Results tagged “jqwhitcomb”

Please excuse us for what will be a day of light posting. We've been puking cosmopolitans and bile ALL morning from this really hot party last night at the Le Meridien that we didn't tell you about (hah! sometimes we prefer to keep the fun to ourselves), but even before we've said goodbye to the thousand diablos hammering on our head right now, we're already planning on where to get ourselves further plastered tonight. Long-time...

JazzArt, as you might have heard, is a monthly jazz concert series held at a different gallery each month. They have become our favorite regular jazz event, not just because we happen to be involved with the planning and implementation but also because art galleries are fantastic places for jazz concerts in general. Also people who show up to these kind of concerts tend to really listen to the music, whereas in smoky bars at night many people come to chat, or conspicuously consume pricy bottles of booze, perhaps giving the occasional nod toward the music in the background when it happens to catch their attention. The JazzArt series has been wildly successful, much to the chagrin of the evil gallery owners who pulled out at the last minute of planning early this year. Drawing an estimated 250 people to last month's show, at least 300 people are expected to pack this month's concert on the 3rd floor of MOCA to the brim. So get there early in order to get a seat, as there will only be about 100 chairs.

Critics have ladled some lavish praise upon the 23-year-old pianist, who began tickling the ivories — “really playing!” Ottignon insists — at the age of one, when most of us were still trying to wrap our heads around the concept of left-foot-right-foot-left-foot-right-foot. At age 11, he picked up what was to be his first of many jazzman accolades — New Zealand’s 'most outstanding jazz musician under 25' honours. “My grandmothers on both sides were pianists,” he explains. “It came very naturally at a young age.” And it seems that music courses through the veins of the entire Ottignon clan — Aron has shared the stage with both brother Matt (saxophone, and occasionally flute and clarinet) and sister Holly (vocals) in various projects.

We were curious how long it would take for our story about Shanghai in the July/August issue of Budget Travel magazine to become outdated. The answer? Early August. In the story, we mentioned Number Five (also known as No. 5) as a nice place to chill and enjoy some good jazz. We said we liked its "sexy laid-back feel." Well, the bar hasn't had jazz for a while now (performance license issues) and now the bar is closing altogether as a result of it. JQ Whitcomb, whose band used to be the regular entertainment at the venue on the Bund, has the scoop on his blog about Shanghai's jazz scene. Evidently, they are turning the space into a sushi restaurant. Great.

Shanghai's jazz scene is definitely deserving of some steady coverage, and who better to document it than someone in the thick of it? Here is how the man behind shanghaijazzscene dot com describes himself and his mission: