The eighth edition of OCT-LOFT Jazz Festival in Shenzhen, Southern China, includes a ‘Festival In Festival’ focus on international improvisors and free jazz players, among them Jooklo Duo, Zu, William Parker, Vladimir Chekasin & Vladimir Tarasov – La Grande Sonata, Yoriyuki Harada Quartet, Alexey Kruglov/Jaak Sooäär Quartet, RS5pb and FIF Improvisation Union. The festival proper presents AVA Trio, Luca Sestak, Jeppe Zeeberg, EYM Trio, Hagiga Sextet, Ruth Koleva, Janet Klein & Her Parlor Boys, Mamer, Kazakhstan’s Ensemble Turan, Yossi Fine & Ben Aylon and others.

OCT-LOFT will also be screening the films Inside Out In The Open: An Expressionist Journey Into The Music Known As Free Jazz and Cecil Taylor's Piano Marathon, Berlin 1988: Erzulie Maketh Scent. And Steve Holtje will present a talk called “55 Years Of Nurturing Avant-Garde And Outsider Music: ESP-Disk's Perpetual Revolution”.

Happening between 9–21 October at B10 Live, Shenzhen, 2018 OCT-LOFT Jazz Festival is curated by Tu Fei and Teng Fei with Shenzhen Old Heaven Culture Communication Co Ltd. Check out the full programme or buy tickets via their website.