Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Kim Dae Hwan / Choi Sun Bae: Korean Fantasy

16

Kim Dae Hwan / Choi Sun Bae: Korean Fantasy

By

View read count
Kim Dae Hwan / Choi Sun Bae: Korean Fantasy
Korean Fantasy by Kim Dae Hwan (drums) and Choi Sun Bae (trumpet, harmonica) captures the ethereal essence of a live performance on November 26, 1999, at Aspirante, Hofu City, in Yamaguchi, Japan. This record stands as testament to the label's commitment to presenting a blend of avant-garde jazz and improvisation, and unearthing gems from the archives while also spotlighting contemporary works from a diverse roster of international artists.

The album presents a gripping exploration of improvisational acumen, rooted deep in the rich soil of traditional Korean music. This marks the duo's inaugural foray as a pair. Complemented by a booklet featuring photographs and an insightful essay by Takeo Suetomi of Chap Chap Records, the package offers a deep dive into the performance's context and the artists' profound connection to their craft.

The live recording's ambiance invites listeners to close their eyes and visualize the performance space, where the air is thick with the tension and release of musical counterpoints. The duo navigate a landscape filled with capacious undercurrents, free-form expressions, and introspective motifs. Sun Bae's trumpet soars through radiant peaks and dips into subtle melodies, engaging in a dynamic conversation with Dae Hwan's drums, which alternate between ferocious energy and gentle whispers. In a standout moment during "FM-1," Sun Bae's transition to harmonica introduces a uniquely off-kilter blues groove, perfectly complemented by Dae Hwan's forceful drumming. Meanwhile, "FM-3" highlights Dae Hwan's complex rhythms and Sun Bae's bold, declarative playing, though they also find moments to dial back the intensity, inviting listeners to immerse themselves fully in their sonic world.

As the final notes fade, Korean Fantasy leaves a lingering echo of its innovative spirit, a whimsical reminder that music is not just heard but deeply felt, bridging continents and cultures, and forever dancing in the spaces between.

Track Listing

FM-1; FM-2; FM-3.

Personnel

Kim Dae Hwan
percussion
Choi Sun Bae
trumpet
Additional Instrumentation

Choi Sun Bae; harmonica.

Album information

Title: Korean Fantasy | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: NoBusiness Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.