Music
Monday, 05 October 2009 10:10
Written by Jenn Chan Lyman

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A serendipitous stop at the Cotton Club: Shanghai old-timer Matt Harding graces us with stellar vocals and a mini interview

photo by Jenn Chan Lyman 

A cool Sunday evening finds us walking the autumn streets of Shanghai, searching for entertainment whilst the rest of the city is on holiday. We beeline to Cotton Club since Greg Smith is in town for the holidays and as soon as we walk in we discover it's a special night after all. There's a lone man onstage, soulfully tapping his left heel as he rocks the blues with a voice that quiets the crowd. He's got a kind face with a proper logger's beard under a khaki cap, a striped short sleeve shirt with a hint of cowboy on the pockets, and wide legged blue jeans- very All-American sans negative Bush aftertaste.

Greg joins him onstage in a sailor-inspired shirt and cowboy boots. The singer mentions that they're gonna do it old school and I think to myself, this must be the guitarist who brought Greg out back in '98 and now lives in San Sebastian, Spain. Matt Harding. Awesome. I'd missed him a couple weekends ago when I was stuck at the Melting Pot on Taikang Lu gaping at some amazing keyboardist called Gustav who played non-stop with his eyes closed like nothing existed save him and his eighty-eight keys. But back to the present. Matt Harding came out to Shanghai in 1997 and played a key role in opening the Cotton Club with owner Tony Huang. A year later he brought fellow Utah native Greg Smith out to Shanghai and the two of them played together for years until Matt moved to San Sebastian a few years ago.

There's a very sweet and straightforward feeling to Matt’s music as he covers a Leonard Cohen song (a Ginny Sventek's favorite, for those who don't know). Sitting in these plush red armchairs sipping on a yummy piña colada as he croons about a Susanna, and then a Belinda, it is hard to imagine that we're in Shanghai. As horrible as it sounds, the music is just too good. The audience is contemplative and for the most part, paying attention. No dice shakers or shouts of victory here. But then again, the long bar is also conspicuously free of weathered men on their sixth scotch, so we can't be in the States either. We're someplace entirely unique in quality and vibe, beyond preconceptions and stereotypes, even though I keep trying to point them out all the same.

They roll into the next song and more patrons are entering. We're lucky to have nailed a center stage table at 10pm. Uh oh, spoke too soon- now there's a small table making a ruckus behind us. Even the singer seems momentarily distracted and the spell is broken. Back in Shanghai. ‘Deep River Blues’ is the last song of this set and the two mention they've been playing this one for fifteen years- Greg amends, once a year for fifteen years. A rich bayou vibe unwinds from their guitar duo. Matt heads directly to the table of ruckus after the set. Ah, his pals, that's why the distraction earlier. I check out the bathrooms during the break and am happy to find that, aside from a curiously large vat of incense, they're not scary at all. Always a sign of good management. With no cover charge to get in, perhaps the 55RMB Carlbergs are worth it after all.

I’m lucky to get a moment with Matt and ask him a few questions at the bar:

Q: What's the biggest difference between Shanghai and Spain audiences?

A: Shanghai’s audiences are more varied, with people from all over the world, whereas in Spain, the audiences vary by region. Spanish audiences tend to be more reserved. They could be diggin’ your music but you won't know until after the gig. Shanghai audiences, they wait for you to impress them.

Q: What do you miss most about Shanghai?

A: There’s a lot going on out here. San Sebastian is a nice place to relax, but Shanghai is much more fast-paced.

Q: Do you think it’s changed much from when you first came in 1997?

A: Well, I’ve been here longer than most of the skyscrapers and have definitely seen a lot of changes over the past fourteen years. The first time I was here I stayed at the Portman, and thirty kids were following me around calling out “Laowai, Laowai!” Now people don't even blink at foreigners. This place used to be the Wild, Wild East. There weren’t even any gaojia’s [highways] back then. Greg and I used to dream about Shanghai being an important city, and look at it now. The version has become the definition.

Q: What do you mean by that?

A: For example, ‘All Along the Watchtower’ was a Bob Dylan song, but the Jimi Hendrix version was the most popular, the definitive version. And that’s how Shanghai is now. Something that was trying to emulate before is now defining.

