Christophe Lier   pianist born in Paris, studied piano jazz with one of the finest jazz masters in France, Michel Sardaby. He moved to Hong Kong in 1994 where he played a leading role in the city jazz life. Lier¡¯s Jazz trio was scheduled during 5 years at the famous Hong Kong jazz club. He performed as well at the HK Art center Blues festival (1997) and the ¡°Jazz to kill¡± festival (1998), touring twice Taiwan with the jazz legend, saxophonist Hal Singer (1998, 1999) and taking part in the Henessy XO Jazz tour (Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan) and the Juan-Les-Pins (France) jazz festival (2002) with Hal Singer. Lier lives in Beijing teaching Jazz and playing his music.

 

 

 

Diliana Georgieva moved to Beijing in 2003. In her native Bulgaria, where she graduated from the national Academy of Music¡¯s Jazz and Pop Department, she performed with jazz and R&B ensembles, as well as singing with the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra and treating audiences as far away as Norway to concerts of jazz music. Her singing skill has been recorded on jazz and classical records, and in the Bulgarian translation of several of Dreamworks Productions¡¯ animation films. She is today performing regularly with Beijing¡¯s finest jazz musicians, composing her own songs and writing lyrics.

 

 

Matt ROBERTS is one of China's leading jazz trombonists. Over the last fifteen years, he has played in a number of creative jazz, funk and rhythm-and-blues groups in China. He currently is a member of saxophonist Liu Yuan's Jazz Band as well as the New Glucose Octet, led by pianist and composer Christophe Lier. Matt also plays and composes for the Ah-Q Jazz Arkestra. Inspired by a once-in-a-lifetime performance with the legendary Sun Ra Jazz Arkestra in Boston during his senior year of college, Matt's approach to improvisational music entails "playing on the edge", and draws on the playing styles of be-bop extraordinaire J.J. Johnson and funk king Fred Wesley.

 

 

Liu XIAOGUANG  Saxophonist ,also known as Kenny, is one of the hottest new players on the China jazz scene. Born in Inner Mongolia in 1979, Xiaoguang started playing classical guitar as a child, later switching to saxophone at the age of 15. He started learning jazz a few years later, then cut his teeth in 2002 with the Xia Jia Big Band, led by jazz pianist Xia Jia. Xiaoguang currently fronts the Ah-Q Jazz Arkestra and plays in the New Glucose Octet. He also plays in RGP, a funk group led by guitarist Lawrence Gu, and is keyboardist for Mongolian singer Teng Ge Er.

 

 

Dominic BAUTISTA  percussionist and drummer, born in Manila, Philippines, started playing in a rock band formed by his 3 brothers. After 4 years touring his country, Dominic moved abroad, performing in Malaysia and Singapore before coming to Beijing. He is the inescapable and indispensable element of ¡°SOUNDPAGE BAND¡± (All Filipino cover band),¡°NOGABE¡± (All original African music), TUAN JIE HU GROOVE (Fusion Band) and NEW GLUCOSE OCTET (Latin Jazz). He is one of Beijing most sought after drummers for studio recordings.

 

 

 

 

For the last three years, Diliana and Christophe have teamed up to create a very unique sound, playing jazz standards, bossa novas and original compositions with both inventive arrangements and lyrics - a refine blend of sounds from Eastern Europe, South America and Africa. With their recently established band ¡°The New Glucose Jazz Septet¡±, they gave several concerts in Beijing, and took part in the Midi Jazz Festival in May 2005. Later the same year (still with The New Glucose Jazz Septet) Diliana and Christophe released their first album with original compositions and lyrics.