The Taichung Jazz Festival's Creative Costume Parade Kicks Off Today

Written/Compiled and Reported by Chen Guanxin, MOOK Travel Life Network

 

Organized by the Taichung City Government’s Cultural Affairs Bureau, the “2013 Taichung Jazz Festival” opens today and runs through October 27 at Civic Square. With the theme “Classic Jazz Rising – This is Jazz,” it invites over 50 performance groups from 11 countries to lead audiences from the “classic jazz scenes” of the past to the globally popular “world stages” of today. The international acts invited this year offer a diverse jazz medley. Alongside authentic American jazz, audiences can enjoy modern jazz from France, Denmark, Norway, Australia, and more, as well as world jazz infused with Israeli folk flavors.

Today at 14:00, the festival opens with an exciting “Creative Costume Parade.” The procession features three marching bands from Xinxing High School, Lingdong High School, and Ciming High School, along with the Kesari Band and a classic convertible car fleet. Starting at Civic Square, it will parade along Gongyi Road, Zhongming South Road, Section 2 of Taiwan Boulevard, and Zhongxing Street, delivering a spectacular opening event.

 

Starting at 15:00 in the afternoon, top-tier acts on both the main stage and J1, J2 stages take the spotlight. These include Malaysian jazz diva “Malaysia’s Teresa Teng” Winnie Ho, Japanese jazz beauty Kaori Kobayashi, and French headliner Anne Ducros, the foremost female jazz vocalist in France. With their exceptional musical skills, they will dazzle the audience and inaugurate the first day of the jazz festival in brilliant fashion.

 

Tomorrow (Oct. 20), performances will feature famed American jazz harmonica player Hendrik Meurkens, known as the “Ambassador of Samba Jazz,” and the Australian Albare Quartet, whose jazz guitar stylings once topped the U.S. jazz charts for ten consecutive weeks. Hendrik Meurkens, regarded as the most important jazz harmonica artist since Belgian jazz legend Toots Thielemans, blends jazz with Brazilian influences to create his unique Samba Jazz style. He will captivate the crowd with his fluid melodies. The Australian Albare Quartet will infuse their lively tunes with blues and soul elements, immersing listeners in beautiful melodies and the rich subtleties of everyday sounds.

 

This year’s Taichung Jazz Festival presents nine days of continuous performances. In addition to classic musical feasts by world-renowned jazz ensembles, side events such as jazz film screenings, international food exhibitions, and cultural creative markets promise attendees a rich and unforgettable musical experience, showcasing Taichung’s unique jazz spirit and urban character.

 

To accommodate the event schedule, the Transportation Bureau has coordinated with bus operators to increase service frequency. City buses numbered below 300 offer free rides for distances within 8 km when using an IC card. The public is encouraged to take advantage of these services. To ensure pedestrian safety during the event, from today through October 27, Gwanqian Road (from Gongyi Road to Lane 470 of Yingcai Road) will be closed between 13:00–23:00 on weekends and 16:00–23:00 on weekdays. For more event information, visit the official website: www.taichungjazzfestival.com.tw.

 

 

●  Further Reading:

20 Popular Nightspots in Taichung to Soak Up the Night (Part 1)

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