Out of the blue

They are also founders of the popular music festival, Simple Life Festival, which started in Taiwan in 2006 and expanded to Shanghai in 2014.

Chia says that he took his inspiration from the many great musicians have performed and recorded albums at the Blue Note club in New York City, such as Live At The Blue Note by Grammy Award-winning pianist Michel Camilo, which was recorded in March 2003, and the 1990 album Live at the Blue Note, by Canadian jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, to name just a couple.

"What made the Beijing project special was the musicians selected their songs and made new arrangements of them. Some songs were written years ago and were less well-known compared to their hits," Chia adds.

The first musician to perform at Blue Note Beijing with the project Live at Blue Note Beijing was Hong Kong singer-songwriter Yoyo Sham, who performed on August 31 with a show named Late Night Tales.

"Recording a live album is an unique experience, where even the flaws can be beautiful," says Sham, who as well as her on work is also known for her work as backing vocalist for many notable Chinese singers including Eason Chan and Sandy Lam.

Her show at Blue Note Beijing was Sham's first public performance in the capital, which she regards as her "most important performance in 2017".

"Some of the songs I performed were written during the years I've lived in Beijing, which made the night more meaningful to me," She adds. "I took the opportunity to reunite with old friends in Beijing and met new ones, it was a warm and special occasion."