Shenzhen Oct-Loft jazz festival brings 30 bands

In the office behind B10 Space, which is arguably Shenzhen's premier live house, Teng Fei appears to be even more animated than his usual sprightly self. Dividing his time between his work as a full-time artist and managing the space, Teng is busy putting the finishing touches to the fourth Oct-Loft Jazz Festival, which starts on October 8.

A chart of listing dates, bands and venues reveals the scope and scale of the two-week musical odyssey. Headlining the opening night will be gypsy-jazz band Janne Schra and Robin Nolan Trio and French fusion act Lunatic Toys. Japanese percussionist Yoshisaburo "Sabu" Toyozumi, 71, will bring his unique rhythms to the Pearl River Delta on October 10, while veteran American bassist Eddie Gomez, who was a hit at last year's festival, is back with his quartet to perform on October 23.

"I'm especially looking forward to Sabu; he's a true master," Teng says.

The festival is hosted in three venues around the Oct-Loft - two converted factory spaces, B10 and A3, plus Old Heaven, a book and music shop run by Tu Fei, who "co-curates" the festival with Teng. In addition to performances, there'll be a series of lectures, workshops, exhibitions and film screenings throughout the fortnight's festivities. "This year we have more than 100 musicians playing in about 30 bands," Teng says while looking through the festival programme.

"We're cooperating with Sun Livehouse in Zhongshan, Guangzhou's Fei Bar and Red Live in Changsha. They'll share some of the bands."

The Oct-Loft Jazz Festival is believed to be the biggest of its kind outside Shanghai. The genesis of this world-class gathering came about with the chance meeting of the organisers almost eight years ago, in a very different Shenzhen. "When I returned to China after 17 years in Europe, I missed music," Teng says. "In Germany, I used to host musicians in my art studio and I'd go and see bands every week. Live shows are a place for creative people to meet and exchange ideas.