Luo Ning jazzes up the ivories

Pianist Luo Ning released his latest album, Rhapsody in Blue, on Nov 8, in conjunction with the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra and conductor Jing Huan.

Inspired by the 1924 song by George Gershwin, the new album features adaptations of some of Luo's classic pieces, which combine a variety of jazz.

Recorded in Guangzhou's Xinghai Concert Hall in September 2022, the new album was first proposed by the Chinese division of the Universal Music Group in 2021.

Luo also recorded compositions of his own, including Figure, a piece he wrote in 2006 that was inspired by his stay in Cuba in the 1990s.

The album closes with an interpretation of I Loves You Porgy, another Gershwin track from 1935, in tribute to the great composer.

The pianist started learning classical piano at 4 and studied at the Xinjiang Arts University before arriving in Beijing in 1996 to pursue his jazz dreams. In 2010, he furthered his musical education at the University of Arts of Cuba, where he studied under eight-time Grammy Award winner Cuban pianist, Chucho Valdes.