NEW RELEASE
Myths of Origin is now available on BandCamp
Myths of Origin is more than just experimental music; it is an artistic statement challenging the Orientalist narratives still embedded in mainstream society. Through a musical language free from ethnic and genre boundaries, Hwang invites us to rethink human relationships, identity, and the collective imagination. “To be transformed by possibilities rooted in truth is to transcend all Myths of Origin,” he writes…Myths of Origin is a work that combines aesthetic boldness, collective spirit, and resistance to stereotypes. It is an invitation to listen—and to be—beyond the limitations imposed by history. - Indonesian Jazz News, WartaJazz.com. Read full review
And as the strings come in, there is an eerie sense of mystery, and the sound begins to build, the action taking place all around us. Frightening, beautiful, and perhaps inevitable, the dramatic music holds us spellbound…And then it grows from there, leading into "Ancestors Of Light," a more mysterious landscape, with beauty pushing up through the surface. And then we are in more familiar territory with "Anthem Of Knowing," a jazz club at the beginning of existence, where we can relax, ease into reality, as things take form around us and those forms rise up in dance. "Never Forgotten" moves slowly, stretching its great limbs across space and taking it all in, the beauty, the sadness, the vast emptiness. - Michael Doherty, michaelsmusic.blogspot. Read Full Review
On an album that defies orientalist fantasies by inhabiting multiple worlds of sound, and which was recorded live at the 2022 Vision Festival in Roulette, Brooklyn, NY, along next is the organically sculpted Landmarks Vanish which is in turn backed by the beautifully exercised Where Fools Fear, the impassioned Ancestors of Light, rounding out on the spirited affair Anthem of Knowing, closing on the musical colossus Never Forgotten. - Ann Carlini, annecarlini.com. Read Full Review
Myths of Origin is already appearing on the radio charts!
Soliloquies can be purchased at BANDCAMP
Hwang’s reflections about his family did not result in a stereotypical stroll down Memory Lane... Instead, he used the reduced dynamics and sustain of pizzicato playing to create a quiet intensity at times, and a negotiated calm at others. There is a realness to the work that doesn’t require a backstory. - Bill Shoemaker, Point of Departure
Soliloquies is a hauntingly beautiful and emotionally raw recording that is difficult to put down. - Rob Shepard, postgenre.org.
Hwang's approach to the violin in "Soliloquies" is transformative… The music defies simple categorization, weaving together Eastern and Western influences in a tapestry of sound that requires multiple listens to be fully appreciated. It's a testament to Hwang's ability to seamlessly blend diverse cultural and musical traditions…"Soliloquies" stands as one of the most powerful musical and creative acts in recent years. …While his multifaceted career may defy easy categorization, time will likely cement his status as a pivotal figure in improvised music.
Read all Reviews of Soliloquies
Soliloquies has been on the national radio charts since October, 2024, a 9-month span.
Jason Kao Hwang/Critical Response
Jason Kao Hwang - composer/electric violin
Anders Nilsson - electric guitar
Michael T.A. Thompson - drums
In Book of Stories, arising from composition, improvisation, synergy, and truth seeking, Critical Response challenges the disillusionment and divisiveness that encircle this moment in history.
Michael T.A. Thompson and I performed many times with choreographer/dancer Patricia Nicholson. Both Michael and the late J.A. Deane, encouraged me to explore multiple FX processing. I have been listening to Anders Nilsson for years and knew that this trio would bond, and we have. Beginning in 2018, then interrupted by the pandemic, at long last, I am thankful to be sharing this CD with the world.
- Jason Kao Hwang
BEST JAZZ ON BANDCAMP, JULY 2023
Book of Stories is arresting, captivating, and, at times, massively thrilling. Jason Kao Hwang’s trio with electric guitarist Anders Nilsson and drummer Michael T.A. Thompson dives into an adventurous fusion session where the musical influences never sit still, the trio changing their composition, playing with the ratios, and exposing the multitude of permutations inherent to fusion. The ultimate impression is of music that’s moving simultaneously in different directions—inward, to a meeting point between influences; and outward, past the hazy lines of genre boundaries. The most striking moments are those when the violinist cuts straight to the heart of things with a melodic statement—a thing of beauty that also brings about shape and structure. I’ve been listening to this album pretty frequently since it first landed on my radar, and it’s blindingly obvious that it still has so much left to reveal. - Dave Sumner, Bandcamp. Read at Bandcamp