Chinese songwriter sings the blues in Beijing

Singer-songwriter Zhang Ling [Photo provided to China Daily]

Chinese singer-songwriter Zhang Ling gave a show at Modernsky Lab in Beijing on Dec 19 along with Japanese musician Shun Kikuta.

The two musicians shared their music experience as well as jamming onstage.

Kikuta, a graduate of Berklee College of Music, has performed and recorded with blues, soul, R&B and jazz legends as B.B.King, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells.

Based in Chicago, Kikuta has released albums, including Chicago Midnight, Heart and Soul and Rising Sun.

Zhang was one of the first Chinese musicians to play the blues. Twenty years ago, he formed China's first blues band, The Rhythm Dogs, and has been playing bass with famed rocker Cui Jian for 10 years. He has also recorded with big-name Chinese singers like Faye Wong, Liu Huan and Li Yuchun.

In 2014, Zhang appeared on the stage of Sing My Song, a popular Chinese reality talent show, which won him a wider audiences as well as enabling more people to know the music genre.

Recently, he announced his cooperation with Modernsky, the Beijing-based indie record company, to further promote blues music in China.

Related:

Bowie's death was just the start of it, as 2016 began