Local jazz pioneers, intl stars round out JanuaryBy Ines Min The country is to liven up with jazz this month, with a diverse lineup of international and domestic names making their way to Seoul. With the smooth beats of pop jazz artists and pioneering Korean names, prepare to groove into February with foot-tapping rhythm. `The Miracle of Music’ Korean jazz artist Kim Kwang-min celebrates 20 years since his debut with the opening of The Miracle of Music concert series at 8 p.m. on Jan. 20 and 21 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. The veteran pianist has made his name on the local scene for ``Koreanizing’’ jazz, with comparisons to George Winston and several albums under his belt. Since his debut with Warner Music Korean in 1991, Kim has created his own genre, mixing elements of jazz, classical and new age. The artist reunites with guest performer singer-songwriter Yoon Sang, whom he previously collaborated with during a performance last year. Ballad crooner Sung Si-kyung will also join the pair on stage, lending his distinct vocals to the harmony. The next performance at Miracle will be provided by Jan 14, 2011
Album reviewsCee-Lo Green ‘The Lady Killer’ (WARNER MUSIC KOREA) Rapper, producer, lady killer. Cee-lo Green presents his latest release in the form of a 50-minute getaway into the melodic rolls and dramatic falls of one suave talker. In an interview Green noted that: “Isuppose this is a more clear, concise, consistent, conceptual, entire album. It’s a complete thought, because it’s written to be like a score. The album’s meant to be a motion picture, you know?” As such, “The Lady Killer” opens with an intro, then sweeps into the fast-paced action that’s preceded the release for months online, via viral marketing. The first single “F-ck You” was leaked onto the Web, stirring fans into a frenzy for the anticipated release. The upbeat, 1950s-style melody rings with a perfect contemporary colloquialism, telling the tale of a man spurned by his lover (and thus the title send-off). While some releases have been replaced with the euphemistic “Forget You,” it’s the original that carries the cultural punch of the times; any other alternative simply misses the point. “I Want You” worJan 11, 2011
CocoRosie talks nomads and nature ahead of Korean debutBy Ines Min Lately spotted hanging around while donning cotton candy-soft facial hair, Bianca and Sierra Casady are not your typical sisters. CocoRosie makes their domestic debut Jan. 22 with a show in Hongdae, on the Asia tour for their fourth album “Grey Oceans.” The sister duo is distinguished by the simply ineffable quality of their music. Since they first appeared on the music stage six years ago, they’ve been through the mill of labels slapped onto their exterior — “freak folk” has been the most frequent classification and their latest release calls inspiration from ragtime to tribal percussion. “It was definitely organic and really mysterious as it went along,” Bianca said of the creative process for “Grey Oceans” in a phone interview last week. The release, which was made in Argentina and seven other studios across the world, follows the tradition of the Casady sisters recording in places outside their native United States. A combination of fantastical elements marks their sound, a boundary-transcending equality distinguishing their look. Known for theiJan 11, 2011
Neorama combines music and video“My music is like my child and I want to be responsible for my music as a composer, producer and performer,” said Yang. By Kwon Mee-yoo Korean-Japanese crossover musician Yang Bang-ean loves to challenge the established order and is ready to present a totally new concept in performance. In “Neorama,” scheduled for Jan. 21 and 22, he is going to present a combination of music and video. The title of the show is a newly-coined word by Yang. “I got the idea from ‘Pan-O-Rama,’ my first album in Korea. I hope Neorama will give a new panorama joined by music and video to the audience,” Yang told The Korea Times in an interview last week. He was born in 1960 in Japan to a father from Jeju Island and mother from Sinuiju, North Korea. This unique background gave him and his music a cosmopolitan touch. Despite growing up in a family of doctors, Yang fell in love with music by listening to rock when he was in middle school. “I listened to Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. It was shocking but made me feel much closer to the music,” he said. In 1993, he wrote the music for JackiJan 10, 2011
Secret Garden soundtrack live in concertBy Kwon Mee-yoo Music from “Secret Garden,” an SBS drama sweeping the nation featuring the love story of Kim Ju-won (Hyun Bin) and Gil Ra-im (Ha Ji-won), will be performed live in a concert featuring songs from the soundtrack. The audience can listen to the live version of the music that enriched the soap opera as well as seeing the actors and singers in person at the Dome Art Hall at Children’s Grand Park, Saturday at 8 p.m. The concert will bring the story of a rich but arrogant president of a department store Kim and a brave stunt woman Gil and their soul-switching on stage through music. Singer Baek Ji-young and R&B group 4Men will perform at the concert to give a live rendition of the songs that featured in the drama. Baek will sing “That Woman,” the main title of the soap opera, and 4Men will deliver “Here I Am.” Actor Yoon Sang-hyun, who stars in the drama as hallyu (Korean wave) singer Oscar, will sing the songs of the character such as “Watching” and a brand-new song for the concert. Yoon has already released singles in both Korea and Japan and has been recognJan 9, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo
