Red Hand gets in Touch with the world

One of China's most beloved jazz bands releases its first album 20 years since its formation, Chen Nan reports.

After nearly 20 years since its formation, Red Hand, one of China's most influential jazz bands, has released its first album, titled Touch — a long-awaited event that has sent ripples of excitement through the music scene.

Recorded in a studio in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, in June 2023, the album, unlike traditional jazz numbers and the general notion of free improvisation, finds a critical balance between composition and improvisational experimentation. It uses meticulously crafted pieces as the skeletal framework for creation, while the vibrant, life-filled improvisational notes serve as the blood and energy that drive the flow of the music.

The significant change in sound texture has brought a whole new chemical reaction to this reunion of Red Hand, and the use of live recording allows for the most authentic reproduction of the musicians' performance and spiritual energy at the time.