Falling in Jazz
By Kim Mun-jeong (intern reporter)
Jazz is a genre of music that rings our heart, brings back past memories and allows many of us to welcome autumn. This timeless genre of music has always and continues to embrace us with its deep soulfulness.
Here are some recently released local jazz albums that W would like to recommend for the season.
Truly & Always
-Lunar Soori
Lunar Soori, a female jazz vocalist, released her very first official album this July.
Her husky, mesmerizing voice paints a picture of autumn that dresses itself in marigold. This album reveals the artist’s diverse, colorful and oscillating voice that reminds the audience of the falling leaves.
“Truly & Always” is composed of six songs – four composed by the artist herself. The title song, “Truly & Always,” starts in free beat with heavy piano and steady drums which set a mature, dark atmosphere. From out of the blue, Lunar Soori’s powerful yet delicate husky voice overwhelms the instruments. The whole album is alluring, old-school-style vocal jazz that is perfect for a night with sweet Italian wine.
Lunar Soori currently sings as the main vocal for Art Ensemble of Busan and also performs in Monk, a Jazz club in Busan. She participated in the Busan Jazz Musician Festival in April.
Golden Times
-Golden Swing Band
The Golden Swing Band was created as a tribute band to the 1930s, the period when Jazz was at its peak. The band was formed in 2012.
Composed of five artists, the band released its first album comprised of 10 songs, on Oct. 2.
The album includes jewel-like masterpieces from the golden times of jazz such as “I Love You for Sentimental Reasons” with Golden Swing Band’s own twist.
The delightful groove captures the ears at the first listen. It is neither light nor heavy and it makes one want to sway the body from side to side. This album brings back the ambiance of the 1930s, inviting everyone to easily enjoy the charm of the ever popular jazz titles that have for long connected with the audience.
Turquoise
-Minjung Lee Quartet
The Minjung Lee Quartet’s “Turquoise” is a compilation of vocalist Lee Min-jung’s compositions since 2005. This album reflects Lee’s love for travel and music by including sounds from Korea, Turkey and the South Pacific. Emphasizing the daily moments of our lives such as the sound of a dog barking, this album provokes emotions by portraying our lives from a different perspective.
What is noticeable in Lee’s first album is the use of her own voice to start the sound.
Each song has a personal story of Lee, such as her love story with her husband and her longing for her homeland portrayed in the song “Morning Calm.” The songs have rich instrumental sounds created by contrabass, piano, violin, double bass, drums and guitar.