Lawrence Ku (guitar)

Lawrence Ku was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He has been living in China since 1997, and is among the central figures in the growing jazz scene in China. He performs regularly at the JZ Club in Shanghai and is involved in many musical projects. His group, the Lawrence Ku Septet, was recently featured at the Helsinki Jazz Festival in June of 2005, and his other group, the Red Groove Project, has been a long standing favorite at the JZ Club. He is also a co-founding member of The Far East Quartet (a collaborative quartet involving musicians from Shanghai and Hong Kong) as well as a member of several other groups. Previously, Lawrence has resided in Beijing, where he taught at the Contemporary Music Institute and the Midi School of Music, and Boston, where he received his music training at the New England Conservatory (graduate studies in Jazz Performance) and the Longy School of Music (M.A. in Composition). He has studied with such jazz greats as Ben Monder, Charlie Banacos, Jerry Bergonzi, George Garzone, George Lewis and Carol Kaye.

Huang Jianyi (piano)

Pianist/composer Huang Jianyi has been a music educator and Art Director at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music where he also received Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance.  He founded the Footprints Jazz Band in 1999, one of the first modern Chinese jazz groups in Shanghai.  He has studied jazz piano at the Berklee College of Music with such greats as Paul Schmeling, Ray Santisi, Joanne Brackeen, Laszlo Gardony and Joe Lovano.  To complete his formal education he undertook a Master’s degree in Jazz Performance at Rutgers University where he is studied under Stanley Cowell, Victor Lewis, Ralph Bowen and Conrad Herwig.  

Huang Jianyi has performed in New York’s Blue Note club, at the Montreal Jazz Festival with the Possicobilities Band as well as JZ International Music Festivals in 2006, 2007 and 2009, the Beijing Ninegate jazz festival, Yokohama Jazz Festival, Beijing Jazz Festival with the Yannick Rieu Quartet and Lawrence Ku septet, the German Hamburger Reeperbahn Festival and at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. In 2010 he formed a new trio “J3”. Recordings include “Shanghai Jazz” 2005 EMI，Possicobilities Band “Dream Situation” 2006 Effendi, “Shanghai Blue” with Jens Bunge in 2009, and finally in 2010 his album with “J3” entitled “J3”.

Scotty Wright (vocal)

Scotty is a veteran musician with over 30 year’s experience, having performed in 20 countries around the world. One can hear the entire spectrum of jazz singing in his performances. With a warm, rich-toned voice and relaxed delivery, Scotty possesses a unique sound that is deeply rooted in the jazz tradition. His style features harmonic sophistication, a playful rhythmic approach and insightful phrasing of the lyric.His first recording, 'Too Much Fun!', was listed among the best jazz albums of the year in USA Today and the New York Daily News, earning Scotty a place in the Downbeat magazine's critics' poll, as a Talent Deserving Wider Recognition.Scotty is an accomplished songwriter, with over seventy songs to his credit, covering a wide stylistic range: swing, ballads, blues and Latin. Scotty is also a pianist: in his solo performances, the bass lines, counter-melodies and syncopated rhythms that his fingers create swirl around his voice, as if dancing together. In addition to his performance schedule, Scotty shares his passion and knowledge by teaching privately, presenting master classes, and writing for websites and magazines. He is currently presenting "An Introduction to Jazz Singing" as a guest clinician with the Pop Music Academy of Si Chuan Conservatory of Music in Chengdu, China.

J.Q. Whitcomb (trumpet)

American trumpeter and composer J.Q. Whitcomb was born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he started playing professionally from an early age in a variety of musical styles including jazz, classical, funk, ska, and reggae.  He studied Jazz Trumpet with Kenny Davis and Marcus Belgrave at Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio, and has also had the honor of learning the craft of jazz from Eddie Daniels, Wendell Logan, Gary Bartz, and other luminaries.  He has shared the stage with a number of illustrious world-class jazz performers including DeeDee Bridgewater, Laura Fygi, Robin Eubanks, Clark Terry, Neal Creque, Greg Bandy, Peter Dominguez, and Dan Wall.  

J.Q. has been highlighted in local and national press regularly since moving to China in early 2003, including features on Shanghai Television and Shanghai Daily, as well as in all of Shanghai's most prominent English language magazines (Shanghai Talk, That's Shanghai, 8 Days/SH, City Weekend, Metrozine) for performances around the city.

He was featured in early 2007 as a guest artist on a tour through Denmark with the Sinne Eeg-Martin Schack quartet, an internationally-acclaimed European jazz group.  He also performed at the 2008 Copenhagen Jazz Festival.

