(Beijiing This Month)
Updated: 2006-08-23 16:06

Just south of Qinghua University's West Gate, in Haidian District, Loup Chante on Chengfu Lu mixes lush jazz sounds with regular punk and rock sessions. Loup Chante's jazz nights alternate with Wednesday night rock jams, the jazz nights offering a good mix of orthodox jazz numbers and more electric be-bop material. It's a small venue, and while that can make for good acoustics, it can mean the joint gets jammed on a good night. But the tables and chairs of the seating arrangement do in some way hint at traditional jazz club seating arrangements.

Down in Xicheng District the Sanwei Teahouse and Bookstore at 60 Fuxingmennei features the trombone, drums, sax and bass of the Sky Light Jazz Band every Friday night. Gigs start at 8.30 p.m. and there's a 30 yuan (US$3.62) cover charge, but the Sanwei Teahouse Bookstore makes for one of the most charming, cosy and unusual venues for live music you are likely to find anywhere.

Beijing's jazz scene is blooming. As yet, there been no re-emergence of the Beijing Jazz Festival, organised by the Goethe Institut several years ago. But great new venues are constantly appearing. Easily the most interesting is the new Centro bar at the Kerry Centre Hotel. It is too luxurious, perhaps, to be a bona fide, smoky fan's bar, but neither is it stingy in the quality of the music with its foreign artists brought in to play for a predominantly corporate clientele.

Concerts and not-live nights incorporating video projection at the CD Jazz Cafe and Haidan District's Loup Chante have added some innovation to the scene. There have been rumours too of inbound tours, judging by calls placed by this writer to some of the big international jazz record labels. Internationally known Marty Hall and his band have promised through their record company to include China on their next Asia tour. The well-reviewed Brenda Jackson is seeking a China venue for a tour of her St Louis-learned gospel repertoire. And the multinational Gutbucket outfit, a modern jazz troupe based in Europe, are rumoured to have lined up shows in Beijing and Shanghai for the autumn. Good news indeed on the 50th anniversary year of one of jazz's most seminal recordings, John Coltrane's A Love Supreme. Go to the CD Jazz Cafe and try to pick him out on that photo of the greats.

Loup Chante
Location: 38 Chengfu Shi Wei Ying (200m south of Tsinghua University's west gate), Haidian District
Tel: 010-62767355

Sanwei Teahouse and Bookstore
Location: 60 Fuxingmennei Dajie, Xicheng District
Tel: 010-66013204

Centro
Location: 1/F, Kerry Center Hotel, 1 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District
Tel: 010-65618833

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