SHENZHEN, HONG KONG AND NEW YORK, NY

April 10, 2004

To the American Chamber of Commerce Group: Hello,

I want to say I had a wonderful time last night at the meeting at the Mission Hills Golf Course. I had wonderful conversations and meeting of the minds. When I worked at the Homestead Hotel in Hot Springs, Virginia I played golf three or four times a week on the Upper Cascade’s Course. I found it very time consuming so I had to stop because it was interfering with my music.

Because, so many people seemed very interested in the topic, they even were thinking about sending me off into different venues. It was great that I had a forum to speak with and to say hello and explain a few details why I am here in China.

I would like to ‘throw’ a few words at you and they are: Pop Art, Culture, Fine Art, Jazz, Blues, Classical, Modern, Modern Jazz, Main Stream Jazz, Society Music, Broadway Music (which is the music of the upper class and the ivy league schools),Pop Jazz, Pop Music, Country Music, Vocal Music, Dixieland Music, Ethnic Music, Folk Music, Big Band Music, Movie Music, Copying Music, Commercial Music, Big Band Jazz, and top 40 bands which is the only kind of music in Shenzhen except for the Symphony and Traditional Chinese Music.

Musical Artists need to have the freedom to learn and create was my point and top 40 bands is anything but that.

I myself have performed in all the types of music above except Chinese Traditional Music.

So, you see when it comes to music there is so much verity which brings a lot of confusion, but great opportunity for a different types of music.

Anyway, you can go to my website http://greghenrywates.com and listen to my music, read my essays and reviews, visit my China News Information page. Read about my experiences in New York, Mexico and a lot more. In Acapulco the disco is King. Where is the Fine Art? It is in New York, London and Paris I think, but even not sure of that. Maybe it is only in libraries and museums. But then it is not living Art which is what my topic was. Is Art only for the Artist? I hardly think so. Watch the modern movie, Mona Lisa Smiles, that explains why a creative teacher and to walk away from an upper class school in the United States. It had wonderful big band music in the movie too.

Here is a wonderful reply from a very intelligent and caring person. Catherine Cheng

Thank you very much for your email. I enjoyed yesterday's party and the conversation with you as well. Indeed, I am happy to know a person like you, who dedicates himself to music and promotes Fine Art Music here in China.

I thought that I am a music lover, but now I have to say, “I am just an ordinary listener.” Thanks to your introduction, at least I know there are so many types of music in this world and I am so uninformed and even with having professional musician friends.

As matter of fact, in China it seems that music, particularly the Fine Art of Music looks like a dead end for the young musician. Nobody touches, or is able to do anything or want Fine Art and maybe they do not even know the word; so...As we conversed last night, I agree with many critics who speak about China's Music Industry. No real musical artists could be created or cultivated under such a system. China has only encouraged star phenomenon rather than original creative music or different types of music. Frankly speaking, in my younger years, the young people were crazy about Rock'n' Roll and it was not allowed to be broadcast on TV or Radio just because some of the old-fashioned Directors or Big Potatoes did not like this music... It reflects that those in power only allow or encourage the music which they like or prefer...and it is grave and damaging to the music industry here in China...

My personal point of view, any music, no matter it is pop or folk or whatever, as long as it inspires the soul of people and particularly give me something like resonance, it could be called fine art because different people have different tastes, and different standards as well. It is hard to say that only this kind or that kind of music is art, and there is no point to argue that Bob Dylan has the worst voice between you and the fans of Bob Dylan, but his music has such discipline and force to make it fine art. Is that correct?

I fully agree with you that real artists should be free to learn and free to create whenever his or her aspiration comes..., whether people likes it or not, the artist himself loves it at least...

Any new fine art may not have a large audience or interested people to buy, but I believe that the fine art is just a mechanism to push the art of music forward and I am sure that you are one of the artists to contribute to this progressiveness.

Insert from Greg, Fine Art Comes from the need of the rich to make their life’s meaningful. For after the completion of gathering wealth the rich do not know what to do with their lives so they begin to gather the true meaning of life which is Fine Art or Pure Thought as put down my the great artists and philosophers of all time including people like Buddha, Christ, Gandhi and Shakespeare and others in this world of pure thought, Kant also. So many of them throughout the ages it is hard to place all of them here, Mozart and Bach.

Nevertheless, the whole society needs the people like you to be educated and learn about the most attractive art in the world, fine art since in today's world, we all need to fulfill our lives with different kinds of human creations including the fine art of music, painting, opera, literature and dance etc., particularly under such materialized social circumstances as terrorism, high unemployment/high divorce/growing suicide rate, religious confliction and even wars etc.

OK, I got to have another meeting, and I’d love to talk to you later..

Also any assistance you may have from us, feel free to let me know