Korean Cultural Center New York x Seoul Donhwamun Traditional Theater (7)
Korean Music NOW
[Online Concert #7: Heemoon Lee & Prelude <Non-Stop, Zap!>]
<Non-Stop, Zap!> performance shows a Gyeonggi-jabga, Seodo-jabga and Jab-jabga in Heemoon Lee&Prelude’s unique style based on Jabga.
Jabga is one of the genres of Korean traditional music sung by professional singer/storyteller called sorikkun. It was a form of pop music that enjoyed massive popularity during the Joseon Dynasty.
Since jabga is sung by each sorikkun’s personal tastes with strong characteristics of irregularity and individuality, it can be said that jabga has a similar spirit as jazz in terms of its incorporation of improvisation.
▲ Program
Seonyu-ga
Jebi-ga
Gukmun-Duipuri
Bangmul-ga
Yusan-ga
Geumgangsan-Taryeong
Poongdeung-ga
Chohan-ga
Dalgeori
▲ Artist
Vocal : Heemoon Lee
[Prelude]
Piano : Go, Huian
Double Base : Choi, Jinbae
Tenor saxophone : Richard Ro
Drum : Han, Woongwon
Heemoon Lee&Prelude takes a hilarious look at male and female roles today, through the use of Korean folk music and jazz.
Led by Heemoon Lee, an extraordinary sorikkun (Korean folk singer/storyteller) who earns acclaim as a groundbreaking iconic artist with each performance, Heemoon Lee&Prelude create today’s sarangbang (salon to receive guests in traditional houses) combining Gyeonggi minyo (folk songs from central province around Seoul) and jazz performed by Korea's top jazz group “Prelude,” accompanied by an electrifying minyo duo “Nom Nom.”
Lee’s performances attempt a hybrid of genres, taking the vast repertoire of Gyeonggi minyo as motif. He brings traditional Korean vocal music, which has been sidelined in the Korean art world, to the core and creates a distinctive sound that suggests to the audience a new way of appreciating vocal music.
Heemoon Lee&Prelude is a perfect musical harmony of East and West that included a reinterpretation of various minyo, each assigned with a visual idea, unique storytelling and performance. By rearranging the most famous minyo, Jabga, with jazz vocabularies, the company is discovering a musical apparatus that clearly portrays the sensibilities of Jabga. Showing both creative energy and virtuosity, the company was acclaimed as 'the best possible collaboration' expressing a 'new iconic musical language integrating the essential sentiments and musicality of minyo and jazz.'
*The above description about Heemoon Lee&Prelude (Korean Men) is based on the original description from the SORI website (http://sori.nyc/korean-men).