Hey Rim Jeon Showcases Her Percussive Jazz Style on Introducing Hey Rim Jeon
Thursday, March 29, 2012 at 6 PM
Birdland
Trio performance at Birdland March 29
World-renowned pianist, composer and educator Hey Rim Jeon is bringing her unique brand of percussive jazz to the masses with Introducing Hey Rim Jeon, a new 10-track album to be released worldwide on Tuesday, February 14. Her first recording to come out on N-Coded Music and distributed by Sony Music Entertainment’s RED Music division, the album shows the broad range of Jeon’s influences, with six original tracks and four reimaginings songs from the likes of jazz great Chick Corea, classical composer Claude Debussy, an instrumental version of a Sigmund Romberg standard, as well as a traditional folk song from her native Korea.
Jeon’s work shows the influence of Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, David Sanborn, Sonny Rollins, and John Coltrane, but Introducing Hey Rim Jeon shows her own contemporary improvisational style. Co-producer Terri Lyne Carrington also plays drums on the record, and it also features performances from Dave Liebman on saxophones, James Genus on bass, and Richie Barshay on percussion.
To promote the release, Jeon will take the stage at New York City’s Birdland Jazz Club from 6 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 29, prior to Christian McBride’s show later that evening. Jeon will be accompanied by Richie Barshay on drums and Luques Curtis on bass. Tickets are $20 each and can be purchased at www.birdlandjazz.com or by calling (212) 581-3080.
Jeon, an Assistant Professor at Berklee College of Music, began performing classical piano publicly at the age of 9. As a teen, the prodigal musician was then exposed to Oscar Peterson, leading her to focus on jazz. She came to the United States to study at the Berklee College of Music in 1997, and went on to earn her MA from the New England Conservatory of Music. As a performer, she has shared bills with jazz luminaries such as Dennis Chambers, Chris Minh Doky, and Hiram Bullock and performed at such distinguished venues as Lincoln Center in New York City and Jazz Informance in Chesapeake, VA. She has also appeared on NBC’s Weekend Today in New York and KBN, Korea’s national TV network. Jeon has released three critically acclaimed albums, including Mona Lisa Smile, which won Best Jazz Album at the 2009 New England Urban Music Awards and reached CDBaby’s Top 10 Modern Creative Jazz Albums list that year.
Introducing Hey Rim Jeon track listing:
1.) Eb Blues
2.) Mona Lisa Puzzle
3.) Prague
4.) Spain (Chick Corea)
5.) Metamorphosis
6.) Claire de Lune (Claude Debussy)
7.) Mona Lisa Puzzle (Bonus Track)
8.) Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise (Sigmund Romberg)
9.) Alpha & Omega
10.) Arirang (Traditional Korean Folk Song)
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More about Hey Rim Jeon
Born in Seoul, Korea, Hey Rim started playing piano at the early age of four, and by nine was giving her first public performances in classical music. As a teenager, influenced by the dazzling improvisation of Oscar Peterson, Hey Rim decided to embark on a musical path that would both support her new found passion for jazz, and build upon her already formidable classical training. In September of 1997, Hey Rim came to Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, to pursue her contemporary music education. Studying at the college gave her the opportunity to learn from jazz greats such as JoAnne Brackeen, Laszlo Gardony and Ray Santisi. While a student at Berklee, she received the piano department's prestigious “Piano Chair” award for jazz performance. After completing her Bachelor's degree (Summa Cum Laude) in 2001, Hey Rim continued her studies, and received a Master's degree (Academic Honors) in Contemporary Improvisation from the New England Conservatory of Music in 2004. While at the conservatory, she studied with Ran Blake, George Garzone and Michael Cain, whose influence opened her eyes to new and fascinating areas of music performance: from avant-garde to world music.
Hey Rim is an active performer both nationally and internationally. She performs regularly with her band and as a soloist in the New England and New York areas. Notable shows include an appearance at the Lincoln Center, New York, the Jazz Informance in Chesapeake, Virginia, and the International Association for Jazz Education in Toronto, Canada. She has also performed at some of Asia's top jazz venues in Korea and Japan, including the main stage of the inaugural Jarasum International Jazz Festival where she was billed alongside such luminaries as Dennis Chambers, Chris Minh Doky and Hiram Bullock. In 2003, Hey Rim released her self-titled CD Hey Rim Jeon & Friends on the Take Note Music (TNM) label, which reached CDBaby's 40 top selling jazz albums list. Her original trio provides the backdrop for this 12-song compilation of originals and jazz standards. In May of 2007, Hey Rim released Alone, a compilation of nine solo piano compositions on the Akasaka Kougei Japanese label. During the same year Hey Rim collaborated with popular Vietnamese singer Doan Trang resulting in her original composition being featured on Doan Trang's album Negative Proof (Am Ban). The album won the prestigious Golden Prize in Vietnam in 2007. Her third release, Mona Lisa Puzzle, was a collection of original jazz compositions and includes performances by Herbie Hancock's rhythm section; Terri Lyne Carrington, James Genus and Richie Barshay. Also featured is virtuosic saxophonist Dave Liebman. Mona Lisa Puzzle won the Best Jazz Album Category in the 2009 New England Urban Music Awards and reached CDBaby's top 10 modern creative jazz albums list.
In 2009 Hey Rim returned to Berklee, becoming the first Korean faculty member, and has since been appointed assistant professor. She has also served as a guest clinician at the New England Conservatory and the Seoul Jazz Academy in South Korea.
For more information, contact:
Sungpyo Hong
646-474-4466
stagestory@gmail.com