'As time goes by in Shanghai', a lovely 2013 feature documentary by acclaimed German director, cinematographer, screenwriter, editor and one-time musician Uli Gaulke came to my attention belatedly. The documentary film (DE & NL) has been invited to some of the more important international film festivals and won the Audience Award at the Saratov Sufferings International Documentary Drama Film Festival.
(Note: the DVD is available on Amazon or you can stream it in case you are Amazon Prime customer)
In this adorable gem of a documentary, the German film-maker accompanies and interviews the members of one of the most graceful old-school jazz bands (still) alive: the 'Peace Old Jazz Band'.
The plan by their concerned but very persuasive manager to have them make an appearance at the most prestigious international jazz festival, the North Sea Jazz Festival Rotterdam, is met with restrained enthusiasm. Obviously, the guys have to chatter, eat, smoke and practise their respective instruments quite some time before leaving for their latest adventure in foreign lands.
The biggest problem is to find a suitable female singer for the performance in far-away Rotterdam. Jasmine Chen, a renowned artist in her own right, is arguably the best fit by far and consequently hired on the spot.
Upon arrival in Holland, the old-boy band is warmly greeted and pampered around the clock by their Shanghainese (female, of course) caretaker. After getting a short crash course in Dutch culture, answering a few (rather stupid, in their opinion) questions by the media and some downtime, they are ready for the big event.
Unfortunately, one of the guys, Lao (Old) Sun, is suffering from a swollen foot and has to go to a hospital. But that doesn't hold him or his colleagues back for long - really nervous at first, sweating and anxious, they finally step onto the stage and begin to play their old-fashioned tunes like the masters of traditional American-inspired jazz music they once were in the old days.
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| Mr Sun Jibin :: © Flying Moon Filmproduktion :: Rick Liston |
Zhang Jingyu (73 years, piano), Li Mingkang (77 years, contrabass), Sun Jibin (80 years, sax & clarinet), Gao Honglin (71 years, alto sax), Lu Mengqiang Lu (53 years, trumpet) and Bao Zhengzhen (93! years, drums) are the names of the members of this exceptional band that has performed at the famous Peace Hotel in Shanghai for - literally - ages.
Many visitors, tourists and residents alike, frequent the hotel only to enjoy the venerable boy band playing its special kind of American jazz that was so widely celebrated during the roaring 1920s in China's most sophisticated metropolis.
The 'Peace Old Jazz Band' has made history and the men constituting it have lived through so many political upheavals and personal catastrophes (think of the Civil War, the defeat of the Guomindang troops and the founding of the PR China, the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, Mao's death and the reign of the Gang of Four, the subsequent rise of Deng Xiaoping, the advent of turbo-capitalism, and so on) they are quite immune to emotional overload, undue nostalgia or excessive worries (but not to more or less severe health issues, evidently). And it's exactly this trait that makes them unique among the residents of contemporary Shanghai, especially the younger ones.
I would recommend to have a look at a short article as well as a longer video that closely follows the band's preparations for the trip to Rotterdam, the actual journey and the final festival appearance - filmed by Uli Gaulke and his team - on Al Jazeera's English-language site here.
In this very nice piece that was published in the so-called 'Witness' series, the German film-maker reminisces about the evolution of this amazing but quite challenging film project:
'Two years ago, I read a magazine story about a band in the booming metropolis of Shanghai, which had been stoically playing American jazz every day for the past thirty years. In a city that is continually striving to erase its past, these elderly gentlemen seemed like rocks in the waves, concealing a treasure trove of fantastic stories ...
But even though our musicians could tell wonderful stories, I initially felt little empathy for them. They were always in a hurry to tell their tales and let them quickly vanish behind a brash smile.
This was the greatest challenge for me; putting on the brakes and finding the time and space where they could have the peace of mind to let their memories re-surface. After much trial and error, I discovered that these moments came during and after meals. Now our real work could begin ...
In the end, I chose to focus on Mr Sun and Mr Bao - two men whose amiability and dry humour were infectious and who enjoyed being in front of the camera. In moments such as the flirting scene with the female singer, I could feel the people I was portraying, and experience a moment of great truth.'
(Al Jazeera 'Witness'; June 5, 2014)
And now prepare yourselves for some jazzy tunes, a few beats and the most charming twinkle of Lao Sun.
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