CD Blues, It Is A-Changin'

The shuttering of CD Blues in May was mourned … by a niche clientele. Many hadn’t even visited for a while – doubtless expediting its eventual downfall – but they remembered how it was the place to be for live music when they first arrived in the capital. It wouldn’t be too wide of the mark to suggest its demise was more "Eleanor Rigby" than it was "The Killing of Georgie."

The new CD Blues offers the chance of a fresh start. Different neighborhood, different clientele – though Big John, the likable manager, still draws a fair number of his old regulars in, there’s a lot more Russians in the space now. And he seemed a little reticent to admit it, but yes, John says he plans to be more open with the music he hosts. A talented blues musician himself, he had considered it a personal mission to maintain the integrity of Beijing’s jazz/blues scene, but realizes that there are many options for live music lovers in town these days, and he has to move with the times.

The look of CD Blues 2.0 says it all: Where the original was cave-like and earthy with an air of exclusivity, the reboot is bigger, brighter and more open. A blues-themed menu is already on offer and the expansive second-floor space will eventually double as a full-fledged restaurant. The times they are a changin’ ... and CD Blues is, too.

Also try: East Shore Live Jazz Cafe

Cafe CD Blues. Daily 4pm-late. Unit 1-28/29, Bldg 2, 39 Shenlu Jie, Ritan Highlife, Chaoyang District 朝阳区日坛上街神路街39号院2号楼1-28/29