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The RAS is pleased to announce the next film screening: on 23 April, we will watch a documentary that records an interlude of the city life in which many of us were participants. We will screen Reviving Glory – Jazz & Blues à la Shanghai, produced by one of the RAS members – Andrew Field.

Grounded in the colourful history of 1930s Shanghai, Jazz & Blues à la Shanghai accounts the revival of jazz music in the city in the 1990s, en route to its pristine zenith in the 21st century. Featuring live footage of performances by noted musicians including JQ Whitcomb, Alec Haavik, Coco Zhao, Jasmine Chen, Theo Croker, Greg Smith and many others, the film leads viewers deep into the scene of the three du jour jazz clubs – The House of Blues & Jazz, The Cotton Club and the JZ Club, as well as Peace Hotel in their days of glory and eminence. With live interviews of the personalities on centre stage, the film captures the spirit and mettle of these pioneers, their sense of adventure, and conviction for the art they love. Boom and bust, ebb and flow, jazz and blues are what make Shanghai a unique metropolis to thrive and prosper.

About the Speaker:

A native of Massachusetts USA, Andrew Field arrived in Shanghai in 1996 to research his doctoral dissertation with Columbia University. His chosen research subject was the nightlife of Jazz Age Shanghai in the 1920s and 1930s. Field published his first book, titled Shanghai's Dancing World in 2010. That same year he filmed the indie rock music scene in Beijing and later co-produced a documentary named Down: Indie Rock in the PRC which has been screened in many international film festivals. In 2014 he co-authored the book Mu Shiying: China's Lost Modernist and in 2015 Shanghai Nightscapes. His latest film Jazz & Blues à la Shanghai is the product of a 15-year documentation of the city's jazz scene and a collection of interviews with personalities who pushed the boundary.


Field is an avid musician. He plays piano and guitar. He now serves as Associate Professor of Chinese History at Duke Kunshan University. He lives in Shanghai with his wife and two daughters.


This event is co-hosted with China Crossroads.

Tickets

  • RAS member

    RMB 70

    Member Price

    Includes one drink

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  • RAS joint/family members

    RMB 70

    Public Price

    Includes one drink

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  • Friends of the RAS (Registered PRC donors)

    RMB 70

    Public Price

    Includes one drink

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  • Non-members

    RMB 150

    Public Price

    Includes one drink

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