This weekend, OCT-LOFT gets jazzy

The 13th OCT-LOFT Jazz Festival opened Oct. 23 evening with a performance by Switzerland’s WHO Trio. The lineup featured pianist Michel Wintsch, bassist Christian Weber, and drummer Gerry Hemingway; Bänz Oester was unable to perform in Shenzhen for personal reasons.

The trio fused the raw force of progressive rock with the swing of traditional jazz. Their music brought the blues to the fore while embracing the open-ended spirit of improvisation. Rooted in the legacy of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, the performance showcased the trio’s remarkable musical chemistry and carried their contemporary jazz into a new horizon.

The WHO Trio performs at the 13th OCT-LOFT Jazz Festival in Shenzhen on Oct. 23. Photos courtesy of the organizer

Gerry Hemingway signs autographs for audience members.

Next, the Norwegian-Malaysian trio Hungry Ghosts — drummer Paal Nilssen-Love, double bassist and shakuhachi player Christian Meaas Svendsen, and saxophonist Yong Yandsen — delivered an intense set of free improvisation. 

Yandsen’s saxophone shifted between sustained notes and expressive phrases, while Svendsen explored a wide range of textures with multiple bows and unconventional techniques. Nilssen-Love deftly shaped the performance, knowing when to leave space for his bandmates and when to drive the music forward.

Hungry Ghosts performs at the festival.

Members of Hungry Ghosts sign autographs for audience members.

Running through Oct. 25, the three-day festival features 17 musicians from China, the U.S., Switzerland, Norway, Malaysia, France, the U.K., Denmark, Italy, Austria and Hungary. There will be two more nights of performances, a lecture and a documentary screening, offering audiences a lively program of cultural events.

Since its launch in 2011, the OCT-LOFT Jazz Festival has become an important part of the local music scene. The festival’s organizer, OCT-LOFT, has grown from an old industrial zone into a vibrant hub in the past two decades, bringing a wide range of cultural experiences to the city.

People relax outside B10 Live, the venue for concerts of the 13th OCT-LOFT Jazz Festival.

On Oct. 24, Chinese bamboo flutist Lao Dan will return to the Shenzhen stage with a new solo performance. His music draws on jazz, progressive rock and free improvisation. The performance looks back on his creative journey while pointing toward what lies ahead. Lao Dan has been continually reinventing himself and recasting the spirit of Chinese folk music in a deeply personal musical language.

Nate Wooley and Ryan Sawyer will then blend jazz, rock, punk, noise and ambient music. The duo formed the “Baring Teeth” project in Brooklyn and have expanded its musical vocabulary over the past two decades.

The third act of the Oct. 24 evening, The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters, will bring together four musicians from four countries. Their punk-inspired approach to free improvisation draws on jazz, noise, hip-hop, techno and new music, creating a thrilling sonic maelstrom that defies categories and conventions.

On the festival’s final night (Oct. 25), French double bassist, composer and improviser Joëlle Léandre will perform a solo set, followed by the Akosh S. Trio from Hungary. The night will conclude with the Improvisation Unit, a special late-night set for those looking for the unexpected.

Lecture

On the afternoon of Oct. 24, French double bassist Joëlle Léandre will give a talk on free music, reflecting on her career and sharing her observations. For 50 years, she has been at the forefront of free improvisation, working alongside musicians such as Derek Bailey, Peter Kowald and Irène Schweizer, and helping shape the European free music scene. 

Screening

The English-language documentary “Sun Ra: Do the Impossible” offers a glimpse into the world of U.S. jazz composer and keyboard player Sun Ra. 

Director Christine Turner traces the life of this multifaceted artist, whose ever-evolving band, the Arkestra, has pushed the boundaries of jazz. Drawing on ancient Egypt, interstellar metaphors and scientific musings, Sun Ra created a distinctive musical and spiritual vision of Afrofuturism that continues to resonate across generations.

Ticketing

Venues: B10 Live (concerts), A3+ (talk, screening), North Area, OCT-LOFT, Nanshan District (南山区华侨城创意文化园北区B10现场 华侨城创意文化园北区A3+)

Metro: Line 2 to Qiaocheng North Station (侨城北站), Exit B