year's festival was all about. “We’ve expanded the genres of music covered,” said JZ booking manager Mark Elliott. “I think it was an inevitable decision to make the festival grow.”

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Click above for a gallery of JZ Music Festival images or here for more on the making of the festival.

When it comes to live music in China, Shanghai always seems to be an underdog. But the Beijing scene had nothing on the ‘Hai this past weekend, when large crowds turned out to enjoy the JZ Music Festival.

Opening on Friday with a performance by Dee Dee Bridgewater and closing on Sunday with massive crowds who came out to see Cui Jian, the JZ Music Festival was the first festival in recent memory to bring out the masses and come off without much of a hitch.

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Gallery: JZ Music Festival thrills Pudong

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