Home » Jazz Musicians » Hyeseon Hong
Hyeseon Hong
Hyeseon Hong Jazz Orchestra: Things Will Pass
by Jack Bowers
There are a handful of things you should know about Hyeseon Hong (pronounced hay-sun hong), as each of them impacts the scope and purpose of the music on Things Will Pass. First, she is well-versed in the shaping and subtleties of contemporary big-band jazz; second, she was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea; third, she formed her own big band after relocating from Korea to New York City more than a decade ago; fourth, and perhaps most important, she ...
Continue ReadingHyeseon Hong: EE-YA-GI (Stories)
by Troy Dostert
With her rich, engaging debut release, EE-YA-GI (Stories), composer Hyeseon Hong brings her own unique approach to contemporary jazz. Using a first-rate large ensemble to showcase her compositions, she takes traditional folk forms, particularly from her native Korea, and develops them with modern big-band jazz voicings. The result is an eminently listenable and enjoyable recording, one that reveals new nuances and subtle pleasures with each encounter. The album's opener, “Harvest Dance," captures Hong's modus operandi perfectly. With a ...
Continue ReadingHyeseon Hong Jazz Orchestra: EE-YA-GI (Stories)
by Jack Bowers
What a delightful surprise. Korean-born composer / arranger HyeSeon Hong, a graduate of NYU who now lives in New Jersey, enfolds the best of two worlds --east and west --on her superlative debut album, EE-YA-GI (Stories), introducing Hong's eighteen-piece Jazz Orchestra and some heavy-hitting soloists including trumpeter Ingrid Jensen and tenor saxophonist Rich Perry. While Hong salutes her heritage at various points along the way, she proves on every number her conclusive grasp of traditional western jazz, ...
Continue ReadingMusic
Hyeseon Hong
Instrument: Composer / conductor
