Taipei has a small but growing jazz scene with hotel bar bands that play soft ballads and groups that veer into more original, improvisational styles. Metamorphosis Jazz Band (變形蟲爵士樂團) is one new local band that plays to bring out the soulful spirit of jazz. It is also one of the few bands in town that offers live jazz practically every week.
The band will play two shows this weekend, one tonight at Witch House at 10pm and another tomorrow at Riverside Cafe at 9:30pm. Funk, samba and Latin jazz - the latest trend in jazz - will be the main themes of the shows, according to Peng Yu-wen (彭郁雯), painist and composer of the band. The group will then take a rest for the month and resume weekly Friday shows at Blue Note jazz bar in April.
Metamorphosis is usuallly a quartet, but occasionally expands to a sextet. The members first met while playing in the Dizzy Jazz Band, Taiwan's only big band. Two and half years ago they began playing quartet shows at Blue Note.
The members of the band have been trained at some of the most renowned music academies. Pianist Peng and guitarist Lai Chin-kai (賴晉楷) graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston. Bassist Michel Wu (吳莉雯) and her sister Brandy Wu (吳純盈) on drums studied at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood. And the band's trumpeter Miles Chiu (邱健二) is simplly a "music freak," according to Peng. With a master's degree in mechanical engineering from UCLA, Chiu was offered jobs at institutes such as NASA, but instead chose to follow in the footsteps of Miles Davis and even assumed his hero's English name.
Aside from standard jazz tunes, Metamorphosis writes and arranges their own music. Chung Shan North Road is a lively samba written by Chiu. First Light is another samba with a touch of funk, written by Peng. These two are the most frequently requested songs at their live shows. So don't hesitate to call out loudly for these tunes if the band forgets to play them.
What: Metamorphosis Jazz Band
What & Where: March 9, 10:00pm at Witch House (女巫店), 7, Lane 56, Hsingsheng S. Rd., Sec. 3 (北市新生南路三段56巷7號) Tel:2362-5494. March 10, 9:30pm at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言), B1,2,Lane 244, Roosevelt Rd., Sec. 3 (北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號B1)
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