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| Be Café is a gathering place for jazz enthusiasts in the Ancient Capital |
Jazz in Hue is more accessible to those with a background in Western culture, so the primary audience comprises foreign expatriates living in Hue and Vietnamese who have lived, studied, or worked abroad, typically aged between 25 and 40. Jazz listeners are already few, and many often confuse jazz with jazzy (music styled after jazz). True jazz aficionados generally share a common trait - they love and appreciate art, finding in jazz a vibrant, free, and spontaneous blend of colors and melodies, with a keen sensitivity to rhythm and harmony.
For some, jazz is not just a love but a passion - a passion that has turned into a dream and a career. Such is the case with Dang Lam Phuong (born in 1979). After graduating in foreign language education, Phuong switched careers to jazz despite having a stable job, feeling that his work "didn't suit who he truly was" and desiring to "visit exhibitions, listen to music, and make friends."
Phuong decided to quit his job to establish Be Café, a venue for jazz lovers. To him, "Jazz is the music that allows all other genres like pop, rock... to flow through without discrimination. A jazz listener doesn't instantly fall in love with the genre but, after having listening to various gernes of music, grows to appreciate its unique sound over time."
Driven by a desire to share and spread the joy of jazz, Lam Phuong sought out people who "listen to jazz and play jazz" and was introduced to Dang Ba Phu, a lecturer at Hue Academy of Music.
He told Phu, "Consider this as a job. Let's make Hue jazz known to everyone." The first "Live Jazz Night" at Be was organized with just Phu playing the piano, gradually attracting more jazz-loving musicians through Lam Phuong's efforts.
Last year, Phuong attended the graduation ceremony of another young jazz enthusiast from the Academy of Music, Cong Binh. Recognizing Binh's talent, Phuong brought his jazz graduation performance to Be for a night, and from that point, Cong Binh became the core of "Next Step," a jazz band that Phuong founded.
Initially, Be Café was established because Phuong wanted a place to listen to music. "I know Be won’t make me rich, but it can support me and my family while allowing me to avoid compromising with work pressures and the daily grind." He opened the café at home, far from the city center (in Ngoc Anh village, Phu Thuong), as a test to see if those who came to Be were truly drawn by jazz. "Good wine needs no bush," as the saying goes, and after more than two years of operation, Phuong is proud that many artists, especially foreign ones, have come to Be to perform.
He shares, "Most of them are jazz artists working in places like Da Nang, Hoi An, Ha Noi, Sai Gon... They play jazz as a job, so there’s a bit of freedom missing for 'improvisation' in their music. And they come to Be, a jazz club where they can freely play music in the truest sense." Therefore, after each performance, the artists and audience at Be always engage in open exchanges, relaxing together with spontaneous musical sessions that capture the spirit of jazz.
For nearly 20 years, jazz has been an essential part of Phuong’s life, evolving from entertainment to a passion. He successfully built Be Café into a renowned "jazz club" within the domestic and international jazz community. Jazz artists and enthusiasts have found Be to be a hub for listening to and playing music, freely exchanging their passion with others, and even sharing their hearts after moments of musical ecstasy.
For the jazz artists, especially the young ones in Hue, Be is a place to gain more experience in playing music while having the opportunity to interact with experienced, world-famous jazz musicians.
Nowadays, besides the music nights at Be Café, jazz listeners can also visit other "spots" like the lobbies of large hotels such as Indochine, White Lotus... They will encounter artists who mostly started playing jazz and nurtured their love for the genre at Be Café. However, due to the nature of the genre, even with the same songs, musicians, and playing techniques, performances at a jazz club like Be Café and at these hotels will offer different experiences. Without the interaction between the artists and the audience, jazz at hotels tends to take on the ambiance of lobby music. At a real jazz club, jazz lives up to its full beauty, with the artist and the audience collaborating in the true spirit of jazz.
The presence of Be Café has been and continues to be a sign of a certain shift in the musical taste of Hue. Although the number of local artists hasn't significantly increased, Be and the successful performances of many domestic and international artists affirm that jazz is gradually gaining more attention in the Ancient Capital.