West Kowloon Cultural District Presents 4th Freespace Jazz Fest from 26 October

Hong Kong’s biggest outdoor music celebration this autumn Featuring an impressive line-up of local jazz talent

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (the Authority) is pleased to announce the return of its flagship music festival, Freespace Jazz Fest, for its fourth edition this autumn from 26 to 30 October 2022 (Wednesday to Sunday). Featuring more than 50 captivating musical performances, the highly anticipated five-day feast of jazz will be the biggest so far, with multiple stages spread across the indoor and outdoor venues at Freespace and the Art Park in the West Kowloon Cultural District (the District). For the first time, Freespace Jazz Fest will extend to Wonderland, a new outdoor space adjacent to the Hong Kong Palace Museum, allowing more music lovers to immerse in the diversity of jazz music. Tickets are on sale now at the District’s website.

Get 1-Day and 2-Day passes to enjoy “Jazzscapes” in Wonderland
Jazzscapes, staged at the festival’s new performance venue Wonderland, is one of the highlighted programmes of this year’s Freespace Jazz Fest, featuring different jazz styles performed by more than 10 local ensembles. Highlights include Daniel Chu Supergroup - the gifted young pianist Daniel Chu will be leading top-notch musicians to offer a vibrant mix of jazz and R&B; Patrick Lui Jazz Orchestra feat. MC Yan – an exciting big band that will put a jazzy spin on Hong Kong kung-fu film soundtracks from the 1970s with hip-hop star MC Yan as the special guest; Joyce Cheung and the Latin Experience! with pianist Joyce Cheung presenting her music selections in Latin Jazz style together with guest dancers; and jazz singer Sherine Wong performing favourite jazz tunes using her mesmerizing voice together with her music companions in Sherine and Friends. Music lovers can purchase 1-Day or 2-Day passes to enjoy the full line-up of Jazzscapes over the weekend of 29 and 30 October 2022.

New commissioned works being showcased at Freespace
Dedicated to showcasing the multi-faceted nature of jazz, Freespace Jazz Fest will present a variety of themed performances in The Box at Freespace, ranging from shows paying tribute to jazz legends to kids-friendly programmes. Looppool – Game of Life, led by one of the most up-and-coming jazz musicians Bowen Li, his band Looppool will explore the vicissitudes of life through a series of new compositions, using jazz fusion as the musical language along with Cantonese lyrics. Double Time – Ted Lo, Tsui Chin-hung is a two-part concert featuring two accomplished musicians from different generations, who will reflect on their experiences in jazz journeys. The concert will begin with guitarist Tsui’s performance of his original compositions in a fusion of classical, rock and jazz styles, followed by Lo, the internationally acclaimed jazz pianist, interpreting some of Chick Corea's most significant compositions, including the Brazilian-influenced music of his 1970s’ band Return to Forever, paying tribute to the legendary pianist who passed away in 2021. What’s more, Storytime on The Amazing Jazz Planet, curated by percussionist Anna Fan, brings audiences a brand-new jazz concert designed for children, with fun introduction to jazz rhythms, storytelling, dance, juggling and audience interactions, arousing children’s curiosity in exploring the world of jazz.

Transcending geographical boundaries with technologies, The Room in Freespace will present an avant-garde musical experience dubbed Experimental Lab, where local musicians and new media artists will collaborate and improvise online with international musicians from Berlin, Montreal, Seoul and Zurich. Lau Bak Livehouse will also stage live performances over five nights during the festival, with a variety of local jazz musicians adding to the festive atmosphere.

Fun-filled art and cultural experience in art-themed market and cultural workshops
The hugely popular themed market finally returns to the Art Park this year. Under a new theme “Back to its pace”, the market is set to add a carnivallike vibe to the Great Lawn, bringing a variety of handcrafts, art-themed game booths, workshops and film screenings. The Harbourside Lawn will stage various shows featuring world music, choir, jazz big bands, funk music and more. Visitors can enjoy live music around the District while indulging in the stunning views of the Victoria Harbour, savour great food and drinks at the District’s restaurants, cafes and food trucks, and seize the great moments in this wonderful music festival.

