https://www.scmp.com/rss/330791/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com How many female role models did Helen Sung have when she began her transition into jazz at the University of Texas at Austin, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in classical piano performance in 1993 and 1995, respectively? In a word, none. How many female role models did Sung have when she earned a full scholarship to the inaugural class at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz in 1995? Again, none, which is surprising given that her excellent new album, Quartet+, pays... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3171396/chinese-american-jazz-pianist-helen-sung-women-composers-her?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3171396/chinese-american-jazz-pianist-helen-sung-women-composers-her?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Mar 2022 11:15:11 +0000 When Arooj Aftab was announced as a nominee for best new artist at the 64th Grammy Awards, it marked the first time that a Pakistani woman was recognised by the recording academy, making history for Pakistan and South Asia. The 36-year-old genre-blending vocalist is also the first Pakistani to be nominated in the best new artist category. Musician Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was nominated in 1996 for best traditional folk album and best world music album. Who are Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3157850/meet-arooj-aftab-pakistans-first-female-grammy-nominee?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3157850/meet-arooj-aftab-pakistans-first-female-grammy-nominee?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Nov 2021 05:15:02 +0000 It’s October 2021. Thousands of jazz fans mingle beside a world-famous lake in a city steeped in history as one of Europe’s premier music festivals bursts exuberantly into life after having been silenced by the coronavirus pandemic. The Montreux Jazz Festival is back – although not just in its traditional home, on the shores of Switzerland’s Lake Geneva, but also alongside West Lake, in Hangzhou. The famous event, whose past performers have included Nina Simone, BB King and Ella Fitzgerald, is... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3131075/famous-european-jazz-festival-coming-china-after-main?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3131075/famous-european-jazz-festival-coming-china-after-main?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Apr 2021 10:50:14 +0000 A new museum two decades in the making is telling the story of black musical genres through the lens of American history. The National Museum of African American Music, which opened with a virtual ribbon-cutting on Martin Luther King Jnr Day (January 18), is in the heart of the musical tourism district of Nashville, Tennessee, alongside honky-tonks that play country music and the famed Ryman Auditorium, and blocks from the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The museum fills a gap by telling... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3121277/jazz-gospel-blues-hip-hop-rb-and-their-part-america-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3121277/jazz-gospel-blues-hip-hop-rb-and-their-part-america-new?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Feb 2021 12:15:18 +0000 “Being gay is part of my life. And to play music is also part of my life.” Meet Coco Zhao (赵可), the life of the party in Shanghai’s jazz scene. The Chinese-born musician has toured the world, performed on The Voice of China, and sees his music and identity as a way to bridge the East and West. https://www.scmp.com/identity/queen-shanghai-jazz/article/3000585?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/identity/queen-shanghai-jazz/article/3000585?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Jan 2019 10:07:27 +0000 This octogenarian jazz band plays every night at the Shanghai Peace Hotel. They’ve performed for world leaders, including Canada’s Justin Trudeau, and lived through China’s Cultural Revolution, when jazz and other Western music was banned. https://www.scmp.com/videos/meet-shanghais-oldest-jazz-band/article/3000464?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/videos/meet-shanghais-oldest-jazz-band/article/3000464?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jan 2019 11:35:48 +0000