The Beijing Ninegates Jazz Festival

The Beijing Ninegates Jazz Festival started back in 2005 and quickly grew into one of the largest jazz festivals in the world. The festival attracts musicians and audiences from around the world allowing guests to take in a diverse variety of talent and musical variety.

The Jazz Festival takes place during the month of May from the 22nd to the 27th taking in the Chinese Dragon Boat Holiday, this recently initiated public holiday allowed for greater numbers of the local audience to partake in the festival. The event is held within the picturesque and ancient Forbidden City walls of Beijing hence the name Ninegates to represent the nine gates entering into the city.

During the week of the festival, the ardent jazz lover has a wide variety of events taking place at some of the trendiest and popular locations in and around Beijing. Savour the acoustical pleasure of the Peking University Hall, one of the most prestigious universities in China that is located in the deeply historic Forbidden City. Head over to the Beijing Contemporary Music Academy for intimate performances and insightful lectures into the vibrant and diverse world of Jazz or simply head to one of the chic jazz clubs that have recently sprouted in Beijing due to growing popularity for the genre.

Among the many performers is a varied mix of both local and international bands. Jazz bands in China are quite a recent occurrence. In the beginning, the movement was mostly underground, playing for small audiences in basements of clubs or private sessions. However with the advent of the Beijing Contemporary Music Academy Jazz got a wider audience and many aspiring musicians were able to take up the genre. When the Beijing Ninegates Jazz Festival commenced jazz was given national coverage and its audience in China increased exponentially. Present day, there are many famous local artists and bands that have come together and even perform on the international stage. Groups such as the Golden Buddha Jazz Unit are popular Chinese jazz bands with accomplished musicians with experience playing on the international stage; closer to home are trios such as the Liu Yue trio who focus on blending jazz rhythms with traditional Chinese music.

International acts to this popular jazz festival are not in short supply; they include some of the world's best instrumentalists and bands from around the world playing a deep variety of different styles of jazz from fusion, smooth and even Dixie land. From America comes Mike Stern, considered one of the present masters of the electric guitar he has played with jazz legends such as Miles Davis. Erik Truffaz from France is an eminent jazz trumpeter who specializes in fusion jazz, blending elements of rock, hip hop and various other genres to produce a unique sound. Since being signed to EMI's Blue Note Records, Truffaz has become a mainstay at the label with a string of successful albums.

The Beijing Ninegates Jazz festival is one of the biggest international jazz events and a prominent fixture in the city's events calendar. Residing in a 5 Star hotel in Beijing such as the Raffles Beijing Hotel provides the ideal luxury Beijing hotel accommodation from which to experience the soothing sounds and deep vibes of this uniquely diverse jazz festival.
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