Q: What brought you to San Sebastian anyway?

A: I have a buddy who was an exchange student in high school, and I’ve been touring with him for 22 years. We went to San Sebastian together and I met my current significant other, and I’ve been there ever since.

Wow, how romantic. The house band's on for the second set and bassist Jorland Paulino kicks off with a full beat that's got me bouncin'. Now they've got the regulars onstage: Hu Dan Feng on trumpet, Feng Yu Chen on flugelhorn and trumpet, and Francesco Perre on drums. I wish violinist Peng Fei was here but I heard he only does Thursday nights. Matt joins the house band on the next song, which has a reggae flavor with the slightest twist of Jack Johnson surfer chill. Matt tells me later that the song is ‘Behind the Smiling Sun’ by his Jamaican buddy Tony Ebanks, a free-spirited vagabond who used to crash at Matt’s place when he lived in New York. The mood has picked up quite a bit. Somehow the patrons still seem quite serious though, or maybe they're just caught up in Matt's strong vocals. Sound is pretty balanced overall at the club. I try to hear the differences between a flugelhorn and a trumpet as Feng Yu Chen plays a sentimental flugelhorn solo, but so far all I can tell is that the flugelhorn, which was first made popular on the battlefield, sounds deeper than the trumpet. Enlightened, I know.

The next song’s got funk, blues, and a nice groove that the entire band is feeling. Hu Dan Feng solos brilliantly, descending with control into the lower range of his trumpet. I’m thinking, how do you tell the difference between a trumpet played in its lower range and a flugelhorn? No friggin’ clue. Gotta have pretty honed ears to tell the difference, which is one reason why I think bands should be witnessed and not just heard. The flugelhorn soloes and the sound is smoother than the trumpet – less bleeps. Feng Yu Chen takes the horn up to a higher register and still no bleeps. The band is backing with a strong, measured beat that no patron can ignore. Yup, pretty quiet out here except for a chuckle or a murmur here and there.

The opening riff of ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’ is straight from the swashbuckling South. A heavy beat like this makes it obvious how the blues inspired the rock ‘n’ roll generation. Listening at a bar with smoke rising in columns of orange light gives such a different appreciation than turning on the radio or playing a CD. Watching live just gives that extra “wow” factor. I should have been born decades ago when it was normal to go out and listen to a band at a bar. Nowadays it seems a rarity. Even the buddies I brought today are happily surprised at how much they’re enjoying themselves. When musicians play from their heart, good musicians, that is, the energy moves right through the soul. The next song’s got me looking for my hula skirt or at least a maraca or two. Matt’s beautiful lady is on the dance floor and if I wasn’t busy scribbling I’d be dancing myself. Greg’s throwing himself into his solo and arms are waving in the air for an upbeat close to the second set.

The horn duo Feng & Feng open the third set and when Sugar Mama finally comes onstage everyone is clapping. She’s all feline tonight in her leopard dress and matching stilettos, with a touch of Chinese in her Goddess of Mercy pendant. Her voice is a character in itself. You don’t get that kind of voice without having lived an interesting life. ‘Gotta Serve Somebody’ has a gospel ring to it, which is slightly ironic since as soon as the song ends we wait patiently as Sugar Mama takes a shot of tequila - salt, lemon slice and all. Greg kicks into the next song and Sugar Mama brings us ‘Get Back’ of Beatles fame and written by Billy Preston. The entire band takes a tequila shot before sliding into ‘Purple Rain.’ A cute, older couple’s slow-dancing near the stage and Matt and his lady join them as well – everyone’s cockles are getting warmed up this evening. After the last song by Donny Hathaway, who shares Sugar Mama’s hometown (St. Louis, Missouri), the band calls it a night. Our batteries are charged for more adventures around town. Hopefully Matt Harding will play again when’s he’s back near the end of October and we can catch him and his voice before he returns to Spain. Seeing him tonight reminds me that we need more good vocalists in this city. Good thing we've got Sugar Mama.

Sugar Mama and the Cotton Club house band will be performing in the great outdoors of Century Park during the JZ Music Festival. Catch them on Saturday, October 17th around 1:30pm on the Rock&Roll Stage.

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