JAZZ IN CHINA
In Conversation with… Jiaowei Hu: A Women In Jazz Media Podcast
In Conversation with… Jiaowei Hu: A Women In Jazz Media Podcast
Interview by Ashaine White
For the first episode of the Women In Jazz Media Podcast, in association with Jazz Tribes, I had the pleasure of Chatting to Jiaowei Hu, A Jazz Writer based in Shanghai - China. Jiaowei has published over 80 articles contributing works to All About Jazz and working closely with Blue Note Shanghai among others. Jiaowei is a true force behind in the Jazz popularization process in China.
After falling in love with the Jazz Genre, Jiaowei took a step away from other, more popular genres in China, to study and report on the wonders of Jazz. When speaking about this Jiaowei stated, “Jazz happened to be the last genre I took a while to learn about.”.
Jazz music in China over the years has seen steady growth, lead by and helped along by writers like Jiaowei, In her experience of writing and reporting on classical music in China, she knew it was essential to write about Jazz, spread the word and get people falling in love with Jazz just as she did. “The radio stations mainly play domestic and western popular music on the radio. It was by chance that I discovered Keith Jarret and Charlie Haden’s Jasmine, and I immediately gravitated. It was lyrical, melodic, calming…”.
For the first episode of the Women In Jazz Media Podcast, in association with Jazz Tribes, I had the pleasure of Chatting to Jiaowei Hu, A Jazz Writer based in Shanghai - China. Jiaowei has published over 80 articles contributing works to All About Jazz and working closely with Blue Note Shanghai among others. Jiaowei is a true force behind in the Jazz popularization process in China.
After falling in love with the Jazz Genre, Jiaowei took a step away from other, more popular genres in China, to study and report on the wonders of Jazz. When speaking about this Jiaowei stated, “Jazz happened to be the last genre I took a while to learn about.”.
Jazz music in China over the years has seen steady growth, lead by and helped along by writers like Jiaowei, In her experience of writing and reporting on classical music in China, she knew it was essential to write about Jazz, spread the word and get people falling in love with Jazz just as she did. “The radio stations mainly play domestic and western popular music on the radio. It was by chance that I discovered Keith Jarret and Charlie Haden’s Jasmine, and I immediately gravitated. It was lyrical, melodic, calming…”.
Jiaowei Hu
Although Jazz is growing exponentially in cities like Bejing and Shanghai, which shines during their Jazz Festival - The most avant-garde Jazz festival in China. Another important collaboration for Jiaowei is her relationship with Blue Note China. One of China’s Biggest Jazz Venues. Jaiwoei explains “Blue note has been one of my biggest partners, we have a valuable understanding and they never force me to do anything that violates my personal views or beliefs.” “The female lead team is incredible and really care about the music. I love working with them.”
As the Jazz scene is still growing in China, the inequalities in the representation of female writers are less pronounced as it is in many western countries. “I don’t think there is much inequality at the moment, we don’t have a lot of writers yet as the scene is still growing, we’ll have to wait and see if these differences show in a few more years”. Although there isn’t much to look into right now in China, it is important to spread the word, continue writing and inspiring other women to pursue a career in Jazz journalism and music in China.
Finally, when discussing ways we can help Jazz in China grow, Jiaowei explains “Jazz Music has to be reported to grow, that’s the way! Tell people about Jazz music in China!”, building a sense of community domestically and with the western world will help with the popularisation of Jazz in china immensely!
Lastly, I checked in on the Jazz scene in China amidst the Corona Virus pandemic. “There have been challenges, but since international travels have decreased, venues are giving more domestic Jazz artists the chance to play. It’s given the domestic scene a chance to grow faster.”
We speak about all of this and more, check out the full episode of “In Conversation with…”, exclusively on jazztribe.network!
As the Jazz scene is still growing in China, the inequalities in the representation of female writers are less pronounced as it is in many western countries. “I don’t think there is much inequality at the moment, we don’t have a lot of writers yet as the scene is still growing, we’ll have to wait and see if these differences show in a few more years”. Although there isn’t much to look into right now in China, it is important to spread the word, continue writing and inspiring other women to pursue a career in Jazz journalism and music in China.
Finally, when discussing ways we can help Jazz in China grow, Jiaowei explains “Jazz Music has to be reported to grow, that’s the way! Tell people about Jazz music in China!”, building a sense of community domestically and with the western world will help with the popularisation of Jazz in china immensely!
Lastly, I checked in on the Jazz scene in China amidst the Corona Virus pandemic. “There have been challenges, but since international travels have decreased, venues are giving more domestic Jazz artists the chance to play. It’s given the domestic scene a chance to grow faster.”
We speak about all of this and more, check out the full episode of “In Conversation with…”, exclusively on jazztribe.network!
Ashaine White is one of the exciting new writers working with Women In Jazz Media
Click on the image to listen to the full podcast
Click on the image to listen to the full podcast
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Ashaine White
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