Japanese film composer to perform in SeoulBy Chung Ah-young Joe Hisaishi, one of the most prolific composers in Japan of memorable film scores, will perform in Seoul for the first time in six years. The concert is part of his Asia tour after China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Hisaishi is known for creating delicate and melodic tunes which touch the hearts of the listeners by capturing the feelings and emotions of memorable scenes to perfect sounds. Internationally recognized for his collaborations with Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki in such works as “My Neighbor Totoro” (1988), “Howl’s Moving Castle” (2004) and “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea” (2008). He also has a large fan base in Korea with the soundtracks for the Korean film “Welcome to Dongmakgol” (2005) and MBC’s drama series “The Legend: The Story of the First King’s Four Gods” (2007). He won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for the soundtrack for the film “Departures” and the Japanese Academy Award for Best Music for “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea”in 2009. As the executive director, he also wrote the theme music for the opening ceremony ofJan 5, 2011
Album reviewsLang Lang ‘Gran Turismo 5: The Official Soundtrack’ (SONY CLASSICAL) Why we don’t recommend it: The pianist’s immense talents seem to have been exploited for marketing tactics in this less-than-stellar, manufactured party mix of classical numbers Best track: Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 7 (a polished interpretation that was on the program of Lang’s latest recital tour) Lang Lang has become a ubiquitous brand name, from designing special edition Adidas sneakers and modeling for Mont Blanc pens to featuring in the soundtrack for the hit Japanese TV soap “Nodame Cantabile.” Now he has whipped up sound effects for a video game. PlayStation3’s Gran Turismo 5 opens with a stormy snippet of Prokofiev (third movement of Sonata No. 7) and ends with chorale music a la Bach (“Jesus, Joy of Man’s Desiring” in piano solo). Joplin’s “The Entertainer” plays while you choose settings for your car. But in order to consider the merits of the recording alone, it is absolutely necessary to set aside doubts about how Chopin might go with the sound of burning rubber, or the fact that his $3Jan 4, 2011
Ryuichi Sakamoto to experiment with piano'When Sakamoto blends the melodic with the experimental, he can be quietly magnificent.' By Lee Hyo-won The New Year kicks off with an array of star-studded events, including a much-awaited tour by Academy Award-winning artist Ryuichi Sakamoto on Sunday. The Seoul Arts Center recital marks the pianist-composer’s return to Korea for the first time in 10 years since 2001. The prolific musician is known for critically acclaimed film scores and electronica experiments, new wave rock numbers as well as bossa nova and classical romanticism in the tradition of Debussy — but moreover infuses a distinct style that makes his pieces his very own, regardless of the genre. The upcoming concert is part of the “Playing the Piano” tour that kicked off in Europe in 2009 and continued through North America last year. It is expected to be a unique audiovisual experience, with the artist playing a “duet” opposite a grand piano that is set to play his own recorded backings while avant-garde visuals adorn the stage. “When Sakamoto blends the melodic with the experimental, he can be quietJan 4, 2011
SHINee sparkles at first concertBy Kwon Mee-yoo The first two days of the New Year shone with SHINee, a K-pop group that held its first concert in Korea titled “SHINee World,” at the Gymnastics Gymnasium in the Olympic Park, eastern Seoul. The boys of SHINee were dressed in black, wearing work boots, boasting their masculine beauty. At a press conference before Sunday’s concert, the members seemed excited to hold the event on New Year’s Day and expected another prosperous year ahead. Taemin, the youngest band member, said they practiced singing a lot while Key said they will sing songs in new styles. They graded their first concert only 30 out of 300. “We are strict in evaluating ourselves. But we gave it a low score so we would strive even harder for the next one,” Onew said. When the five members appeared on stage one by one singing “The SHINee World,” the stadium was filled with ear-deafening screams. Most of the 10,000 seats were packed with females ranging from their teens to middle-age, from Koreans to overseas fans, waving turquoise-colored glow sticks. “The SHINee World” is the title of theiJan 3, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo
Album reviewsYeahwon Shin ‘Yeahwon’ (SONY MUSIC) Why we recommend it: From traditional Korean folk songs to hits by Brazilian composers, Yeahwon Shin manages to find a niche in the beautifully communal characteristics of music everywhere. Best tracks: “Palhaco,” “Na Baixa do Sapateiro,” “Memoria e Fado” Yeahwon Shin makes her way out from the shadow of her father-in-law (famed conductor Chung Myung-whun) with the domestic release of her eponymous U.S. debut album. “Yeahwon” demonstrates Shin’s immersion into Brazilian music, with most of the tracks being sung in a clear, ringing Portuguese (which she continues to study). The Seoul-raised, New-York based jazz vocalist explores the light-filled corners of the genre with a natural ease. Two of the tracks are sung in her native Korean: the traditional folk song “Sae Ya Sae Ya” (Hey Bird Hey Bird) and composer Egberto Gismonti’s “Palhaco,” which Shin translates with Korean lyrics. “I’m doing Brazilian music but I want to do it my own way, and I think my experience as a Korean is very important,” the artist says on her website. Dec 28, 2010