Xiangzhou District, Zhuhai

Album release conference held in Zhuhai on Aug 12

An album composed of seven classic Chinese opera excerpts adapted and arranged in the manner of jazz music was released on Aug 12, and is expected to be a big hit with fans of innovative fusion music.

A feat by Zhuhai Golden Jazz Cultural Industry Management Co Ltd, the creations came from a cultural project -- Crossing Chinese Opera with Jazz -- which was named to the 2018 list of key projects in Belt & Road cultural trade and investment.

A group of world-class jazz musicians and leading Chinese opera artists were brought together. Chief among them was Drew Zaremba, a famous composer, conductor, and saxophonist from the United States. They spent two years collecting songs, studying their shared characters, and discussing.

Insights shared by composers

"It is very difficult to blend two independent music forms with entirely different cultural backgrounds," said Nie Xin, one of the founders of Golden Jazz. "The task is making it acceptable to Chinese opera lovers while also letting jazz fans feel comfortable."

They finally fused opera harmonically with jazz, joining two musical traditions and cultures.

The album reimages traditional Peking, Shaanxi (Qinqiang), Wuju, and Cantonese operas. The musical instruments involved include the saxophone, pipa (a four-stringed traditional Chinese music instrument), trumpet, erhu (a traditional Chinese two-string instrument), bass, and drum.

Opera artists apply facial makeup [Photos by Yan Xing / Zhuhai Daily]

Arrangements on the album include The Sole of Straw Sandals (Ma Xie Di), The Arraignment of Su San (Susan Qi Jie), and The Execution of Shan Tong (Zhan Shantong). They successfully bring out the essence of both Chinese opera and jazz.

Following a successful debut in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province last May, Golden Jazz was invited to the University of Texas at Arlington for academic exchange in a symposium held on Oct 12, 2017.