12.11.2018
Text: Cem Kayıran
Translation: Yetkin Nural
Illustration: Saydan Akşit
Founded to keep the American big band jazz ensemble tradition alive, Song Hachul Quartet has brought freshness to the Korean jazz scene. Since the most prestigious Korean music media started mentioning the band’s name frequently, this quartet by four talented musicians has been receiving a lot of positive attention. Song Hachul Quartet’s upcoming concert at Akbank Sanat stage on 20th November is part of ‘‘JAZZ KOREA 2018’’, a project organized by various South Korea Republic’s European Consulates and Korean Culture Centers.
Quartet’s leader Song Hachul studied clarinet in his childhood years. Later on his interest shifted into saxophone, which became the instrument that he entered the jazz scene with when he was 14. Young musician’s undeniable talent and musical knowledge attracted attention and –just one year later- he was accepted to Kyunghee University’s Postmodern Music Faculty, becoming the youngest student accepted to this particular branch. In 2014, Hachul won the price from a competition organized by the country’s instrument production giant Yaong Chang and found himself on the pages of the popular Korean jazz magazine Jazz People as a ‘‘Rising Star’’.
All of the four musicians that form Song Hachul Quartet also work with various musicians from the Korean jazz scene and are among the names that took part in most album recording sessions in the recent years. In their compositions, the quartet draws heavily from modern jazz trends as well as American traditions, creating dynamic structures with unexpected transitions and diverse melodic inspirations.
Song Hachul will be taking the stage, together with Yim Chaesun on the piano, Lee Dongmin on the contrabass and Seo Juyoung on the drums, for a performance that the audiences who are interested in the jazz scenes from non-western countries shouldn’t miss. Following the footsteps of masters such as Sonny Rollins, Branford Marsalis and Joshua Redman; Song Hachul Quartet’s ‘’JAZZ KOREA 2018’’ performances will continue at Rome, Warsaw, Hamburg, Berlin and Stuttgart right after İstanbul.