On Friday, pioneering guitarist Pat Metheny will grace the stage of the BMW Master Hall in Pudong New Area, kicking off the three-day JZ Festival 2014 in Shanghai with his first-ever performance in China.

Initiated in 2005, JZ Festival is the largest jazz festival in China. This year, it celebrates its 10th anniversary with a string of established musicians from home and abroad.

Over his lifelong music career, Metheny has attracted a wide-ranging fan base with his fusion creations that cross the borders of jazz, rock, R&B and world music. No wonder the talented musician became the youngest teacher at Berklee College of Music at the age of 19, and has won Grammy Awards in almost all jazz categories.

singer Sandy Lam Photos: Courtesy of the event organizer

Chinese rock singer Cui Jian

Dutch jazz singer Laura Fygi

American band Pat Metheny Unity Group

He has collaborated with a large number of celebrated musicians over the past four decades, including Chick Corea, John Scofield and Dave Holland.

The 60-year-old musician will perform in Shanghai with his Pat Metheny Unity Group, which appeared on his latest album Kin (2014) and includes acclaimed musicians Chris Potter, Antonio Sanchez, Ben Williams and Giulio Carmassi. Yunggiema, the singer from the Menba minority in Tibet who won second place in Chinese Idol in 2013, will also join Metheny onstage.

Wide range on show

The two days following the Metheny gig will see some 60 acts from around the globe performing at the Expo Park.

The festival has seven stages. Green Note and Master Hall feature headliners; The River and Blue Grass will host a range of Chinese singers and songwriters; Earth Lounge will put on DJ and electronic music; while the Love My Music stage will provide a platform for emerging musicians and bands. The JZ School for Jazz will also have performances by students and host talks on music.

Bootsy Collins (pictured below) will perform on both days on the Green Note stage with his Funk Unity Band. Born in 1951, the bass guitarist and songwriter made a name for himself playing alongside James Brown and George Clinton, impressing audiences with his signature grooves.

New York's Grammy-winning Jojo Mayer & Nerve from New York will perform on the Master Hall stage Saturday, as will Dutch jazz singer Laura Fygi. Another Grammy Award winner, bassist and composer Michael League, will lead his instrumental fusion band Snarky Puppy at the Master Hall Sunday afternoon, followed by Marcus Miller, one of the greatest bass guitarists in the world who holds numerous Grammy Awards for his work as both a producer and a musician.

Acts on the Earth Lounge stage include DJ LJ, China winner of DMC World DJ Championships in 2012; Chekov, a group of expats in Shanghai who integrate Chinese instruments in their jazz creations; hip-hop group J. Crew; and rock veteran Wang Wenwei, whose current group combines world music and electronica.

Chinese highlights

Chinese headliners include Sandy Lam, a legendary singer from Hong Kong who has fused elements of hip-hop, R&B, jazz and soul in her songs since the 1980s; and Cui Jian, who is widely regarded as the godfather of Chinese rock thanks to his string of popular songs released in the 1980s.

The large number of Chinese jazz singers and musicians will give audiences a rare opportunity to see both the young and old generations of Chinese jazz talent perform.

Artists include jazz singers Zhao Ke, Chen Yinxi, Zhang Ying and Li Zihan, trumpeter Li Xiaochuan, Chang Shilei and Soul Shine.

JZ Festival is expanding to more cities this year. In Beijing, Jojo Mayer & Nerve, Snarky Puppy, and Marcus Miller will perform at Yugongyishan from Sunday to October 21.

Meanwhile, in Dalian, Liaoning Province, Laura Fygi will perform under the JZ Festival banner on October 22 at Xinghai Square.

Date: Saturday and Sunday, 1 pm to 9:30 pm

Venue: Expo Park 世博公园

Address: 1750 Expo Avenue

世博大道1750号

Tickets: 260 yuan ($42.38) per day for presale and 320 yuan per day at the door

Call 6431-1075 for details