Shanghai jazz institution JZ Club is set to close its Fuxing Xi Lu premises tonight after 12 years on the street. There are plans to open a new spot later this year, but it’ll be an emotional farewell tonight with a series of special performances to say goodbye to the venue.
Here, some of JZ Club’s regular performers share their memories of the Fuxing Xi Lu space with Time Out
Jasmine Chen
‘My first visit to JZ Club was during the summer of 2004. I’d just graduated from Leeds College of Music in England, and I was introduced to the founder Mr Ren by a musician friend. I jammed with the band that night, I sung one or two jazz standards with them; I can’t remember how the jam went, but it surely opened an opportunity for me to perform on this stage. I’ve been singing there for more then ten years now, I’ve seen JZ Club go from a very quiet place to a hotspot of the town. The audience in JZ Club have watched me go from a beginner to a mature musician. it is a place full of memories and stories and, of course, magic moments.’
Alec Haavik
'I started playing at JZ Club just two months after it opened in its current location. Over the years, I have probably spent more hours on that stage than any other human being. Through years of weekly Thursday performances with my groups (Friction Five, Friction Alliance, Friction Galaxy, etc) I established the characteristic which has infused and emboldened much of the live music at JZ, of wild adventurous experimentation that always communicates to the audience, and is always “cool”. I love this place with all of my heart, and I am devastated to see it go. But as I often announce to the audience at the end of the last set: “all good things must come to an end, and tonight, my friends, is no exception.
'But if there’s one thing that’s been constant in my 11-plus years living in Shanghai, it is the force of dynamic change – destruction that yields renewal. I have faith that JZ will find a new home. The music never stops at JZ!’
Li Xiaochuan
'It feels like home to me. I always went to JZ Club when I was studying at Shanghai Conservatory of Music; I met Lao Ren and so many other jazz musicians there. So actually, it was JZ Club that made me fall in love with jazz.’
Zhang Xiongguan
‘I went to conservatories in both china and the USA, but JZ Club is really where I learned how to put the knowledge into action; it is a “musical laboratory” to me. I can’t imagine anywhere else in the world that would give me the opportunities to experiment with different things musically. The people I met here are some of the most dedicated musicians and listeners I’ve ever encountered in my life. Even though I’m sure the new JZ Club will be even better, 46 Fuxing Xi Lu is always going to be a special place for me –the place where I grew up as a musician.’
The final show
Tonight, Tom Peng's bluegrass outfit kick things off at 9pm before trumpeter Li Xiaochuan picks up the reins ahead of a big blow out with Alec Haavik conducting the JZ All Star Big Band. Then it's over to Huang Jianyi and an open jam session to see out the last night of Fuxing Lu's JZ Club.