Taiwanese Jazz musician Vincent Hsu and his band Harlem Inc. are set to feature at this year’s Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, running from the 16-25 July 2021. As the only Asian band curated, the band brings “Harlem Legacy: Back to St. Nick’s Pub” as part of the Festival’s “Jazz From Around the World” programme, joining the likes of musicians from Ireland, Italy and Luxembourg.
With this gig, Vincent Hsu pays homage to St. Nick Pub, a historic jazz club in New York’s Harlem district and demonstrates a diversity of styles including hard bop, funk, Latin, and original work from himself. The pre-recorded performance will be a Festival Pass Exclusive, and air online starting from 24th July 2021 for 3 days.
‘’It is an honour to participate in the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival this year with the online format. Sharing music has always been my calling, and I am looking forward to the day when we can bring Taiwan jazz to the stages in Edinburgh to the British audience,’’ says Hsu. As an award-winning bassist and composer, Hsu and his band are invited to perform not only in Taiwan but also in the United States, South Korea, and Spain. In 2019, the band became the first Taiwanese musician to play at the New Orleans Jazz Museum, and was invited back for this year’s International Jazz Day, premiering Hsu’s new track “African Princess”.
Thanks to the festival and the help from Taiwan’s National Theatre and Concert Hall, it is a pleasure to see the online format enables international participation for cultural events despite the current circumstances. In addition, it is hoped that it can be the starting point for more jazz musicians from Taiwan to be noticed and to share their music in the EJBF and in the UK in the near future.
The Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival was founded in 1978 and is held annually in late July. It is the first event in Edinburgh’s summer roster of cultural events and festivals, featuring over 150 concerts and attracting over 60,000 attendees. With the Festival’s physical events being reduced due to pandemic restrictions, this year’s Festival will feature 42 online events. Viewers will be able to catch all of the festival’s online programs after purchasing a Festival Pass from the 5th July.
For more info, please visit: https://edinburghjazzfestival.com/artist/jazz-around-world-taiwan
