Black sea blue

Trumpeter Li Xiaochuan and his band tour Crimea for the Koktebel Jazz festival. [Photo by Chen Jie/China Daily]

For Chinese trumpeter Li Xiaochuan and his band, going to the Koktebel Jazz Party, held in Crimea over Aug 26-28, was a lot of drama. (Video)

A woman died on their flight from Beijing to Moscow, from where they were to reach Crimea for the international music festival, so the plane had to first land in Siberia.

Once at the festival in Koktebel town, an amplifier malfunctioned just as they were about to perform－despite a prior sound check. Then, on a sightseeing trip, a van carrying the Li Xiaochuan Quartet broke down on a narrow mountain road around sunset.

Finally, they came very close to getting stranded in Moscow due to a delayed flight from Crimea.

"What an unforgettable experience!" Li tells China Daily. "Nevertheless, the festival was great. We enjoyed a nice weather, the beach, food and music. The audience was warm and knew jazz."

Among the highlights of the Koktebel festival, he says, watching Jimmy Cobb's performance was a treat. The 87-year-old American jazz drummer is the last surviving member from the 1959 session that recorded jazz giant Miles Davis' Kind of Blue, which is perhaps the most famous album in jazz history.

"Cobb is a legendary musician of his generation ... we had the opportunity to see his live concert," says Li.

Li's fellow band member, bassist Huang Yong, says some bands from Russia also left an impression on them, with their unique Russian elements in jazz.