NTCH Summer Jazz Party 2017

As the world commemorates the 100 years of Jazz on record – a century after the Original Dixieland Jass Band made the first jazz record ever issued – the NTCH Summer Jazz Party will also joyfully celebrate its 15th anniversary with an all-inclusive music feast.

This year, the sizzling festival vibe will extend from the stage to the front-house, the plaza, and even the dining table. For three consecutive weekends from 12 Aug, the Jazz Bistro will take place in the Theater Trattoria. Energetic music from talented local musicians, accompanied by alluring dine and wine, invites all city night owls to share the late night.

Muddy Basin Ramblers

In the afternoon of 26 Aug, Fresh Groove will take place in the National Concert Hall Lobby. No seats will be provided: the audience can roam around the stage freely, following four bands of promising musicians which by turns travel through different jazz styles in a three-hour long programme.

The festival will officially kick off with the dynamic NTCH Summer Jazz Outdoor Party at the Main Plaza, followed by three masterful concerts in the National Concert Hall.

(left) Cliff Almond and Terri Lyne Carrington (right)

NTCH Summer Jazz Outdoor Party – 26 Aug
First in the lineup is the Summer Jazz Camp Orchestra, a display of the festival’s unique tradition which nurtures future talents in summer camps, and motivates them with the chance to show on a big stage. Second in the lineup is the Muddy Basin Ramblers. Armed with a washtub bass, washboards, banjos, ukuleles, guitars and an assortment of brass and woodwinds instruments, they will bring their unique take on jug band music, folk, blues and jazz from the 1920s and 1930s. Finally, Jia Jia, the Golden Melody Award nominated singer with instinctive, rich and soulful voice, will lead her band and the audience into the deep shade of night.

Arturo Sandoval

NTCH Summer Jazz Project Concert featuring Cliff Almond – 27 Aug
Since 2012, the NTCH Summer Jazz Project, which grouped Taiwan-based jazz elites, has wowed the festival audience continually. Its feature – the jamming between local artists and an international virtuoso – has always been the highlight of the year for local jazz scene. This year, it will feature the acclaimed Cliff Almond. One of the most active drummer of his generation, Almond is “an incredible drummer with great hands and an airy touch… plus a truly soulful rock feel–a serious asset,” described by his renowned bandmate Wayne Krantz.

Terri Lyne Carrington’s Mosaic Experience – 31 Aug
Three-time Grammy Award winning drummer, composer and educator, Terri Lyne Carrington has had more than 40 years of professional musician experience. Throughout her extensive career, she has worked with luminary masters, including the legendary Herbie Hancock, who describes her as a musician who can play “at the highest level; A master. She’s one of the most experienced people in the music business — not only jazz, but any genre you can name.” To date, Carrington has released eight albums. Her most recent Mosaic Project album features and celebrates many superb female instrumentalists and vocalists.

Arturo Sandoval Trumpet Sextet Concert – 1 Sep
The most dynamic, vivacious and multifaceted live performers of our time, Arturo Sandoval has been seen by millions at the Oscars, the Grammy Awards, and the Billboard Awards. Reaching beyond the virtuoso trumpet techniques and specialty, Sandoval is also a composer of true spontaneity and variety: through straight ahead jazz, Latin jazz to classical. He brought to the festival audience an unforgettable experience, mixed with tender, sensation and insight, during his first visit to Taiwan. In his second visit this year, he will bring us many new takes on Dizzy Gillespie’s classics, as well as many fascinating jazz standards.

Visit National Performing Arts Center – National Theater & Concert Hall’s website here for full programme details.