“Despite the challenges brought by the pandemic, the earlier three editions of the Freespace Jazz Fest were great success, thanks to the enthusiasm, passion and perseverance of Hong Kong’s musicians. This year, in addition to an eclectic line-up of first-class performers, we are delighted to introduce a kids-friendly jazz programme along with arts-and-cultural-themed markets, film screenings and live performances, curating a holistic experience where visitors can explore the delights of jazz music in the fabulous setting of the West Kowloon Cultural District,” said Kung Chi-shing, Artistic Associate (Music), Performing Arts of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority.

“The West Kowloon Cultural District is dedicated to promoting and fostering arts and cultural development locally, helping to enrich the quality of life of the Hong Kong community. Held for the fourth consecutive year, Freespace Jazz Fest is a perfect demonstration of our vision, providing a dynamic platform where jazz masters and rising stars gather, exchange and inspire each other to create new cross-genre collaborations. As the signature performing arts programme of the Authority, Freespace Jazz Fest attracts a broad range of music fans and art lovers to our performance venues and outdoor spaces to experience the restorative power of culture, arts and music,” said Paul Tam, Executive Director, Performing Arts of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority.

For the latest programme information and ticketing arrangements for Freespace Jazz Fest 2022, please visit https://www.westkowloon.hk/en/jazzfest.

The programme is part of “Creative Tomorrow” exclusively sponsored by The Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Remarks

About the Art Park
The Art Park is the green heart of the West Kowloon Cultural District. With a rich variety of trees and green planting as well as open lawn spaces, the park provides a vibrant venue for open-air performances, art exhibitions and other cultural events. The Art Park also features a growing range of facilities, including the waterfront promenade, several large lawn areas, and harbourside restaurants and cafes for leisure and relaxation.

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

About Wonderland
Wonderland is an outdoor venue which spans 140,000 square feet, formerly known as Nursery Park. It is dedicated to gathering local and international performance partners in addition to staging music shows and curating a series of special events will be curated. Its visions are to become a new arts and entertainment landmark, to promote arts and cultural development, and to nourish young talents.

About the West Kowloon Cultural District
The West Kowloon Cultural District is one of the largest cultural projects in the world. Its vision is to create a vibrant new cultural quarter for Hong Kong on 40 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 23 hectares of public open space, including a two-kilometre waterfront promenade.

Appendix: Freespace Jazz Fest 2022——Programme Summary

Ticketed Programmes

Looppool - Game of Life
New generation jazz composer and pianist Bowen Li and members of his band Looppool, Justin Cheung, Michael Chan, Laurence Lau, Hin Leung and Dean Li, will present the latest original Jazz Fusion works. Merging jazz, rock and electronic music with narrative and visual elements, the thematic performance takes the audience for a dip into musical waters shaped by the twists and turns of life.

Double Time – Ted Lo, Tsui Chin-hung
One ticket, two performances, double the joy. In the first half of the show, guitarist Tsui Chin-hung presents a selection of original compositions highlighting his unique, unconventional aesthetics embracing his classical background, and the wide-ranging influence of jazz and rock on his work. In the second half of the show, Jazz master pianist Ted Lo will pay tribute to the late great jazz pianist Chick Corea by reinterpreting his classics into astonishing works.

Storytime on The Amazing Jazz Planet
Percussionist Anna Fan brings a fun introduction to jazz sounds, rhythms and a variety of instruments through live music, storytelling, dance, juggling and audience interaction, encouraging children to explore the world of jazz.

Jazzscapes
The two-day special outdoor music event features over 10 great performing units and brings a range of styles and genres to Wonderland with convenient 1-day and 2-day passes. Featured sessions include Daniel Chu Supergroup and Patrick Lui Jazz Orchestra with special guest MC Yan; pianist Joyce Cheung will present her music selections in Latin Jazz style with guest dancers; and Sherine Wong will join her music companions performing some favourite jazz tunes with her mesmerizing voice.

Experimental Lab
An avant-garde musical experience that local musicians and new media artists collaborate and improvise live online respectively with artists from Berlin, Zurich, Montreal and Seoul.

Free Cultural Activities and Workshops
Do not miss the music performances to be staged at the Harbourside Lawn during the weekend of 29 and 30 October 2022. Take a walk to the Great Lawn and visit the “Back to its pace” themed market for handcrafts, art-themed game booths and film screenings, and join the workshops making wind chimes and floating vases for a joyful interactive experience. The Arts with the Disabled Association Hong Kong will offer accessibility services for the whole festival. Visitors can also join their wooden badge and kaleidoscope making workshops.

For details of the workshops, please visit https://www.westkowloon.hk/en/jazzfest.