Suzhou

Had a great day sightseeing in Pan Men park in historic Suzhou. The temperature was around 39 degrees but still it was lovely. After Pan Men park we went for a stroll in Wang Shi Yuen or "Master of Nets Garden". This was a beautiful place to explore and escape the heat as the refection pond is the central feature.

Xitang Water Village, China

After the fan meeting at Kento's it was time to go for some sightseeing. My interest in culture and history drew me to the picturesque ancient water town of Xitang 2hrs outside of Shanghai. The 39 degree heat and humidity was really punishing brutal that day. The town with its beautiful bridges and canalas is really quite remarkable. There are many historic attractions like vintage gardens, temples and my favorite - the doctor's house. The gondola rides are of course a highlight. Xitang posed in Mission Imposssible III as Shanghai. In modern Shanghai nowadaysareas like this really no longer exist. However, using Xitang really added a lot of visual impact and character.

Finale

At the end of the night, the fans who had stayed until the bitter end all gathered for a photo. About 2am by the time we returned to Sun Island. 

Flute advice

Asking for pointers on the flute a fan plays his version of Fields Of Home from Behind The Mask He says it is the song that inspired him to take up the bamboo flute.  RK tells him to try to play with less tension in his hands.

After Party

After the concert there was a videotaped Q&A for the fans and an autograph session.

The event started on the dot. The soundman finally showed up 15 minutes before the downbeat. The house band played one song as a warm up. Originally they were to play three but the organizer was worried because the club was already packed and restless. Ron played some of the favorites the fans had voted on in member polls held months earlier. Although many of the fans were familiar with the tunes they had never seen the penny whistle and some of the other exotic flutes played before. Ron Played one flute duet to the piece "Courtship Song" with an ocarina player who had studied in the Ukraine. 

Afternoon Soundcheck

Running through the set at soundcheck. The band is starting to feel more settled with the material. Still no sign of the soundman. Fortunately the bus boy knew how to turn on the PA.

Outside Kento's

Ron Korb and Tang Tang outside Kento's Live House on a hot Thursday afternoon before soundcheck.

RK with Tang Tang outside Kento's before soundcheck on Thursday afternoon.

Afternoon Rehearsal The Day Before

After the interview we had a quick meeting at Flamesky and then a rehearsal at the club where the fan meeting was going to be held. RK met the members of the house band and they read through the charts. Mp3s and Pdfs had already sent ahead. Upon hearing the band RK made a few changes to the set.  

Love Radio - Shanghai

Bright and early on Wednesday morning we drove into central Shanghai to do the interview for Love Radio (Shanghai's biggest English language station). The interview lasted about an hour and then Zhang Ming had Ron record about 10 different station identification greetings. The IDs were all different lengths for different occasions like Christmas or Chinese New Years and for different shows. He asked Ron to play several versions of the Station theme song. He played several examples from other musicians first to get him in the mood. Zhang Ming has interviewed many foreign stars in all genres of music from Renee Fleming to the Rolling Stones.  

Interview by Flamesky

A six member crew from the music website Flamesky came out to film an in depth interview out in a cottage in Sun Island in the countryside 1 1/2 hours outside of Shanghai. This website proports to have 300,000 members. The questions were posed in English by Tang Tang the lady in this photo and will be subtitled in Chinese.
Some live playing was filmed as well as some exteriors.

Dressing Room

The backstage area of the hall is very nicely designed.  My dressing room had a rehearsal area complete with a Steinway grand piano. During intermission the Angels had to work hard to change and prepare makeup in the 15 minute interval.

Here we took a few quick pictures as a souvenir.

RK and The Angels Concert

Ron joined the Angels in playing some popular songs from his albums - Dark Eyes, Harvest Jig, Shadow Puppets etc. The newer group is not accustomed to moving on stage so we presented the performance just like a classical recital.
Inbetween some of the pieces there was an MC Zhang Ming who helped introduce some of the songs. He is a radio personality and he invited RK to come on his program the following week.

The Shanghai Oriental Art Center

The concert at The Shanghai Oriental Art Center on Saturday began with the Angels playing some traditional Chinese repertoire. Classical style unamplified that works perfectly in this beautiful new recital hall.

Rehearsal with Oriental Angels In Shanghai

Ron arrived in Shanghai Pudong airport on Thursday July 15th and the next day practiced with the Oriental Angels. The Friday was a very rainy hot and humid day indeed. The line up of the players has changed completely so we had to rehearse the songs from scratch. Many of the older players that played with Ron and his band back in 2007 have all gone on to raise children. The new Angels are all in their twenties. The oldest is Li Jia who is just 28 and will be the first female pipa player to received a PhD.