A Listener's Letter About Jazz Performances at ChinChin Bistro

ChinChin Bistro Kitchen

Today I received a short essay from a listener a few days ago, and I'm so moved. Recently I've met many young jazz lovers, some of whom are college students. It's unexpected that so many people, especially young people, still love jazz. Jazz is not dead. When we first decided to host jazz performances, we were mentally prepared for having fewer audience members than musicians, but now we are encountering more and more listeners and players. Musicians are seriously playing music, and listeners are seriously appreciating it. They positively influence each other.

Today I was preparing to go out and practice drums when I met musicians coming in with their instruments to rehearse. Everyone was excitedly talking about which songs they still wanted to play. Their faces were smiling, and the warm sunlight was shining. Suddenly I felt so happy, nourished by music and sunshine. [Sun]

Joy 2025.01.20

Thank you, sis, for the vivid photos! I just left Dali yesterday, so I only now have time to write something. We arrived very late on Friday, so we only caught the last three songs, but we heard an unforgettable jam session (though it was a jam, there were actually many famous tunes haha). I've watched jams in many cities big and small, but this one had the best atmosphere. It let me feel the relaxation and intimacy of jazz—for me, a unique charm of Dali. Last February, after seeing Black Country New Road in Beijing, we happened upon the Zhang Xiongguan Quartet at East Bank. The bar was packed, many people stood at the counter listening in rapture, the audience gave timely applause and cheers at the end of brilliant solos, and they tried to keep their voices down while eating and chatting. Zhang Xiongguan said, 'By this time, the audience in Shanghai is usually already acting drunk. Thank you all for being true music listeners.' Over twenty years, East Bank has cultivated a group of listeners who come for the music. Now I feel that ChinChin has achieved the same thing.

That day you said you liked Billy Higgins the most. Coincidentally, the day before yesterday I heard his album with Charles Lloyd, 'Which Way is East,' and was stunned by its depth and richness—not just the variety of instruments and timbres, but also the cultural and emotional depth. Listening to it on the plane, my mood rose and fell with the melodies and rhythms, falling back to the day I first heard 'The Shape of Jazz to Come' at fifteen, when a cheap wired earphone and an mp3 player brought screeching sax and muddy low frequencies, but it was as exciting as opening a new door—this is what real jazz should be like! (Or maybe it was because I had just listened to 'Undercurrent' the day before...)

Enough name-dropping. The week in Dali felt like a long dream for me. It's a pity that I didn't bring my portrait lens to ChinChin that day, so I couldn't capture the most dreamlike part of this beautiful dream. Next time I come, I want to be the recorder behind the lens and the participant under the stage. Looking forward to that day, and wishing ChinChin all the best!

P.S. That trumpeter that day was really great. I hope he comes back to Dali often after graduation hahaha.

For the latest ChinChin Bistro performance updates, visit the official WeChat account: CHINCHIN wine & jazz bar

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