Chinese female jazz vocalist?

[yonitabonita]

Hi folks

Can anyone out there recommend any (Mandarin) Chinese jazz vocalists I can check out? I think it's time to diversify my Chinese language learning tools. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

I'm not brave enough to face the puppy dog sugar candy pop music variety - yet.

Thanks,

Y

[Catdiseased]

this would interest me also very much.

But what comes close to a jazzy voice, is that of Cai Qin 蔡琴, imho. Its definitely not the sugar pop kind of thing.

[ange9s]

You might like Grace Chang (葛兰）， most of her songs are movie soundtrack songs from the fifties and sixties, http://mp3.baidu.com/m?f=ms&rn=&tn=baidump3&ct=134217728&word=%B8%F0%C0%BC&lm=-1

I don't know if that's the type of thing you're looking for or not; when people say jazz, they could mean be-bop, dixieland, avant-gard, cool jazz, ragtime, fusion, big band, etc.

[yonitabonita]

Why? Are there Mandarin singing female jazz vocals that sing be-bop, dixieland, avant-garde, ragtime, fusion, big band etc?

Are there Chinese Betty Carters, Cassandra Wilsons, Anita O'Days out there? Are there Chinese jazz artists that have indigenised jazz?

I was honestly thinking that jazz was so tiny here that I'd be lucky to find anything that falls under the broadest jazz umbrella. If I'm wrong, please share!

[wai ming]

Hmm... I don't know if this counts, but some of Shunza (顺子)'s music is close to jazz. Actually, I haven't heard much of her music apart from her first album, which I miraculously found in a public library once, and a few of her later songs, but I can say she does have a great voice Apparently she studied at a few jazz schools (Shunza's profile). And she's fluent in Mandarin, English and French!

[rose~]

I did a quick search and found this short article about jazz in China. Which led me to look at the website of the man mentioned (金浩) where he lists some jazz clubs in China here. Actually I don't know where you are but there are some great jazz bars in Shanghai.

Also on their BBS they discuss the development of jazz, including Chinese jazz here and here. They highlighted three singers:谷峰、张盈、姚意 (Gu Feng, Zhang Ying and Yao Yi), none of which I had ever heard (even though I am a music fanatic). Anyway I tried Zhang Ying 张盈 on Baidu and I actually really like it so thanks!

Baidu Search

Can you read Chinese to navigate that? Here is one I like:

活該 huo gai-listen

And:

Liu Yang River-Listen

The second one is really interesting in its use of the traditional pentatonic scale and instruments. Wow, what an amzing voice...great antitdote to city life.

Her website is here.

I might try the other two singers later.