Jason Kao Hwang/Sing House
***** 5.0 out of 5 stars
‘Music as a meta-language of memories’
By Grady Harp HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWER VINE VOICE on May 25, 2017
Jason Kao Hwang is a unique artist. He is a composer and an conductor and violinist and he is one of the frontrunners in creative jazz. His technique focuses on improvisation and not only as a performer, but also as a composer. With the talent he holds he could easily branch into the Classical Music field - and actually that is exactly what he has accomplished: he melds the jazz idiom with classical music structure and creates works such as this SING HOUSE.
From the fine PR notes we discover – ‘The music is a house, with the score’s quintessential melodies, rhythms, harmonies and textures offering rooms in which musicians extemporaneously sing. In this dramatic architecture, the unique voice of each musician is empowered to individually interpret and also, transcend interpretation to become an originating spirit that is inextricably unified to the composition’s destiny. This is how music grows greater than the imagination of one to become a meta-language of memories, dreams and hope. This is how the compositions of Jason Kao Hwang house imagination, identity, and greater purpose. This is the jazz of Sing House. Raised during America’s “melting pot” doctrine of assimilation, Mr. Hwang learned only English from his parents, who emigrated from China in the 1940’s. Not knowing the words, he always listened to their Chinese language deeply, extracting meanings from the inflection, rhythm and timbre of their sounds. These formative musical experiences have inspired his instincts as an Asian American artist.
Though Sing House is Mr. Hwang’s new quintet, all the musicians have all worked together in various constellations for over ten years. Our creative engagement continues to cultivate empathic listening and compositional understanding, while spurring the evolution of our individuality.
The ensemble is Jason Kao Hwang – composer/violin/viola, Andrew Drury – drum set, Ken Filiano – string bass, Chris Forbes – piano, and Steve Swell – trombone.
Fine artistry on every count. Grady Harp, May 17