Former Black Panther visits Shanghai

After performing at Ark in Xintiandi last weekend, Dou Wei（窦唯) decided to stick around Shanghai a little longer and play one more show at Live Bar on Monday. A true rock pioneer, Dou Wei was the lead singer of Black Panther (黑豹) and is still one of China's most famous musicians, although sadly he's now more well known for his high-profile divorce from Cantopop diva Faye Wong (王菲). He doesn't talk about that, though -- he says he wants to let his music speak for him.

Over the past ten years, Dou Wei has moved from rock to alternative to new-age music, and is now playing with Beijing-based free jazz combo Not Sure Yet (不一定). As the name suggests, nothing about the band is fixed. The members change instruments mid-song -- Dou Wei played keyboard and guitar in the first set and drums in the second -- and the songs are more like long jam sessions, constantly changing and evolving. Shanghaiist was skeptical at first, but within minutes we were engrossed in the music and tapping our feet to the jazzy, funky, bluesy beats.

Dou Wei said he would come back to Shanghai soon, so when he does we encourage you to leave your pretensions and preconceptions at home and go enjoy the pure music of Not Sure Yet ... or whatever they end up calling themselves.

Shanghai Streets has photos of Dou Wei and Not Sure Yet on flickr.