Freespace Jazz Fest returns this November

Music lovers can enjoy the diversity of the Hong Kong jazz scene with local giants and up-and-coming artists at the “Freespace Jazz Fest” next month. This year’s programme runs from 6 to 8 November 2020 (Friday to Sunday) and takes place indoors and outdoors, in and around Freespace and the Art Park in the West Kowloon Cultural District.
 

First held in 2019, “Freespace Jazz Fest” celebrates the innovation and diversity of one of the world’s most popular forms of music with a range of performances and events. ‘There’s something for everyone, from classics to experimental collaborations,’ says Kung Chi-shing, Artistic Associate (Music), Performing Arts, West Kowloon Cultural District. ‘We’re thrilled to bring back the highly anticipated “Freespace Jazz Fest” amid unprecedented circumstances. This year’s line-up of local musicians definitely represents the vitality of the local jazz scene.’
 

Highlight ticketed events include Ted Lo and Eugene Pao – an evening of fusion, classics and original compositions by acclaimed jazz greats Pao and Lo; Angelita Li Sings Billie Holiday – Feat. Patrick Lui Jazz Orchestra – with songs and stories honouring the life and legacy of the US jazz diva Billie Holiday performed by Angelita Li and Patrick Lui and his orchestra; and the experimental collaboration Jazz Imaginarium – a unique, multisensory immersive experience with jazz musicians and visual artists creating a black box installation with improvised sound and imagery. Tickets are on sale now.
 

Free events include the Experimental Jazz Lab – live and online jam sessions featuring interactive collaborations between artists from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Zurich – as well as indoor and outdoor live shows by local talent and bands performing different jazz genres in and around Freespace and the Art Park. Visitors can also enjoy a range of free arts events and workshops for all ages.
 

Join us for a weekend of great sounds at “Freespace Jazz Fest”. Check out www.westkowloon.hk/jazzfest for the latest updates and ticketing information.
 

Appendix – “Freespace Jazz Fest” Ticketed Events and Free Programmes
 

Highlight Ticketed Events
 

Jazz Imaginarium
Presented and produced by Freespace and the School of Theatre and Entertainment Arts, The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Jazz Imaginarium transforms Freespace’s black box theatre into an immersive meditative space.
 

The collaborative installations offer the audiences a sonic-visual experience combining live, improvised jazz with a multi-media art landscape. Participating artists include well-known musicians Ted Lo, Tsui Chin-hung and Joyce Cheung, along with a creative team of video artists, spatial, lighting and sound designers. This is a unique and multisensory programme that merges musical improvisation, digital imagery and state of the art technology.
 

Ted Lo and Eugene Pao
This one-night-only performance by two godfathers of Hong Kong jazz – Eugene Pao and Ted Lo – is not to be missed. Acclaimed jazz pianist Ted Lo and renowned jazz guitarist Eugene Pao, together with friends and top local jazz artists, promise audiences a night of musical mastery.
 

Angelita Li Sings Billie Holiday – Feat. Patrick Lui Jazz Orchestra
Singer Angelita Li joins award-winning Patrick Lui Jazz Orchestra in a tribute to the life and legacy of jazz legend Billie Holiday. Combining performances of classic Holiday songs like Lady Sings the Blues, God Bless The Child and Strange Fruit with images and stories from her life, the event traces the heart-wrenching journey of an iconic artist known for her powerful and influential style.
 

Free Music Programmes
 

Experimental Jazz Lab
Experimental Jazz Lab honours jazz’s free and experimental spirit by bringing artists from Taiwan, Zurich and Hong Kong together for exciting real-time virtual collaborations.
 

Supported by Spotlight Taiwan Project, participating artists include Golden Melody Award-winner Hsieh Min-yen (Taiwan) and Golden Indie Music Award-winner Lee Shih-yang (Taiwan), improvisational musicians Mike Yip Chi-chung (Hong Kong), Daniel Chu (Hong Kong), sound artists Fiona Lee (Hong Kong) and Vanissa Law (Hong Kong) and up-and-coming creatives from the Zurich University of the Arts. Audiences can register to join live in The Room at Freespace, or watch selected sessions live-streamed online.
 

Check out www.facebook.com/freespacewestkowloon for details of line-ups and streaming link.
 

Outdoor Music
From Friday to Sunday, enjoy live music indoors and outdoors around Freespace and the Art Park. The diverse line-ups offer a variety of great sounds, from high-energy world music and blues to laid back cool jazz and funk.
 

Check out www.westkowloon.hk/jazzfest for the latest updates.
 

Free Workshops
 

DIY Braille and Tactile Bookmark / Puzzle Pin – Badge Workshop
With guidance from artists and tutors from the Arts with the Disabled Association Hong Kong, these workshops get your creative juices flowing by creating your very own braille and tactile bookmark as well as a wooden puzzle badge. Free admission and no registration required.
 

Divination by Poetry / Personality Readings
Have fun with literature! Attendees can join the House of Hong Kong Literature at their “fortune-telling” booth to uncover hidden aspects of their personality and receive a small free gift in a “Divination by Poetry” session. They can also take a short literary quiz and let our guest authors decipher their answers as part of a fun “Personality Reading”. Free admission and no registration required.
 

Divination by Poetry
 

Personality Readings
 

Make a Miniature Wooden Instrument
In this hands-on workshop, the artists from MUDWORK show participants how to make a tiny instrument from locally sourced wood that imitates bird calls. Participants’ calls will be recorded as part of a sound installation inspired by birdsongs in trees. Free admission with pre-registration online required.
 

Remarks
 

About Freespace
Freespace is Hong Kong’s new centre for contemporary performance in the heart of the Art Park in the West Kowloon Cultural District, presenting multi-genre performances and events. It produces boundary-pushing collaborations and promotes new ways of seeing and experiencing performance. Freespace houses The Box, one of the largest black box theatres in Hong Kong, a flexible space for cutting-edge performances. Two multi-purpose spaces – The Room and The Studio – are designed for creative exchange and artistic collaborations. Lau Bak Livehouse is an intimate bar cafe presenting live music from Hong Kong and around the world. 
 

About the West Kowloon Cultural District
The West Kowloon Cultural District is one of the largest and most ambitious cultural projects in the world. Its vision is to create a vibrant new cultural quarter for Hong Kong on forty hectares of reclaimed land located alongside Victoria Harbour. With a varied mix of theatres, performance spaces, and museums, the West Kowloon Cultural District will produce and host world-class exhibitions, performances and cultural events, providing twenty-three hectares of public open space, including a two-kilometre waterfront promenade.