Embracing all that jazz

Liu also pays tribute to a key figure behind Bamboo's Murmurs and the latest album, In Your Arms, who is veteran jazz musician Liu Yuan.

Liu Yuan was the supervisor of the album, and was also the one who initiated the idea of recording a live album at East Shore Jazz Cafe, located on the bank of Beijing's Houhai Lake, of which he is the founder.

When Liu Yuan started playing the saxophone in the mid-1980s, few people in China knew what jazz was. As the genre took root in China, Liu Yuan witnessed the growth of a vibrant and fast-developing jazz scene.

Liu Yuan was a folk musician in his 20s when he learned to play the saxophone, and performed with Chinese rock music legend Cui Jian.

He launched East Shore Jazz Cafe in 2006, which helped to build the Beijing jazz scene.

"I played at East Shore Jazz Cafe in June 2006, on the first day the venue opened. Almost every Thursday, I played there. It's like a home to me and many other jazz musicians in Beijing," says Liu Yue.

"I once read an article introducing and reviewing the album Bamboo's Murmurs, which said that the album gathers four people, respectively born in the 1960s (Liu Yuan), 1970s (Liu Yue),1980s (Zhou) and 1990s (Xu). That is inheritance and innovation," says Liu Yue.