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Culture

Jazz up your weekend at Freespace Jazz Fest 2019

By Ching Yuen 4 November 2019
Up for a jazzy weekend? Freespace Jazz Fest is here on November 9 and 10 to bring you into the world of music and jazz. At Freespace and the Art Park. This free festival presents stellar performances from world-class artists and local jazz stars at the newly-opened Freespace, located in the Art Park at the West Kowloon Cultural District.
freespace jazz fest highlight

Highlight performances

A selection of three ticketed shows will be featured at the Jazz festival. On Saturday afternoon, GoGo Penguin will be taking over the Box to showcase their unique sonic identity. Coming all the way from Manchester, UK, the group’s music is best described as a blend of jazz and electronica and a dash of modernity. They were nominated for the Mercury Prize Album of the Year in 2014 and has since become a reference point for a new wave of jazz musicians. For Sunday afternoon, Grammy and Emmy award-winning Robert Glasper is joined by drummer Damion Ried, bassist Vicente Archer, and DJ Jahi Sundance to wrap up the festival with a bang. We’re thinking a mix of jazz, hip hop with a touch of soul and R&B sprinkled on top. Get ready for what promises to be a mesmerising session of energetic, rhythmic melody and improvisation! Not everyone needs to be a music guru to enjoy the jazz, there will be special interactive family concert Jazz for kids, where musicians collaborate with the audience to tell the story of little Siu Kwai. Taking place at the Room, the live performances of familiar children songs will be encouraging young members of the audience to contribute to the development of Siu Kwai’s life story to help understand his feelings and emotions.

freespace jazz fest art park

Free programmes

As the weather starts cooling down, the Great Lawn is the perfect places to enjoy the cool temperature. That’s why West Kowloon has set up an outdoor stage featuring top local artists, international jazz and world music artists to show off their craft. Hong Kong Ballet will also present a jazz-infused performance of The Great Gatsby on the Harbourfront Promenade as well as surprising locations around Art Park. A local handicraft market will also be set up on the Great Lawn offering an exciting selection of handicraft booths, art stalls and workshops! For anyone who wants to settle down indoors, there is a set of diverse free programmes at The Box in Freespace featuring some fo the best jazz artists from Asia and around the world. There will also be two meet-the-artist sessions for you to get the lowdown on jazz, titled respectively as Women in Jazz and Conducting and Arranging for Jazz Ensembles. Presented with MOViE MOViE, there will also be a free screening of the award-winning documentary 20 Feet from Stardom that tells the bittersweet stories of backup singers to the stars.

freespace jazzz fest livehosue

Livehouse programmes

New to jazz? Stop by the Livehouse for brunch and met local musicians as they share their musical journey to find jazz, they’ve got a double bass player, a drummer, and more. For anyone who wants to get wordy, join the Poetry Music Jam where you can experience jazz and poetry’s hip, and rich history entwined together. There will also be plenty of other live performances and improvisations to keep you entertained for the two whole days!

freespace jazz fest professionals

For professionals

Those of you who are well versed in your jazz craft, there are also things just for you to do! Veteran musicians from the renowned Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra will be leading free workshops on jazz guitar, wind and brass. You can also bring your own instruments and jam with overseas bands House of Waters and Tokyo Chuo-line for some quality music exchange, the sessions will be open to audiences so look forward to everyone’s input and expect the unexpected!   Freespace Jazz Fest 2019 For more information on the festival, click here to check out Freespace Jazz Fest.

Ching Yuen

 Editor

Having lived in Hong Kong, Beijing, and London sure is a fun fact whenever people try to guess Ching’s accent. She loves switching between all these language channels and her “mother tongue” is just determined by how many drinks she’s had for the night! She loves movies, travelling, and exploring cities, from hidden alleys to gourmet dining, so feel free to hit her up if you need any suggestions for dinner!

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