????Cao Zhen ????caozhen0806@126.com ????KNOWN for its artistic creativity, the annual OCT-LOFT Jazz Festival is a favorite October tradition in Shenzhen. This year, the festival will feature over 80 musicians from all around the world to present their most amazing works to local jazz-lovers in OCT-LOFT from Oct. 8 to 30. ????In its fourth year, the festival continues its tradition of bringing unparalleled jazz musicians to the event, with a lineup that includes Clotilde Rullaud from France, Sinne Eeg from Denmark, Slava Ganelin from Israel and Sabu Toyozumi from Japan. The festival promotes awareness and appreciation for all forms of jazz through live concerts, lectures, workshops, screenings and exhibitions. ????Singer/songwriter Rullaud’s artistic approach stands at the crossroad of various musical influences. She blends Latin, African, pop and jazz sounds, attesting to the wonderful melting pot that is jazz. Poetry and the inner music of words also hold a key place in her artistic world. She aims above all to challenge what can be done with song and voice in order to reach her full expression, escaping from standard configurations to express her love for freedom. ????Danish jazz vocalist Eeg is considered a major talent and has received a number of highly positive reviews in the international press. Her 2007 album “Waiting for Dawn” won her the Danish Music Awards prize in the category of vocal jazz album of the year. The clarity of her very natural tone gives her that distinction. ????Ganelin is a Lithuanian-Israeli jazz composer. Primarily a pianist, he also plays other keyboards (organ and synthesizer) as well as bass, guitar, and percussions. He was the leader of the Ganelin Trio, described by critic Chris Kelsey as “arguably the world’s greatest free jazz ensemble” of the 1970s and 1980s. ????Toyozumi is one of the small groups of musical pioneers who comprised the first generation playing free improvisation music in Japan. As an improvising drummer, he played and recorded with many of the key figures in Japanese free music, including the two principle figures in the first generation, Masayuki Takayanagi and Kaoru. He is one of the very few of this circle who are still alive and playing this music today. ????For people interested in jazz knowledge, free lectures and workshops should not be missed. On the afternoons of Oct. 12, 18, 21, 26, lectures on modern German jazz, Polish jazz, Russian jazz and British jazz will be held at A3+, and Old Heaven. On the afternoon of Oct. 25, a documentary on Russian jazz will be shown at A3+ and from Oct. 8-30 a photo exhibition of British jazz scenes will be held at B10. More information can be found at www.octloftjazz.com. ? | 