PINK MARTINI:
A Q&A with vocalist China Forbes

November 30, 2021 | by Rusty Aceves

China Forbes with Pink Martini at SFJAZZ, December 2019 (photo by Jon Bauer)

What a difference a year makes! A year ago we spoke to Pink Martini vocalist and founding member China Forbes about music during the pandemic, their December 2019 run that yielded a fantastic Fridays at Five broadcast in December 2020, and her thoughts for the future. We look back to a year ago with the knowledge that with the band's return to SFJAZZ this week, the future is now!

Q: How are you coping during the pandemic?

A: I have been coping extremely well, taking a much-appreciated break from travel and getting the chance to stay home with my son. We have never had this much time together before since he stopped traveling with me at 16 months. We have stayed safe so far and while home I have written songs, made recordings, added a room to my house for Ping-Pong and movie watching and our house is now all set for the long quarantine. I have found so many gifts during this time.

Q: What are your thoughts on the state of live music during this time?

A: I am always curious and inspired to see the innovation that comes out of challenges. People are figuring out ways to watch “live” music virtually, or outside at drive-in concerts, and many other ways I have not heard about yet. But there will never be a substitute for sitting in a concert hall, shoulder-to-shoulder or standing in a sweaty mosh-pit watching musicians channel magic. For that, we must wait.

Q: What do you think about streaming concerts in general? Are there advantages that you can see?

A: Well, all my life I wished there could be a hologram of me and I could stay home for important personal events that I constantly miss, and now with streaming we have an unexpected opportunity to appear before an audience without leaving our town. And people are more open to it because of the circumstances. Also, we can reach more people this way all over the world, so it does have its advantages.

Q: The Fridays at Five concert we’re streaming is from your string of performances at SFJAZZ last December. Was that a memorable run for you?

A: It certainly was. Smack in the middle of Holiday madness, and with a full week at SFJAZZ, we got to completely settle in. We always have a great time there, and Lilly and the team could not be more welcoming. The crowds in San Francisco bring festive energy and it’s totally delightful. We had fantastic weather too, and had the chance to pretend that we live in SF.

Pink Martini at SFJAZZ, December 2019 (photo by Jon Bauer)

Q: Are holiday shows special for the band?

A: Yes, we only get to perform that holiday material once a year, so it’s like this little jewel at the end of the year and then we get to start over. This year I know everyone is eager to start a new year more than ever before. We will be streaming a new holiday concert and New Year’s Eve concert as well as SFJAZZ airing our last concert, so there is a lot of holiday activity!

Q: In general, is there anything that sticks out to you regarding your experiences at SFJAZZ?

A: What sticks out to me about SFJAZZ is the fun backstage with the crew and hanging out between sets with the band, and the fact that the crowd is so close, inches away, that we are all in it together.

Q: Is Pink Martini working on new material?

A: Not too much, we have been quarantined for real. We come together for videotaped appearances or drive-in concerts and then scatter back to our social distance. We did release a few singles over the summer, which you may not know about. “Let’s Be Friends” and “The Lemonade Song” which are delightful and streaming.

Q: Are you excited for the future?

A: Always. I am hopelessly optimistic and while it may be shocking, for me 2020 was amazing. I turned 50 and I am healthy, I am home, I found love, and Biden and Harris won. So while there has been unimaginable suffering and so many things wrong, I can’t keep from seeing it in a positive light. And I can’t wait to see where this love and life and music takes me...

Pink Martini performs "We Three Kings" at SFJAZZ, December 2019

Originally posted December 1, 2020