A month of big jazz concerts

George Benson and Al Jarreau this Saturday

If you haven't heard about this concert yet, then you probably don't ride in taxis, watch TV, browse any of Shanghai's bigger magazines or websites, and don't have friends who are into this kind of music. Either that or you're really good at ignoring advertising and your friends. In any case, it's likely to be a good show since either of these two individually put on a great show as it is, at least according to everyone we know who have seen either of them live before.

We've got our tickets already. You can get yours from a few places, including mypiao and ticketone. Or call mypiao at 400-620-6006.

George Benson and Al Jarreau
Saturday, September 6, 8:00pm
YunFeng theater, 1700 Beijing Xi Lu near Jiaozhou Lu
ticket prices: 480rmb-1280rmb

And of course, the Shanghai Jazz Festival

This jazz festival, great as it's going to be, won't actually feature so much jazz as it does other kinds of music. But that's the beauty of a good outdoor music festival, variety to keep the ears feeling fresh. From world-renowned DJ Gilles Peterson to Taiwanese jazz-pop singer-songwriter Joanna Wang, as well as the best of Shanghai's own jazz groups like Abraham Carmona, Coco Zhao's Possicobilities, and the Lawrence Ku trio, the festival should be a great couple of days.

For tickets to the Shanghai Jazz Festival, call 021-962388 or online at Smart Shanghai. For general information about the festival, call 021-54030187 or check the festival website.

The 2008 Shanghai Jazz Festival
September 19-21
Jing An Park, with gates on Nanjing lu, Huashan lu, and Yan'an lu
Tickets: 100rmb/day (70rmb/day for students)