Rock steady beat

Commenting on Cui, Wu Jiajia, the performances operation of Chinese entertainers at Blue Note Beijing, says: "Cui has been pushing boundaries for a while now. For example, he performed with the Beijing Symphony Orchestra in 2010 and, this time, the audience will enjoy some of his rarely performed songs with fresh twists."

Cui, who was born to a musician father and a dancer mother, is a classically trained singer-songwriter who joined the Beijing Symphony Orchestra as a trumpet player in 1981, where he started to learn the guitar and formed a band with other classically trained musicians.

Speaking about his life, Cui says: "I am lucky to be born into a family of artists.

"My parents' friends are all artists. So I talked to them, learned with them and I wanted to live a life like them.

"There was no other job than being a musician that was good enough for me."

Cui has also starred in movies such as The Sun Also Rises (2007), directed by the award-winning filmmaker Jiang Wen. And he made his directorial debut in 2013 with Blue Sky Bones, which features his own music.

Cui's last album, Frozen Light, was released in 2015. Regarded as his music comeback, and 10 years after his album, Show Your Color, it explores the theme of light, darkness and space with tracks such as Fish and Bird, Outside Girl and Cool Melon Tree.

Speaking about his work, Cui says: "I am not a productive musician. That's because for each song I write, I want find the most accurate lyrics and melodies to express myself."

If you go

Blue Note Beijing

8pm, Dec 6 and 7, 23 Qianmendong Dajie, Dongcheng district, Beijing 170-0000-0288