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Rock steady beat
2018-11-24 
Cui Jian [Photo provided to China Daily]

Three decades later, China's godfather of rock 'n' roll is still on the road

When Cui Jian stepped onto the stage to perform at a concert at the Beijing Workers' Stadium in 1986, few Chinese knew what rock 'n' roll was.

At the packed venue, Cui, then 25, performed his original song, Nothing to My Name.

That song opened a chapter in China's rock music story and marked the start of a journey that would later make Cui the country's godfather of rock 'n' roll.

Now, more than 30 years later, the 57-year-old Cui, wearing his trademark white cap with a red star on it, is still on his road.

On Dec 6 and 7, he will perform two shows along with his bandmates at Blue Note Beijing, the first Chinese branch of the Blue Note Jazz Club, the famous New York establishment.

Unlike his shows at stadiums, theaters and outdoor music festivals across the country, which attracted tens of thousands of people, Cui will offer an intimate live performance experience for his fans and perform his songs with new jazz arrangements.

"We give thousands of performances worldwide each year, and we want to do something different every year," says Cui.

"The two shows at Blue Note Beijing will have different repertoires.

"I don't plan to perform some of my best-known hits, like Nothing to My Name, Greenhouse Girl, False Monk and Rock 'n' Roll on the New Long March. But maybe I will perform the songs if the audience requests them. I don't know yet."

From left: Cui Jian's bandmate Liu Yuan (saxophone), Eddie (lead guitar), Liu Yue (bass), Lu Chao (drum) and Zhou Xia (keyboard). [Photo by Song Xiaohui/China Daily]

One of the songs he is going to perform, however, is Another Space, which was featured in his 1998 album The Power of the Powerless.

Cui rarely performs it because the song, which combines electronic music and rock, is demanding and the song is heavy and philosophical.

"During the rehearsals, we rearranged the song by taking off electronic music elements, which gave the song a different dimension," says Cui.

"I am looking forward to sharing it with the audience."

The Blue Note was founded in 1981 by Danny Bensusan in New York's Greenwich Village. Many legendary jazz musicians, including Ray Charles, Dave Brubeck and Herbie Hancock, have performed on the Blue Note stage.

Ever since Blue Note Beijing opened in the summer of 2016, Cui has watched shows there, including some of the biggest jazz names in the world.

"I am a big jazz music fan and some of the my band members are jazz musicians.

I am open to different music genres because each of them gives me unique energy," says Cui, adding how music from South Africa and Latin American has inspired him.

His longtime band members, who are jazz musicians, include saxophonist Liu Yuan and bassist Liu Yue.

Speaking about the shows, Cui says: "Rock, jazz and classical music, these three different music genres have influenced me. And I am excited to see how these music elements merge onstage and, most importantly, I want to see the reaction of the audience."

Cui Jian [Photo by Song Xiaohui/China Daily]

Commenting on Cui, Wu Jiajia, the performances operation of Chinese entertainers at Blue Note Beijing, says: "Cui has been pushing boundaries for a while now. For example, he performed with the Beijing Symphony Orchestra in 2010 and, this time, the audience will enjoy some of his rarely performed songs with fresh twists."

Cui, who was born to a musician father and a dancer mother, is a classically trained singer-songwriter who joined the Beijing Symphony Orchestra as a trumpet player in 1981, where he started to learn the guitar and formed a band with other classically trained musicians.

Speaking about his life, Cui says: "I am lucky to be born into a family of artists.

"My parents' friends are all artists. So I talked to them, learned with them and I wanted to live a life like them.

"There was no other job than being a musician that was good enough for me."

Cui has also starred in movies such as The Sun Also Rises (2007), directed by the award-winning filmmaker Jiang Wen. And he made his directorial debut in 2013 with Blue Sky Bones, which features his own music.

Cui's last album, Frozen Light, was released in 2015. Regarded as his music comeback, and 10 years after his album, Show Your Color, it explores the theme of light, darkness and space with tracks such as Fish and Bird, Outside Girl and Cool Melon Tree.

Speaking about his work, Cui says: "I am not a productive musician. That's because for each song I write, I want find the most accurate lyrics and melodies to express myself."

If you go

Blue Note Beijing

8pm, Dec 6 and 7, 23 Qianmendong Dajie, Dongcheng district, Beijing 170-0000-0288

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