Xu Fengxia, born in Shanghai/China began to play Chinese string instruments when she was 5 years old. Because of her exceptional talent she was accepted to study at the renowned Shanghai Conservatory. Xu Fengxia learnt the “guzheng”, “sanxian”, “Guqin” and “Liuqin”. After she had graduated she joined the famous Shanghai Orchestra for Traditional Chinese Music. After having moved to Germany in 1991, Xu Fengxia developed her own personal style: a mixture of everything from traditional sounds all over the world to more abstract and avant-garde material. She mainly uses the 21-string “guzheng” in concerts and has started to use her beautiful voice in many contexts. Jazz- or improvising musicians she works with are: Joe Fonda, Hamid Drake, Assif Tsahar, Matthias Schubert, Frank Gratkowski, Baby Sommer, Misha Feigin, Lucas Niggli, Michael Heupel, Uwe Oberg, Le Quan Ninh, Martin Blume, Johannes Bauer, Luc Houtkamp, Wilbert de Joode and many more.
Chinese pipa player, singer and composer Min Xiao-Fen is known for her fluid style. She is a world recognized virtuoso and a courageous pioneer in both orchestral and underground projects. She was a pipa soloist with the famed Nanjing Traditional Music Orchestra of China for more than ten years. She also won the Jiangsu national pipa competition and eventually become a first class artist in China. After Ms. Min came to the United States in 1992, she worked with composers John Zorn, Philip Glass, Tan Dun and many others. In 2003, she was invited by Jazz at Lincoln Center to play a solo set of the music of Thelonious Monk. Most recent highlights included appearances with her Blue Pipa Trio at the JVC Jazz Festival, the Deer Isle Jazz Festival, and recorded for Björk’s new album Volta. Min was a featured composer and performer for the American Composers Orchestra’s “Composer Out Front” project. She was invited by Björk to play as a special guest at Madison Square Garden and Radio City in New York. Min received a new commission, Retune of the Dragon, from The Kitchen, and also performed with her Asian Trio at The Kitchen. Ms. Min is also the founder of Blue Pipa, Inc. (www.bluepipa.org)
Composer/Performer Ned Rothenberg has been internationally acclaimed for both his solo and ensemble music, presented for the past 25 years in North and South America, Europe and Asia. He leads the trio Sync, with Jerome Harris, guitars and Samir Chatterjee, tabla. Recent recordings include Sync’s Harbinger, Intervals, a double-cd of solo work,Live at Roulette with Evan Parker and Are You Be, by R.U.B.(Rothenberg/Kazuhisa Uchihashi/Samm Bennett) on Rothenberg’s Animul label.Chamber music releases include Inner Diaspora and Ghost Stories, on Tzadik and Power Lines on New World, along with The Fell Clutch on Animul. Other collaborators have included Sainkho Namchylak, Paul Dresher, John Zorn, Marc Ribot and Yuji Takahashi.
Xu Fengxia, zheng & vocal
Min Xiao-Fen, pipa & vocal
Ned Rothenberg, shakuhachi and saxophone.