Lao Dan
Lao Dan is a Chinese improviser who plays saxophone, the dizi (Chinese bamboo flute) and suona. He trained as a dizi player at the Shenyang Conservatory of Music and became a regular at the Old Heaven venue in Shenzhen. His music joins free jazz saxophone with a background in traditional Chinese wind playing. Lao Dan began on saxophone at eight before turning to the dizi, which he studied in Beijing and then at Shenyang. He formed the group Red Scarf with Deng Boyu and Li Xing.
Klotski
On Klotski, Lao Dan Quartet throws tenor, bamboo flute and suona into a Chicago crucible, where Mabel Kwan, Joshua Abrams and Michael Zerang keep reshaping time and texture until free jazz feels like a sliding puzzle in permanent motion.
New Species
Acclaimed jazz artists Lao Dan and Vasco Trilla join forces on New Species, an album that pushes the boundaries of modern jazz with inventive compositions and masterful improvisation. Blending elements of traditional jazz with contemporary influences, this collaboration offers a compelling journey through intricate melodies and dynamic rhythms.
New Species showcases Dan Lao’s versatility on saxophone and woodwinds, paired with Vasco Trilla’s innovative approach to drums. Together, they create a …
To Hit A Pressure Point
Lao Dan's innovative approach to music seamlessly intertwines elements of rock, free jazz, and noise with textures of Chinese folk music, creating a unique tapestry characterized by improvisational and aesthetic tension. His fearless transgression of genres, infusing Chinese folk-tinged free jazz with the raw energy of punk, results in a compelling and dynamic listening experience.
Saxophone Solo For Reel-to-reel Tape Recording
*2024 stock* This series of reel-to-reel tape recordings, to be jointly released by Old Heaven Books and Liu Ying Studio, aims to offer to our listeners the best quality of sound we can achieve so far. Whilst a small part of these releases come from historical archives, the majority are freshly made by musicians we invite to our studio. We record these studio sessions − some of which free-improvised, others more composition-based − on reel-to-reel tapes. With high-quality studio equipment, we ma…
Chinese Medicine
Edition of 50* A classically trained Chinese bamboo flautist, Lao Dan picked up the saxophone again around 2013 as he went wildly astray in the world of avant-garde jazz and free improvisation. While demonstrating an ever-growing ability to deliver explosive force and intensity in his free playing, Lao Dan keeps a brutal honesty in his approach to the instrument. He plays ‘jazz’ as what it is, not what it’s supposed to be. Navigating constantly between the East and the West, Lao Dan embraces a u…
啫啫银河 Ze Ze The Milky Way
" Here we have the tasty combination of two blog favorites, finding China-native Lao Dan joining forces with the visiting Jooklo Duo for a set of cosmic vibrations (and a little bit of free funk) at Old Heaven Books during 2018's LOFT Festival. Here Vanzan takes up his usual percussion duties while Lao Dan and Genta load up on various reeds and flutes which Genta supplements with a generous sidecar of vintage keyboard. This rowdy little number has a little bit of everything and once the trio get…