Embracing all that jazz

Accomplished musician, Liu Yue, and his band release their first live album, In Your Arms, recorded during a 2018 performance at an iconic venue in Beijing, Chen Nan reports.

On the night of Sept 9, 2018, a performance was staged at Beijing's East Shore Jazz Cafe.

Liu Yue, the guitarist, was about to perform with his trio, which included organist Zhou Xia and drummer Xu Zhitong.

"We are going to record tonight's show and publish it. It would be highly appreciated if you could join us and keep it quiet," Liu said to the audience.

For Liu and his trio, it was the first time that they recorded a live album. For the audience, it was also a new experience.

"They (the audience members) were very cooperative and two of them joked that we should give them copies of the album when it was published," recalls Liu.

On March 13, the album, titled In Your Arms, was released by China Record Group, one of the biggest and oldest record companies in the country.

The album features four works: Apple Pie, Yellow Earth, Love of Bajie and In Your Arms, all written by Liu.

"We performed about eight pieces during the show and we chose four because those four works are different in terms of their styles. We love our performances of those four works that night," says Liu, 48. "Back in 2018, it was rare for jazz musicians to record albums live. It was a very memorable and valuable experience for all of us."

The title song, In Your Arms, was written by Liu in 2013, featuring musical elements of the urtiin duu, known as the "long song", which is one of the most iconic forms of Mongolian ethnic music.