Lo and behold
In 1980 Carter recorded the album Parfait at New Jersey’s legendary Van Gelder Studio with Ted Lo on the piano. The Hong Kong-born sexagenarian recalls getting a call out of the blue, which led to him touring the world for two years as a member of the Ron Carter Quartet.
“I think he said I reminded him of Herbie Hancock,” remembers Lo, the first Chinese graduate of Boston’s Berklee College of Music. “That’s got to be my most prestigious gig ever.”
Tomorrow night Lo will make a special guest appearance alongside the Ron Carter Trio, which includes touring members Russell Malone on guitar and Donald Vega on piano — a reunion marking the pair’s first meeting in 35 years. “I’m very excited — and a little nervous,” adds Lo, who returned to Hong Kong in 1996 to develop the local jazz scene. “Ron is a very serious musician, and they’re all very, very sensitive players.”
The surprise reunion is the work of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, with Carter being the latest star to appear as part of JazzUp, an educational concert series re-launched in 2017. Close to 4,000 people turned out at Queen Elizabeth Stadium for May’s inaugural Jazz Marathon, an all-day two-hander which saw HK-bred talents collaborating with visiting headliners.
Senior manager Kitty Lee promises an expanded International Jazz Day 2019 marathon featuring more than 60 musicians over two days. “As long as we have our own (Hong Kong) talents, it is the right time to develop this music genre.”