Ah-Q Jazz Arkestra Group Photo
About Ah-Q Jazz Arkestra
Named after the main character in a Lu Xun novel, the Ah-Q Jazz Arkestra has stubbornly found its own niche in the Beijing jazz scene for two decades, bringing together an eclectic mix of musicians, styles, and original jazz compositions.
Playful, creative, adventurous, the Ah-Q Jazz Arkestra uses the rich language of jazz to explore the rhythms, melodies, harmonies and emotions of our world.
Ah-Q Jazz Arkestra Musicians
Liu Xiaoguang
saxophone, flute
Tenor saxophonist Liu Xiaoguang is a remarkably versatile performer, composer and arranger. He also plays keyboards with Teng Ge Er’s Canglang band, and harmonica and flute with Xiao Juan and the Residents from the Valley. His abundant experience spans more than 20 years in live performances in Beijing, as well as teaching saxophone at the Beijing Contemporary Music Academy. In addition to fronting the Ah-Q Jazz Arkestra, Xiaoguang has played and worked with a number of leading musical ensembles, including the Shangupai Band, the Beijing City Jazz Big Band, Modern Pop Band, Beijing Senlin Jazz Big Band, Beijing Blue Note Jazz Big Band, Five Spice Funk Band, HaYa Band, and Red Groove Funk Band led by guitarist Lawrence Ku. He’s played with numerous musicians, including Nathaniel Gao, Xia Jia, Wen Zhiyong, Liu Yue, Bei Bei, Moreno Donadel, Zhang Ke, Da Huai, Xiao Dou, Liang Ying, Li Xiaochuan, Zhang Xiongguan, Gu Hequan, Royal Hartigan, David Bindman, Art Hirahara, Billy Kilson, Jaleel Shaw, Conrad Herwig, and Ingrid Jensen.
Matt Roberts
trombone
Ah-Q Jazz Arkestra trombonist Matt Roberts has been playing jazz in China since 1990, and is one of the founding members of the Ah-Q Jazz Arkestra. Inspired by life-changing performances during his college years with the legendary Sun Ra, Matt has performed with a number of jazz and funk ensembles in Beijing and Shanghai over the last thirty years. Roberts is passionate about collaborative composition. He helped organize saxophonist Ted Nash’s composition workshops and performance in Beijing in the summer of 2016, and is a regular contributor to the Creative Composers Collective series championed by jazz guitarist and composer Simone Schirru.
Da Zhong
bass
Bassist Da Zhong has been a member of a number of jazz ensembles, including: Ah-Q Jazz Arkestra, Moreno Jazz Trio, Xia Jia Electric Trio, Beijing City Big Band, Yang Ming Jazz Ensemble, and Liang Ying Jazz Quartet. Da Zhong has performed over the years in Beijing’s clubs and theatres, participated in many jazz festivals and exchanges with domestic and international musicians. He also teaches at the Beijing Contemporary Music Academy.
David Moser
keyboards
Jazz educator, composer and performer David Moser graces the Ah-Q Jazz Arkestra with his light touch and contagious sense of humor. David has contributed many beautiful compositions to the Ah-Q Jazz Arkestra repertoire, including Lifeline, One at Three, Shui Chi and Green Light. David also plays trumpet and guitar.
Scott Silverman
drums
Hailing from the U.S., Ah-Q Jazz Arkestra’s drummer Scott Silverman started playing drums when he was four years old and has played professionally since age 12. After moving to China in the mid-1990s, Scott was a founding member of Five Guys on a Train, one of Shanghai's first modern jazz bands. Now based in Beijing, Scott performs regularly with many of the city's top jazz musicians.
