Tis the time of the year for the Taichung Jazz Festival in Taiwan. This is the 16th year it has been held, and my 3rd year coming here. If you've been following my blog for a while, you may recall that I came last year as well.
一年一度的台中爵士音樂節又到了。今年我是連續第三年到這個音樂節。 踏入秋季的晚上已有點寒意，但不乏來捧場的市民及爵士音樂愛好者。 這幾天剛好有朋友從香港來度假，我們一起帶備零食及飲料，跟幾千位其他觀眾在草地上來過戶外野餐欣賞音樂會。 欣賞完精彩的表演後，我購買了其中一對樂隊的光碟，還得到他們的親筆簽名，把爵士音樂帶回家。

This year there seems to be just as many people if not more than previous years. And the fact that today is a chilly Wednesday doesn't seem to deter the crowds from coming out.

JAZZ WITH FRIENDS

Every year I normally come at least twice, as there's always different groups of friends who want to come. Tonight is my second time this year and I've come prepared with snacks, drinks, food and all. And not to mention the company of friends from overseas.

JAZZ FESTIVAL PERFORMANCE

The Taichung Jazz Festival is held for 9 consecutive days from Saturday to Sunday each year. Every night there are two one hour performances from jazz players and bands from all over the world. This year there are performers from as far afield as Honduras to Luxembourg and between. It's a truly an international festival.

Tonight's first performance is from a group of musicians from Taiwan and Hong Kong. I'm no musician but I think the beauty of these jazz festivals is that it gives performers the opportunity to jam music with different people from around the world. The second act is from a Japanese jazz band - Tokyo Chuo Line. Their music was very lively and energetic, quite unlike the jazz that I normally hear, which I always thinks is a bit blue. At the end of the night, both groups of musicians came together to perform the final piece of the night. That was a brilliant performance, and even a novice like me thoroughly enjoyed it.

TAKING JAZZ HOME

After finishing tonight's festival performance on a high, I went to the front of the stage to look at the CDs on offer. I bought Tokyo Chuo Line's CD and even got it signed by the band! My friends bought the same one as me, plus two other ones including one which was a first for all of us. This was a credit card size CD, and when you flick open the slot on one end it reveals a USB stick. Clever!

Another brilliant jazz festival this year, see you again next year!

 

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Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://livinguktaiwan.com/lets-go-to-the-jazz-festival/

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Check out all my travel posts here on Steemit Worldmap, and also my latest project @LadiesOfAsia where we share fun and cultural diversity across Asia Pacific.