Fans can enjoy four nights of jazz gigs at the 10th OCT-LOFT Jazz Festival running from tomorrow through Sunday, after the three-year hiatus due to the pandemic. This year’s lineup spans from renowned veterans to new talents, guaranteeing a fusion of styles that are sure to charm you with every note.

Alex Zhang Hungtai (Canada)

Alex Zhang Hungtai focuses on improvised music and free jazz. His new compositions predominantly work with saxophone, synthesizers and percussion.

Time: 8:30-9:45 p.m., Oct. 26

Miroslav Tadić (Serbia)

The centerpiece of guitarist, composer, improviser and music educator Miroslav Tadić’s solo program is his evolving suite “Laments, Dances and Lullabies.” The suite is based on a great variety of songs and dances from the Balkan region. His rich musical background includes classical, jazz, blues and flamenco.

Time: 8-9 p.m., Oct. 27

The Golden Sea Duo (U.S.)

Consisting of percussionist Kahil El’Zabar and tenor saxophonist David Murray, the Golden Sea Duo has been ongoing for over 40 years. Considered the pioneer of spiritual groove and Afrocentric jazz, El’Zabar has been at the forefront of the avant-garde jazz scene since the 1970s. Murray is a Grammy Award winner and a prestigious recipient of the Jazzpar Prize of Denmark.

Time: 9:20-10:20 p.m., Oct. 27

Sabu (Japan) & Dan (China) Duo

Sabu Toyozumi is one of the pioneers playing free improvisation music in Japan. As an improvising drummer, he has played and recorded with many key figures in Japan since the late 1960s. Chinese bamboo flutist and saxophonist Lao Dan explores the expansion of artistic expression of the two instruments, leading to a creative freedom. 

Time: 8-9 p.m., Oct. 28

MOVE (Brazil, Portugal)

Consisting of electric bassist Felipe Zenicola, saxophonist Yedo Gibson and drummer João Valinho, MOVE was born in 2022. Its music knows no stylistic limits, searching for a unique dynamic that explores the limits of interplay and communication.

Time: 9:20-10:20 p.m., Oct. 28

Steve Noble & Alex Ward (U.K.)

Steve Noble is London’s leading drummer, an inventive improviser with super-precise, ultra-propulsive and hyper-detailed playing. Clarinetist and guitarist Alex Ward’s diverse musical activities have straddled the worlds of free improvisation, contemporary composition and avant rock.

Time: 7-8 p.m., Oct. 29

Takeo Moriyama’s Pianoless Quartet That Touches the Soul (Japan)

Takeo Moriyama’s Pianoless Quartet That Touches the Soul, consisting of Fire Watanabe (alto saxophone), Tetsuro Kawashima (tenor saxophone), Makoto Togashi (double bass) and Takeo Moriyama (drum), is formed specially for this year’s OCT-LOFT jazz festival.

Time: 8:20-9:20 p.m., Oct. 29

Improvisation Unit

The Improvisation Unit is a distinctively arranged unit for the artists and audiences who stay until the last minute of the festival.

Time: 9:40-10:40 p.m., Oct. 29

Free lecture

"FMP: The Living Music"

Free Music Production (FMP) is a German label initiated by German musicians Peter Brotzmann and Jost Gebers in the late 1960s. “FMP: The Living Music” is a book by Markus Müller dedicated to the history of the music label, based on many conversations from over 30 years with the key protagonists. Müller will give a lecture on FMP.

Time: 2-4 p.m., Oct. 28

Free documentary

A scene from "Brötzmann"

“Brötzmann,” in English and German with Chinese subtitles, will be shown. While world-famous saxophonist Peter Brötzmann talks about old friends, new images and freedom, his colleagues, journalists and bar owners tell of their own memories of this uncompromising pioneer of free jazz and his fascinating inspiration.

Time: 4:15-5:30 p.m., Oct. 28

Venues: B10 (gigs), A3+ (lecture, documentary), North Area, OCT-LOFT, Nanshan District (南山区华侨城创意文化园北区B10现场和A3+)

Metro: Line 2 to Qiaocheng North Station (侨城北站), Exit B