Du Yinjiao is a Chinese saxophonist

Saxophone

The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...

.

He began his musical career in a music regiment of the People's Liberation Army

People's Liberation Army

The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...

. In the 1980s he became interested in jazz music, which was at that time virtually unknown in China. In the face of official disapproval, he taught himself to play jazz by studying and transcribing contraband jazz tapes and books brought by foreigners from abroad.

Since the 1990s Du has been one of the two most prominent Chinese jazz musicians (the other being the saxophonist Liu Yuan). He directs an 18-piece big band and leads a weekly jam session at the Sān Wèi Shū Wū (三味书屋, Three Flavor Teahouse) in Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

, where he lives. He was also involved in the organization of the former Beijing Jazz Festival

Beijing Jazz Festival

The Beijing Jazz Festival is China's first and largest jazz festival. It was founded in 1993 by Udo Hoffmann, a German national living in China....

. He has recorded with the Chinese jazz pianist Xia Jia.

Du plays soprano

Soprano saxophone

The soprano saxophone is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument, invented in 1840. The soprano is the third smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists of the soprillo, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass and tubax.A transposing instrument pitched in...

, alto

Alto saxophone

The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...

, tenor

Tenor saxophone

The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...

, and baritone

Baritone saxophone

The baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...

saxophones, and is currently developing the "Du Yinjiao saxophone," a Chinese-made line of saxophones bearing his name.

External links

• http://www.yinjiaosax.com/
• "Jazzed Up in Beijing: The beat is back -- and the authorities seem cool" by Amy Wu, from Asiaweek.com (1997)
• "Jazz Swings Into Beijing" by Dan Ouelette, from Salon (1998)
• "First Views: Beijing International Jazz Festival" by Dan Ouellette (1998)