Cuba trip added soul to Shenyang jazz pianist Liu Dongfeng's music
Studying in Cuba changed everything for a pianist from Shenyang. He found his musical soul and was invited to play for presidents
Jazz is having a hard time taking off on the mainland. Part of the problem is a lack of media coverage - the music stresses spontaneity, individuality and even humour, traits not typically celebrated by state-run television and newspapers. Authorities also oversee most major concert halls, which further limits the opportunities for live shows - a complaint fans of rock music have echoed. But progress is being made. This year marks the tenth anniversary of Shanghai's jazz festival. One of the musicians who can often by seen playing at small clubs in the capital is Liu Dongfeng, a pianist. After being trained in classical music, the native of Shenyang, Liaoning, turned to Latin jazz, later studied in Cuba, and has played for its president, Raul Castro, and President Xi Jinping.
I began when I was in secondary school, the Shenyang Conservatory of Music, where I learned to play classical piano. I then got into the Central Conservatory of Music, from which I graduated in 2004 with an undergraduate degree in jazz. I studied under Moreno Donadel - a very acclaimed Italian jazz pianist - and Japanese drummer Izumi Koga. They both helped to stir up my interest in jazz a great deal and showed me there are hugely different worlds all under the genre of jazz.
I teach jazz piano at the Beijing Academy of Performing Arts three to four days and week, and also perform in clubs with my band, Los Amigos - a purely Latin jazz band - at least once a week.
Yes, it's an artist's life. I really like it. It's doesn't have the stress associated with a routine office jobs, although it does have its own set of problems. To be honest, although it may not come as a surprise, teaching doesn't make me enough money to get by, so that's why I have to play in different clubs, some of which feature the kind of jazz different from my favourite.