Coco Zhao

China doesn’t often nurture jazz musicians, so it’s remarkable that 24-year-old vocalist Coco Zhao is developing a global reputation. Born in a small town in Hunan Province, Coco was raised by musical parents who specialized in traditional Chinese opera. By age 10 he was studying Western classical music, eventually finding his way to jazz, which captured his heart. By the time he collaborated with Betty Carter at the Shanghai Jazz Festival in 1997, Coco was well on his way. His first international performances, in Paris, earned him the nickname “the Boy Billie Holiday from China.” More work followed in London and Zurich, and Coco began to create a synthesis of western and Chinese music. His first album, Dream Situation, is an enthralling fusion of East and West that will delight anyone with an ear for something new. He will be performing with Pen Fei violin/keyboard, Jean Vanasses vibraphone, Sylvain Provost guitar and Frédéric Grenier bass. “Coco’s kid-glove, mellifluous vocalese is supported by a group of sympathetic musicians” –Six Degrees of Jazz... more...