The official website of the Grammy Awards has recently released a list of "10 Emerging Jazz Artists To Watch," with Taiwanese vibraphonist Lu Chien-Chien (魯千千) being the only musician from Taiwan to be featured on the list. Lu said that she never dreamed of such a day, "this is the closest I've ever been to the Grammy Awards in my life."
The post on Grammy's website stated that "pandemic lockdowns battered jazz like almost no other genre, but these 10 artists forged ahead and played on — more imaginatively and powerfully than ever." It also praised Lu for continuing to record tunes that are "suffused with camaraderie and love" during the pandemic, such as "Water," "Embrace the Now" and "Someday We'll All Be Free."
Born in Taiwan, Lu began playing percussion when she was a child. After graduating with a master's degree from the Orchestral and Percussion Research Institute, Taipei National University of the Arts, she joined the Ju Percussion Group and performed in over a hundred shows. In 2015, Lu studied music in the United States and went on to graduate with a Master of Music in Jazz Studies from the University of the Arts; she later relocated to New York in 2017, and from there, Lu began to perform regularly in the U.S. and formed her own band "Chien Chien Lu Jazz Sextet" in 2019.
Her project "The Path" has previously received three Golden Melody Awards nominations. She released another project in collaboration with bassist Richie Goods entitled, "Connected" in January 2023. She also finished recording her sophomore solo project and planning to release it in Fall 2023.
In an interview with the Grammys, Lu, who has a classical music background, recalled spending eight to ten hours in a practice room building a "new skill muscle" as she found out that it's almost impossible to start to play jazz with a classical mindset. She shifted her mindset and realizes that she can be herself on the stage and do her improvisation.
"Chien Chien Lu Jazz Sextet" will be performing at the Taoyuan Arts Center, National Concert Hall in Taipei, Dadong Arts Center in Kaohsiung, and National Taichung Theater on May 20, 21, 26 and 27, respectively.
(Photo credit: Lu Chien-chien)