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Photos: No sign of the blues for China’s ‘Old Jazz Band’

Once recognised by the Guinness World Records as the oldest jazz band on the planet, the 'Old Jazz Band' of Shanghai is still going strong, keeping jazz alive in a fast modernising China.

Updated on: Sep 07, 2017 3:24 PM IST

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Often described as the oldest jazz band on the planet and once recognized as such by Guinness World Records, its six wizened members range from a relatively youthful 63 to a scarcely believable 97 year old trumpeter. They are an ‘institution’ in Shanghai and a rare constant in a region that is modernising at a breakneck speed. Jazz is most readily associated with New Orleans or New York but Shanghai isn’t far behind in staking claim. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

Updated on Sep 07, 2017 3:24 PM

Often described as the oldest jazz band on the planet and once recognized as such by Guinness World Records, its six wizened members range from a relatively youthful 63 to a scarcely believable 97 year old trumpeter. They are an ‘institution’ in Shanghai and a rare constant in a region that is modernising at a breakneck speed. Jazz is most readily associated with New Orleans or New York but Shanghai isn’t far behind in staking claim. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

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Yao, 72, a member of ‘Old Jazz Band’ heads back home in a metro ahead of his performance at Shanghai's ornate Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai.The bar where the ‘Old Jazz Band’ now plays 365 nights of the year was originally an English-style pub and it retains that flavour with its bar stools, dark-wooden fittings and a musty feel. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

Updated on Sep 07, 2017 3:24 PM

Yao, 72, a member of ‘Old Jazz Band’ heads back home in a metro ahead of his performance at Shanghai's ornate Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai.The bar where the ‘Old Jazz Band’ now plays 365 nights of the year was originally an English-style pub and it retains that flavour with its bar stools, dark-wooden fittings and a musty feel. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

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During Shanghai’s hard-partying heyday in the 1930s, the bar became so well known for its jazz that it later became ‘The Jazz Bar.’ Then came the war, the 1949 Communist takeover and the political turmoil of the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution, when virulent campaigns against anything foreign, made playing or even listening to jazz a dangerous hobby. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

Updated on Sep 07, 2017 3:24 PM

During Shanghai’s hard-partying heyday in the 1930s, the bar became so well known for its jazz that it later became ‘The Jazz Bar.’ Then came the war, the 1949 Communist takeover and the political turmoil of the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution, when virulent campaigns against anything foreign, made playing or even listening to jazz a dangerous hobby. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

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Seen here are music notes of a member of the ‘Old Jazz Band’ kept open during his performance in Shanghai. Former US presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan are among the dignitaries who dropped in for an evening of jazz -- Clinton, who plays the sax, even joined in.The band, which has an average age of 82, plays what it calls ‘soft jazz’ with a Shanghainese flavour. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

Updated on Sep 07, 2017 3:24 PM

Seen here are music notes of a member of the ‘Old Jazz Band’ kept open during his performance in Shanghai. Former US presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan are among the dignitaries who dropped in for an evening of jazz -- Clinton, who plays the sax, even joined in.The band, which has an average age of 82, plays what it calls ‘soft jazz’ with a Shanghainese flavour. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

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At 76, Li Minsheng is one of the junior members and an alto saxophonist of the ‘Old Jazz Band’ says, ‘I have been performing jazz for at least 40 years. I got this saxophone in the 1960s and have played it ever since.’ ‘Jazz has come to China bit by bit’, he adds. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

Updated on Sep 07, 2017 3:24 PM

At 76, Li Minsheng is one of the junior members and an alto saxophonist of the ‘Old Jazz Band’ says, ‘I have been performing jazz for at least 40 years. I got this saxophone in the 1960s and have played it ever since.’ ‘Jazz has come to China bit by bit’, he adds. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

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After China opened itself to the world, there was a huge influx of Western music. By watching them and their performances, the group learnt the craft and slowly got better at playing jazz while keeping their own style and creating a blend between American and Chinese jazz. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

Updated on Sep 07, 2017 3:24 PM

After China opened itself to the world, there was a huge influx of Western music. By watching them and their performances, the group learnt the craft and slowly got better at playing jazz while keeping their own style and creating a blend between American and Chinese jazz. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

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A member who spoke on behalf of his group admitted that they still have a long way to go compared to the top jazz scenes in the world. He added that without anyone to listen, they would have no reason to perform. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

Updated on Sep 07, 2017 3:24 PM

A member who spoke on behalf of his group admitted that they still have a long way to go compared to the top jazz scenes in the world. He added that without anyone to listen, they would have no reason to perform. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

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