Individually, JQ has played in a number of styles and contexts, including electronic music/acid jazz, salsa, funk, reggae, and Afro-Cuban.  JQ's quintet Five Below has performed at many of Shanghai's most popular jazz venues, as well as in other Chinese cities including Xi'an, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Chongqing.  The group has been featured weekly at JZ club for over three years, and utilizes the cream of Shanghai's growing crop of world-class jazz musicians.  The group has an extensive repertoire of original music and has recently recorded a new album.  He also performs regularly with a number of other established groups in Shanghai, including the Shanghai Latin Project, the JZ All-star Big Band, and the Cotton Club band.

Alec Haavik (saxophone)

Tenor and soprano saxophonist Alec Haavik, hailing from the New York City area, is now based in Shanghai, China. His urban, yet personable compositions fuse the multi-textured language of jazz with the raw energy of rock. The result is an array of tunes which cause listeners to both scream and reflect, laugh and grow quiet. This spectrum, made even wider by his new hometown, is captured on Alec's latest CD, Ye Shanghai.

Raised in the New York City area, Alec has performed internationally in a broad array of jazz and performance groups. During his eight years on the scene in New York City, he performed or recorded with such artists as Jane Monheit, Ronnie Burrage, Daniel Carter, Taro Koyama, Gregory Hutchinson, Shoko Nagai, and Eric Harland, among others. Alec's CD from this period entitled "Rocks," features a quintet with not one, but two electric guitars. The video of his charged-yet-classic tune, "Instant Death, Part 2," (as recorded by a quartet) appears on this website.

Prior to Shanghai, Alec lived in Taipei, Taiwan, where he performed at top jazz and Latin music venues including The Blue Note, Brown Sugar, and The Stage. He also appeared regularly at Club 75, with local legends Roberto Zayas and Xiao Bai. In 2003, Alec performed in Seoul, Korea, as saxophonist and flautist for the Musical: “The Play”, an original theatrical production.

During his Master's Program at the Manhattan School of Music, Alec studied with Dick Oatts and Mark Turner. More recently, Alec has studied with Ralph Bowen, Dave Tofani and George Garzone.

Chris Trzcinski (drums)

Chris Trzcinski is a drummer/composer of many musical genres. His ability to adapt and bring forth an adventurous voice is the reason he remains a top notch drummer on today's music scene. Chris began studying drums at the age of ten, and started his professional career at fourteen playing with local jazz musicians and various big bands. After college, Chris started performing and touring with numerous acts. He has shared the stage with the likes of Ira Sullivan, Kenny Burrell, Buddy Morrow, Dick Johnson, and Frankie Avalon; and groups such as The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra and The Living Sound Ensemble. Currently he is either playing freelance jazz gigs or performing in original-music ensembles in Shanghai, China. Most recently, he was featured at the Montreal Jazz Festival with the “Possicobilities” band. Chris has been teaching at JZ School since its conception in 2006 and in 2009, was recruited to teach at the Shanghai Conservatory.

EJ Parker (bass)

EJ Parker began playing bass at the age of fifteen in Cleveland, Ohio. During high school EJ played at many of the top jazz clubs in town. After high school Parker won a scholarship to attend The Dana School of music, where he majored in jazz performance under the direction of Tony Leonardi. Among many others, EJ has performed with Kenny Burrell, Cyrus Chestnut and Joanne Brackeen and has also toured with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. He has performed at the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Helsinki Jazz Festival, and jazz festivals all around Asia. Currently based in Shanghai, EJ teaches bass and holds jazz clinics, performs regularly, and does recording sessions in all genres of music.

Leonardo Susi (percussion)

Leonardo started percussion studies in 1991 with a private teacher and later at the Conservatory of Music in Tatui, SP-Brazil. He then took lessons from some of the Brazilian masters, including: Maestro Nelson Ayres, Hermeto Pascoal, Marcio Bahia, Guello, Maestro Paulo Braga and Maestro Cesar Camargo Mariano. Leonardo also had lessons with Simon Philips, the “Toto” drummer.

Based in Shanghai since 2003, Leonardo has performed at numerous Jazz Festivals and Jazz clubs including, the Hangzhou Jazz Festival with the Universal Quartet, the Hong Kong International Jazz Festival with João Mascarenhas Trio and the JZ International Music Festival.

Leonardo recorded and produced the first Latin CD in China called “On the Road” by the Colombian saxophone player Alvaro Cardenas; he also composed a song called “Brotas & Cartagena”.

Well-known for his versatility and creativity as drummer and percussionist, Leonardo has worked with musicians from all over the world, playing various styles and genres. Notable collaborations include work with Ma Xiaohui the famous erhu player and the legendary Brazilian musician Gilberto Gil.