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A large-scale jazz music festival is set to return to the West Kowloon Cultural District between October 3 and 8 and October 26, featuring more than 500 jazz musicians from 11 countries and regions who together will present over 100 outstanding performances.
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The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority has held the flagship music festival since 2018, and the biggest difference between the fifth edition of Freespace Jazz Fest and the previous ones is that this year there are a large number of top musicians from mainland and overseas, including Korean musician Dasom Baek, British trio The Comet Is Coming, South African pianist and composer Nduduzo Makhathini and one of the finest jazz guitarists in the mainland, Lawrence Ku.
From October 6 to 8, over three consecutive evenings, Jazzscapes - the outdoor music event - will take place at the Wonderland, the outdoor venue next to the Hong Kong Palace Museum.
Jazzscapes will feature performances by teams from South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States, mainland China, Poland and local artists, including Antonio Sanchez, the winner of Grammy Awards; Voision Xi, the Shanghai-based singer-songwriter; The Comet Is Coming, the electronica and psychedelic jazz-fusion sounds of British trio; Polish bassist Kinga Glyk and more.
Each night will present three one-hour sessions of diverse jazz styles, ranging from punk and electronica to fusion and world music.
Jazzscapes offers single-day and three-day tickets. Without assigned seating, music fans can freely roam around or sit on the ground to enjoy the music.
This year's music festival has opened a brand new music venue. International jazz diva Stacey Kent will grace the stage at the Xiqu Centre Grand Theatre on October 26. She will be joined by American pianist Art Hirahara and British saxophonist Jim Tomlinson in a trio concert.
Stacey Kent is highly acclaimed in the international jazz scene, with album sales exceeding two million worldwide.
This will be her first concert in Hong Kong since her Asian tour in 2018 and the subsequent pandemic.
In addition to foreign musicians, top and emerging local musicians will also be performing.
For example, the 80-member jazz choir, Vocal Jazz Tribe, will showcase Cantonese pop songs and classic jazz.
This year's music festival will feature an interactive music theatre for all ages. On October 7 and 8, the original interactive children's music theater production The Jazz Hero will be held at The Box, Freespace.
"We hope the Freespace Jazz Fest can develop into one of Asia's best annual jazz events, providing a platform for musicians to showcase their talents and attracting more local, mainland and international music lovers to attend and experience Hong Kong's unique and diverse East-meets-West jazz cultural blend," said Paul Tam Siu-man, executive director of performing arts of the West Kowloon cultural authority.
