If you’re in New York, Chicago, Washington or Los Angeles and pass up the chance to see Jang Sa-ik in concert [Korea Times], you should be beaten with a boat oar.
Truth be told, I’m not a huge fan of fusion music. But Jang’s stuff, which mixes Korean traditional music with Western jazz, is different. It’s got soul… lots and lots of soul.
His tour is as follows:
June 2, New York City Center, New York
June 9, Auditorium Theatre, Chicago
June 17, Strathmore, Washington, DC
June 24, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles
You can give a listen to some of his stuff at his official homepage.
UPDATE: Here’s some video footage from a concert (thanks, Antti)
Like I said, if you can make the time, be sure to see him perform.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
If Jang Sa-ik’s music needs to be called “fusion”, it’s at least unforced and natural, done with music in mind, and the simple and plain arrangements often with modern instruments support Jang’s voice well. I saw a clip in which he did “Jjillekkot” with a court music orchestra; it took all the drama and tension away from the song that it has with a simple instrumentation, as in this flash clip. (Perhaps you’d like to embed the clip in your post.)
And jazzy arrangements usually come together very well with the rythms in Korean songs and music, as with Kim Deok-su’s work with Jamaladeen Tacuma, and in many of Kim Yong-woo’s songs.
Now, let the comments flood in.
It seems he was a construction worker until he was about 40 or so, when Im Dong Chang (pianist) found him and encouraged him to sing. Here is another link for some videos of his work.
He really is not Jazz-based at all but he has a very nice voice and style and is widely appreciated in Korea. I’m glad to hear that he is touring the U.S.
Far more interesting than the usual stuff that gets played here.
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