#4293: New Music From Korea
Hear new music from Korea, much of it built around the traditional court instruments like geomungo, piri, and haegum, from Park Jiha, Bora Yoon, Jambinai, and Jin Hi Kim.
Korean composer and multi-instrumentalist Park Jiha creates new music for ancient traditional court instruments. Her main instrument is the piri, but on her record, Communion, she makes instrumental sculptures out of repeating patterns played on the yanggeum (a hammered dulcimer with metal strings) or slowly droned melodies on the saenghwang (mouth organ), along with unexpected contributions from bass clarinet or sax by Kim Oki, and John Bell’s vibes and percussion. Also, hear music from the Korean quintet Jambinai who play traditional instruments like piri, saenghwang, and gayageum (a 12-stringed zither), along with rockenroll instruments.
Listen also to music from the band Geomungo Factory, who play geomungo (or komungo), a six-stringed instrument in the zither family with both bridges and frets. The quartet combines geomungo with other traditional Korean stringed instruments in very non-traditional ways – plucking it like guitar, playing it with felted mallets or bowing it like a cello, instead of with a short bamboo stick called suldae.
There’s also music by Korean-born komungo musician and composer Jin Hi Kim, who co-designed the world's only electric komungo. Listen to her “Dance of Meditation” featuring Tuvan vocals and a Japanese percussionist. Then, hear music from Korean-Amercian composer Bora Yoon which combines vocal quartet New York Polyphony together with Morse signals and other subtle electronics. Plus, sample music by Henry Kaiser (guitar), Charles K. Noyes (drums, percussion), and Sang Won Park (gayageum) from the 1983 record, Invite the Spirit, and more. - Caryn Havlik
Program #4293: New Music From Korea (First aired 10/29/2019)
ARTIST: Jambinai
WORK: In the Woods [1:30]
RECORDING: Onda
SOURCE: Bella Union
INFO: jambinai.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Geomungo Factory
WORK: Jirirariru [2:07]
RECORDING: Metamorphosis
SOURCE: Geomungo Factory
INFO: cdbaby.com/geomungofactory
ARTIST: Jambinai
WORK: In the Woods [13:15]
RECORDING: Onda
SOURCE: Bella Union
INFO: jambinai.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Geomungo Factory
WORK: Movement on Silence [4:42]
RECORDING: Metamorphosis
SOURCE: Geomungo Factory
INFO: cdbaby.com/geomungofactory
ARTIST: Park Jiha
WORK: The First Time I Sat Across From You [8:29]
RECORDING: Communion
SOURCE: Glitterbeat
INFO: parkjiha.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Bora Yoon and NY Polyphony
WORK: Bora Yoon: Semaphore Conductus [7:18]
RECORDING: Sunken Cathedral
SOURCE: Innova 880
INFO: innova.mu
ARTIST: Grace Yoon, Ramon Bunka
WORK: Scolopendra [3:21]
RECORDING: Earborn
SOURCE: Bayrischer Rundfunk / Jaro Records
INFO: Available at Amazon.com
ARTIST: Jin Hi Kim
WORK: Dance of Meditation [4:34]
RECORDING: Komungo
SOURCE: O.O. DISCS 70
INFO: jinhikim.com
ARTIST: Henry Kaiser, Charles K Noyes & Sang Won Park
WORK: Hurum [3:03]
RECORDING: Invite the Spirit
SOURCE: Tzadik 7617
INFO: tzadik.com
