World-class guitar master Nelson Veras, Steve Smith, known as the "World Drum King", Japanese national treasure classical saxophone master Shobuya Sukawa, HoTS, one of the leading figures of modern jazz in Europe, South American classical rock fusion of heavenly burning strings, Singaporean jazz celebrity Miss Lou...... Recently, these internationally renowned musicians will bring a wonderful audio-visual feast to music fans at the Lincoln Jazz Center in Shanghai.
Lincoln Jazz Center Shanghai is a joint venture between Shanghai Bund Investment Group and Lincoln Jazz Center in the United States. As the only branch center of the Lincoln Jazz Center in the world, since its opening, the Lincoln Jazz Center Shanghai has successfully established an artistic highland in the hearts of jazz fans in Shanghai and even the whole country by inviting the world's top jazz musicians to perform in rotation and hold various art activities, further promoting the harmonious integration and common prosperity of art and commerce on the Bund, and becoming a new landmark of fashion life yearning for the majority of citizens and tourists. At the same time, it is also committed to becoming an "international cultural parlor" where Chinese and Western cultures blend, by inviting global music giants to gather and integrating unique Shanghainese cultural elements, it has injected new vitality into this city that has been associated with jazz for a hundred years, so that the beautiful melody has more Shanghai "tone". In the first half of 2024 alone, dozens of well-known overseas musicians have visited the performance, and the number of spectators has reached a new high.
More variety: a variety of jazz styles are performed here
Since the beginning of this year, on the stage of Lincoln Jazz Shanghai Center, the diversified music styles have been vividly displayed. Nelson Veras' guitar playing is virtuosic and emotional, and every plucking of the strings seems to touch people's hearts; Sugawa Shinya's classical saxophone has a mellow timbre, like an old wine, which makes people indulge in it; HoTS's modern jazz has an avant-garde and innovative charm, leading the new trend of jazz. Singapore's Nanyang chant, a new interpretation of wanton, lazy and retro night Shanghai songs, makes people taste the romance of the city......
"The wonderful performances of these international masters not only brought the ultimate musical enjoyment to the audience, but also demonstrated the diversity and inclusiveness of jazz." In the eyes of Xu Ying, Marketing Manager of Lincoln Jazz Shanghai Center, Lincoln Jazz Shanghai Center is such a meeting point of world music styles, where musicians from different cultural backgrounds can communicate, learn from each other, and make progress together. This kind of cross-border exchange not only enriches the connotation of jazz music, but also brings a more diverse musical experience to the audience.
This breakthrough attempt not only injected new vitality into Lincoln Jazz Shanghai Center, but also showed significant market potential in terms of branding. Xu Ying emphasized that the market value of the brand is the key factor for its foothold and sustainable development in the highly competitive market environment, and it is with its unique brand positioning and diversified music experience that we continue to enhance our influence in the market.
More fun: both foreigners and young people are coming
"Nowadays, if you sit here and watch a concert, you will find that one-third are foreigners and one-third are young people, which is very different from the stereotype of jazz 'red wine and cigar'." Zhu Donghuan, Operations Manager of Lincoln Jazz Shanghai Center, said.
Zhu Donghuan believes that many "new fans" come here, on the one hand, because of the strong attraction of the Bund on Nanjing Road, its prosperous scene and unique oriental style, which has always been a tourist attraction in the hearts of foreign tourists. With China's visa-free policy for some countries, more and more guests from all over the world are able to conveniently come to Shanghai to experience the beauty of the city's modern and traditional intertwined beauty, and "borderless" music has become one of the best ways to learn more.
At the same time, in order to attract more young people, Lincoln Jazz Shanghai Center has also actively launched a series of colorful activities. These activities include live concerts, music workshops, interactive experiences, and more, aiming to deepen the understanding and love of jazz among young people through various forms.
For example, on Mondays when the performance was originally closed, the "Lay Live" concert was held, which was a concert in which "you" was the main character and you could "lie flat". The venue is carefully set up in a series of small tents, providing a unique experience for the audience to lie down and immerse themselves in the world of music, contemplating and meditating during the concert...... At the same time, through clever lighting design, simulated forest mood and raindrop sound effects, it brings a unique "City Walk" spiritual journey to the audience in the city center. Many young people said that this novel concert format allows them to immerse themselves in the wonderful world of music in a more relaxed and comfortable way, and feel the unique charm of music.
More Open: Let Jazz Glamour "Go Out"
Wonderful, can't stop at all. It is reported that in the second half of this year, many musicians, including the master of the Lincoln Jazz Center in the United States, will come here to show the audience the diversity and unique charm of jazz.
"Our biggest advantage is our geographical location and Lincoln's global influence, which has attracted a number of international masters to perform here. However, it must be admitted that the Lincoln Jazz Center Shanghai is relatively small, and even if it is full, it will only be about 200 people, so it is difficult to afford to invite international masters while keeping the ticket price affordable. In order to allow Shanghai citizens to enjoy the world's top jazz music, Lincoln tried to optimize operating costs, Xu Ying explained: "The center has adopted a 'bring in' tour approach, and by holding multiple performances in different cities, it has effectively shared the travel costs and brought a wonderful jazz feast to a larger audience." ”
In order to allow more citizens to feel the charm of music, Lincoln's musicians will also go out of the indoor stage, to the square under the central dome of the Bund, to the world-style Bund source and many landmarks in Shanghai, to interact with more music fans, citizens and tourists in music at close range, and to show more Shanghai-style artistic charm while promoting jazz.
Space, like an exquisite container, is pregnant with countless possibilities. When music, culture and trends converge here, they burst with an unparalleled chemistry. Located in the iconic historic building "The Bund Central", Lincoln Jazz Center Shanghai not only carries the mission of inheriting Shanghainese culture and promoting the integration of Chinese and Western music cultures, but also continues to deepen and broaden its own artistic expression with the help of the profound symbols of music in the tide of the times. With a cutting-edge perspective, it continues to write a brilliant new chapter between itself and Shanghai, an international metropolis.