Using violin, kayagum, ajaeng, and voice, these works center around avant garde improvisation and curiosity for sound and silence.

5 MP3 Songs
AVANT GARDE: Free Improvisation, AVANT GARDE: Microsound



Details:
EUONYMUS RECORDS NEW RELEASE (EU01)!

LOCAL LINGO
Jason Kao Hwang ⢠composer, violinist
Sang Won Park ⢠Korean zithers: kayagum (12 string, plucked),
ajeng (6 string, bowed with resined stick), and voice
Recorded on January 29, 2006 at Aorta Sound, Jersey City, NJ.

Jason Kao Hwang (violin, composer) and Sang Won Park (kayagum, ajeng, voice) have collaborated over the past sixteen years, first with The Far East Side Band in the 90âs, and now, as a duo. The compositions of Jason Kao Hwang inspire cross-cultural improvisations with Sang Won Park, creating an American music that is their Local Lingo. Local Lingo recently performed at Vision Festival XII/

"Both of these men are great soloists and love to push themselves into unexpected situations... This duo blended ancient (sounding) songs with more modern improvisations and created something quite different." Bruce Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery

"This is a very interesting paring of musicians. Sang Won Park is a master at playing the kayagum. This is a kind of 12-string zither, its bended note properties are often heard to be akin to blues guitar inflections. Jason Kao Hwang is a virtuoso violin player. In this setting both musicians push, pull, intertwine and envelope each other to create an otherwordly combination." Scott Heller, aural-innovations.com , issue 37

Biographies:

Jason Kao Hwang (composer, violinist) has created works ranging from jazz, classical, ânewâ and world music. Mr. Hwangâs new CD of his jazz quartet, EDGE (Asian Improv Records) was named one of the Top Ten Jazz CDs of 2006 by ALL ABOUT JAZZ. His chamber opera, The Floating Box, A Story in Chinatown (New World Records), was named one of the top ten opera recordings of 2005 by Opera News. Mr. Hwangâs seminal ensemble (1990-2004), The Far East Side Band, released two CDs, Urban Archaeology (Victo Records) and Caverns (New World Records). They performed at World Music Institute (NYC), Jazzgalerie Nickelsdorf Konfrontationen (Austria), the duMaurier Ltd. International Jazz Festival (Canada) and many other stages. As violinist, he has performed on recordings including Anthony Braxton's 1996 Sextet (Istanbul) and 1995 Octet (NYC), Dominic Duval's The Navigator (Leo); Henry Threadgill's Come Save the Day (Columbia) and Too Much Sugar for a Dime (Axiom), Reggie Workman's Altered States (Leo) and Butch Morris's Dust to Dust and Testament:, A Conduction Collection (New World). Over the years, he has performed with numerous artists including Vladamir Tarasov, Borah Bergman, William Parker, Sirone, and Makanda Ken MacIntyre. As composer, he has received support from the National Endowment for the Arts and New Jersey State Council on the Arts. jasonkaohwang.com

Sang Won Park (kayagum, ajeng, voice) was a founding member of the Far East Side Band with composer/violinist Jason Kao Hwang, recording two acclaimed CDs, Caverns(New World Records) and Urban Archaeology(Victo Records). Mr. Park made his western debut at Carnegie Recital Hall in 1979, followed by a tour of both the U.S. and Europe. Les Amis De L'Orient and Sono Disc in Paris have produced an album entitled Le Kayagum de Park Sang Won. He has recorded with Henry Kaiser and Charles K. Noyes(OAO/Celluloid) and Laurie Anderson(Warner Brothers). He was featured in Rhythm of the World, a documentary produced for BBC-TV and Improvisation, a documentary written by Derek Bailey and produced by Channel 4 of U.K. His life and music has been documented in Old Tradition and New Sound, a program narrated by Judy Collins for National Public Radio. He has also appeared in Nam Jun Paik's acclaimed satellite spectacular Bye Bye Kipling on PBS. Mr. Park, a native of Seoul, earned his B.A. and M.A. in musicology at Seoul National University. He was a member of the Traditional Music Orchestra of Seoul and a researcher at the Academy of Korean Studies. www.sangwonpark.com