Carl Hill and I traveled to Tianjin to garner support for a 3-year plan to organize a jazz festival and music conference. The idea evolved from when I performed at Broadies Bar in September 2006. Chris Hagen, the owner of Broadies and Carl approached me about producing a jazz festival and the ball kept rolling.

Carmen Rogers has a radio show on Tianjin Public Radio. She teaches English to Chinese students at her school and at the new FIU facility partnering with TUC in Hospitality and Tourism accreditation. See photos of the welcoming reception for Dean Joan Remington and Department Head Steven Moll.

After the reception, Carmen and I joined businessman Bob Yin and his associate for a late hotpot dinner. Yin resides in Vancouver, Canada, and invited me to come there to perform in the future.

On Sunday, Carmen joined me and Carl, along with Carl's friends, Joe and Mark. Together, we reviewed the plans for the festival to be held at the Intertech Hotel in Tianjin, just across the street from the Tianjin Stadium and the People's Hall.

September 15-17, 2007, we'll have a mini festival and conference. There will be a jazz band at Broadies, Harry's Bar in the Intertech Hotel and at the Dickson Hotel in the piano bar.

There will be a 3-day conference, involving scholars from China, U.S.A. and Europe. Thus, the name CUE Jazz. On Saturday, September 15 and Monday, September 17, there will be panel discussions in the 250-seat conference room of the Intertech Hotel. On Sunday, there will be a drum workshop from noon to 2 p.m., joined by the pianists and basses from 2 to 3:30 p.m. and then, joined by the horns and vocalists from 4:00 to 6 p.m.

The schedule for September will be available by then end of May 2007. Attending the festival will be music students from Wang Tong International Music Center, Tianjin University of Commerce Music Department and other area music schools, from as far away as Beijing, a two-hour drive.

For more information on the CUE Jazz Festival and Music Conference, email me at wijsf@yahoo.com

This event is a part of WOMEN IN JAZZ SOUTH FLORIDA, INC., a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and preserving the musical production of women musicians and their male counterparts.