Kowloon Tong Baptist University | Jazz Everywhere: Ponpon Chen Quintet

Description

Chapter 1: The Girl Who Doesn't Read Sheet Music

At 13, Ponpon Chen picked up the guitar for the first time without opening any sheet music. Her mother said, 'To learn music, you must first learn to read scores.' She nodded, then set the sheet music aside, closed her eyes, and found the notes by feel.

'I understand what the music is saying.' But where will this habit of not reading sheet music lead her?

This jazz rising star, currently based in Los Angeles, Ponpon Chen, will bring her Quintet to Hong Kong. On October 16, we sincerely invite you to step into this mysterious atmosphere and experience her unrestrained jazz passion firsthand.

Chapter 2: Taipei Underground Bar

Hidden in Taipei’s alleyways, an underground bar bathed in dim, hazy light exudes a tipsy ambiance. The girl closes her eyes in the corner; as the first note escapes her lips, the world instantly falls silent. Musicians weave melodies into a gentle net, catching her trembling first vocal attempt. This is the moment of enlightenment, the pure starting point of Ponpon Chen’s jazz journey.
Continuing the excitement from the previous chapter, this warmth will transcend time and space to reach Hong Kong. We invite you to attend in person and witness this soul-stirring vitality.

Chapter 3: Flying to Los Angeles

At nineteen, she dragged a single suitcase and boarded a flight to Los Angeles alone. No one saw her off, and no one guaranteed her future—only Ella Fitzgerald looping in her headphones and the blazing fire in her chest.
As the flight neared its end, the clouds gradually dispersed, and golden sunlight poured into the cabin. She looked out the window; Los Angeles’ skyline slowly emerged in the morning light, her heart pounding like on her first night onstage.
Musicians Institute—this name, which she had silently repeated thousands of times in her cramped Taipei practice room, now lay beneath her feet.
'Are you afraid?' she asked herself.
Yes. But if a dream never frightened you, how could it deserve to be called a dream?

Chapter 4: Meeting the Legend George Benson

One afternoon at Musicians Institute, legendary guitarist George Benson came to teach. While other students rushed to showcase flashy techniques, she simply quietly sang a standard—without reading sheet music, letting the melody flow naturally like a stream. Benson stopped playing his guitar; the entire room fell silent. After class, he told her, 'You have the voice of an old soul—this is a talent that cannot be taught.' At that moment, she knew she was on the right path.
The Taiwanese girl praised by a jazz legend—where will she go next?