About A Bu

Born 1999 in Beijing, A Bu (given name Liang Dai) is a Chinese jazz pianist and composer whose expressive musical styles infuse jazz improvisational idioms and classical traditions. Trained as a classical pianist, A Bu was enrolled at the Central Conservatory from 2009 to 2014. Later, he continued his studies at the Juilliard School and now at the Mannes School of Music in New York.

A Bu’s career as a jazz pianist is outstanding. He won the First Prize and the Audience Choice at the 2015 Montreux Jazz Solo Piano Competition and was invited back to give a solo concert at the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival the following year. He has also been invited multiple times by the UNESCO and the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz to perform at the International Jazz Day’s All-Star Global Concert.

A Bu’s debut compositions with Schott Music include his Piano Sonata No. 1 “Pinus” and Fantasie “Sleeping in a Dream” Op. 7, both of which are included on his solo piano album “New Memories” with WERGO. His upcoming commissioned works include some solo piano works, a two-piano suite and a number of chamber works.

In addition to his dual career as pianist and composer, A Bu is dedicated to playing the music of Nikolai Kapustin (1937-2020) whom he met personally and got to know very well. A Bu acted as editor of the first Chinese edition of Kapustin’s piano works. He also gave the world premiere of Kapustin’s Nocturne Op. 16 & Minuet Op. 21 with the Moscow Jazz Orchestra.