Days 1-3 | Days 4-6 | Days 7-8

Hong Kong International Jazz Festival
Hong Kong, China
September 25-October 2, 2011

Hong Kong is, without a doubt, one of Asia's most iconic cities, with views from the upper levels of its numerous skyscrapers which really take the breath away. Watching the lights gradually come on from the best vantage points just before sunset is an unforgettable experience. Finding a suitable outdoor area to host a jazz festival is more of a challenge, but the festival organizers couldn't have dreamed of a better venue for the final two days of the Hong Kong International Jazz Festival. For the first time, the music was staged on the grounds of the West Kowloon Cultural District. With the Circle Stage right at the mouth of Victoria Harbor and the Square Stage and smaller Mobile Stage looking out at the South China Sea—and a myriad of sea vessels great and small—it was an ideal location for an outdoor music festival, and one whose setting made a noticeable impression on musicians and foreign visitors alike.

The penultimate day of HKIJF 2011—Chinese National Day to boot— began with one of the most brilliant a capella groups on the current scene, the German vocal sextet, Stouxsingers. The group—founded by Michael Eiman—enjoys a loyal following in Europe and Asia, and has won awards in jazz and pop categories alike. Should the band break in the United States, it will no doubt be a contender for R&B, rap and soul awards, as it's all there in the mix, which this concert amply demonstrated.

It's not all glamour being an international touring act. The Stouxsingers performed the opening slot at 2 p.m., having landed at Hong Kong International Airport a mere four hours before. And half a dozen hours after their show, the six members were set to fly to Seoul for a 2 a.m. Party Stage gig at the Jarasum International Jazz Festival. It's all in a day's work for the Stouxsingers. There were, however, no signs of jet lag during a terrifically energetic performance, a potent reminder of the possibilities of that most personal of instruments, the human voice.

Stouxsingers

With a rhythm section of "drummer" Karsten Muller and "bassist" Thomas Piontek powering the unit with considerable swing and funk, lead vocals were shared between Eiman, Katharina Debus, Gregorio Hernandez and Konrad Zeiner. The Beatles The Beatles

band/orchestra ' "All My Loving" began the show, and featured a convincing duet between Zeiner imitating a trombone and Eiman imitating a trumpet. On the self-penned "Du Bon Son," Zeiner did a passable imitation of a Frenchman, though in truth he does a better trumpet.

A large slice of soul funk was served up on singer Al Jarreau Al Jarreau
b.1940
vocal 's "Boogie Down" and a stirring "Jungle Boogie," complete with elephant roars, Tarzan cry and other typical jungle noises. With one hour to get the crowd's juices flowing, the emphasis was on lively, groove-based material, though the slower "Sometimes It Snows in April" saw the sextet work quite beautiful harmonies on Prince's poignant tune. A highlight of the show was the entertaining "Humanizoo," with the sextet creating the teeming sounds of tropical jungle, complete with didgeridoo effects. Debus stole the honors for solo improvisation of the set, on the band's powerhouse encore, "Funkjoe."

Stouxsingers' innovative, colorful arrangements of a range of popular songs and their undoubted improvisational skills mean that they're just as likely to perform at choral festivals, pop festivals or jazz festivals, as they are a capella festivals. Six voices sounding as one was a reminder, too, that that all other instruments essentially imitate, or channel, the human voice, but none can truly match its emotive power.

Trumpeter Eric Vloeimans Eric Vloeimans

trumpet provided some of the festival's best trumpet playing of the entire eight days. His quartet, Gatecrash, played a set largely drawn from Heavens Above! (Challenge Records, 2010) which ran from upbeat funk to electronic-jazz fusion, and spacier, balladic territory. Vloeimans—who studied under trumpeter Donald Byrd Donald Byrd
1932 - 2013
trumpet —is a fine technician, and has played with musicians of the caliber of guitarist Nguyen Le Nguyen Le
b.1959
guitar , bassist Lars Danilsson, and drummer Joe La Barbera Joe La Barbera
b.1948
drums among others. However, it was his emotive range and compositional strength which impressed most. The feel-good set opener "V-Flow" was hard-grooving, followed by the jazz-funk of "Maceo," with Vloeimans' effects bringing a saxophone tone to his trumpet. The latter number was clearly inspired by former James Brown James Brown
1933 - 2006
vocal saxophonist and funk legend, Maceo Parker Maceo Parker
b.1943
saxophone .

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