John Chin - LYDIALIEBMAN.COM

Journey of Han
Release date: September 27, 2024

Journey of Han, a beautifully pensive observation on personhood and persona through diversity and individualism. For John Chin, Journey of Han was not an overnight inspiration, but the gradual and steady birth of a concept. Much of the album’s basis comes from Chin’s experiences as a Korean American living in New York for over 25 years, and follows his growth artistically and interpersonally. “From the camaraderie and sense of community I found within the jazz scene to the challenges of facing racism and discrimination, each moment shaped my perspective and inspired the music on this album,” Chin tells. “The album reflects the highs and lows of my journey, exploring themes of identity, resilience, and the power of music to transcend barriers.” From these experiences, Chin developed a sense of pride, empowerment, and a desire to not only acknowledge, but to celebrate his cultural identity. “Overall, the album arises from a deeply personal and transformative experience of embracing my cultural identity while making a mark in a traditionally non-diverse space,” Chin says. This is, in many ways, epitomized through the trio present on the album. Leading an ensemble of all Asian jazz musicians is, for Chin, a landmark of accomplishment, artistry, and representation, and in many ways summarizes the beauty of breaking barriers, finding belonging, and the richness of the Asian cultural contribution to jazz music. “This album conveys a message of unity and solidarity within the Asian American community, as well as a celebration of diversity within the broader jazz community,” Chin says.

The album’s title, Journey of Han, is a direct reference to Korean culture and provides a key lens through which a listener may understand the musical progression of the album. “The concept of han encompasses a broad range of emotions relating to contemporary Korean heritage,” Chin explains. “This includes sorrow, resentment, resilience, longing, loss and liberation.” Journey of Han therefore symbolizes the exploration of the Korean American identity and musically navigates the deeply human concepts of history, sense of belonging, and cultural fusion, all within the framework of jazz. Chin elaborates: “As an Asian American jazz musician, the concept of being a ‘constant foreigner’ is a deeply felt experience. Despite being raised in America, I’d sometimes find myself viewed as a perpetual outsider, facing the persistent stereotype of being ‘foreign’ or ‘other’.” From this, Chin describes the idea of understanding a ‘hidden heritage’; that is, a cultural identity that may not be obvious to others but is crucial to an individual’s sense of self. Journey of Han acknowledges and examines the idea of hidden heritage which, for Chin, encompasses both the wealth of cultural tradition from his Asian ancestry and the unique outlook and perspective that arise from straddling multiple worlds.

Musically, Chin draws on a plethora of influences to inform his sound as a performer and composer. Drawing on the writing style of jazz across almost its entire history - as evidenced by the arrangements present on the album - and coupling this with with the 18th and 19th century aesthetics of Chopin, Ravel, Rachmaninov, and Mompou, Chin has developed a musical presentation that is undeniably jazz, but is ornament the ebullient counterpoint and evocative drama of the Western classical tradition.

One of the most powerful elements contained on Journey of Han is Chin’s intentionally crafted pacing and song order. Organized into two Acts, the structure of each creates the overall emotional and sonic themes of exploration of self and examining of identity contained within the concept of han. Act One opens with “The Longing of the Wind”, an expository solo piano piece that foreshadows the mood and soundscapes of the journey to come. This is followed by “Midnight Sun”, whose text, written by Johnny Mercer, is drawn out over a deconstructed rock feel with a bass and piano ostinato, creating a ticking clock feel. This effect compliments the lyrics about being on the verge of falling in love, and adds a sense of heightened urgency. The third track is entitled “The Shimmering Veil”, which acts as a seamless transition between “Midnight Sun” and the next track, Chin’s arrangement of Wayne Shorter’s “Lady Day”. Shorter’s composition was dedicated to Billie Holiday, a musician whose profound artistry yet tragic life held such influence upon jazz music. In this album, “Lady Day” marks a turning point, as it and the track following it ramp up to the piece “The Constant Foreigner”. The fifth piece on the album is “ATL”, a high-energy work that pays homage to the electric and fusion jazz of the 1970s. In so doing, it paints a soundscape of Atlanta, a city whose history is marked simultaneously by brilliance and tragedy. All these songs lead up to the conceptual and emotive climax that is “The Constant Foreigner”. Beginning with the headlines describing the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings, this composition is a work with three distinct sections, emphasizing tragedy, mission and unification. “This piece is especially personal to probably every Asian person with a woman in their life, whether it be a mother, wife, or sister and is commentary on some of the challenges Asians have faced, especially in the age of this pandemic,” Chin says. Act One concludes with “Promising World”, a solo bass piece by Jeong Lim Yang that acts as a concluding coda to “The Constant Foreigner”, providing a glimmer of hope and introspection.

Act Two opens with “Lament for a Past Life”, a sentimental, retrospective piece whose tone is elaborated upon by “Never Let Me Go”, a standard evoking longing and commitment. The album switches gears musically - but not emotionally - with “Loom”, a solo drum feature by Jongkuk Kim that adds rhythmic complexity, texture, and a vast dynamic range to the oeuvre of the album. Continuing in the same vein, Chin’s solo piano piece “Tarn” provides a pensive calm amidst the weight of the themes that have been explored over the past ten pieces. “The Next Thing” signals a thematic shift in the album’s tone, creating a sense of anticipation for the upcoming closing notes of the album. The classic Strayhorn “Lush Life” is the album’s penultimate work, and functions as a summation of the sophisticated melancholic essence that has permeated through this collection of pieces. Journey of Han concludes with the timeless standard, “Stardust”. Leaning into the nostalgic, dreamy aesthetic of this composition, Chin leaves the listener with a sense of fulfillment and reflection. Most poignantly, the ending of this piece flows directly into the opening of the first piece, creating an intentional, cyclical loop that metaphorically mirrors the cyclical nature of the album’s thematic voyage from which its very name is derived.

With Journey of Han, Chin proclaims the beauty of diversity and the robust heritage of the Asian American community and wraps it all within the ornate splendor of the great American music of jazz. By both leaning into his roots and showing how they have added depths of luminance to the oeuvre of jazz past and present, Chin creates an artistic reflection that is at once salient and hopeful as he sets his eyes upon the future - of jazz, of diversity, and of shared American identity.

John Chin: Sun of Music
Release date: November 3, 2023

Some live albums make it very clear that you weren't there. They're like looking through a shop window at items you can see but not touch. Pianist John Chin's Sun Of Music: Live From The Lockdown is a very different experience. To listen to this record is to be transported through time and space to one of New York's legendary live rooms, and to watch three artists make music that can come only from trust and a shared artistic vision, born of long years together on the bandstand.

"These guys on the record are guys that I've known for a couple decades, from when I first came to New York around 1998. They're like brothers to me," said Chin about his bandmates, bassist Sean Conly and drummer Jaimeo Brown.

Conly agrees: "Jaimeo and John and I have played hundreds of gigs together over the last 20 years. This record captures some of the exuberance that we feel when we get to play together. There's just so much history and love wrapped up in the music when we play."

Sun Of Music was recorded in August 2020, during the height of lockdown, with no audience present other than a few Smalls employees. The trio hadn't played together, or even seen one another, in months. For Chin, life had been a rollercoaster. He got a serious case of Covid right as the lockdown started in March. His wife went into labor while he was still sick. Then, two days after his fever broke, his first child was born. He even went a few weeks without playing the piano for the first time in his adult life. The show at Smalls, therefore, was cathartic.

"The pandemic has meaning for all of us, in one way or another," said Chin, "and for me, my life changed in an instant. I’m not sure what changed my life more, the pandemic or becoming a father. The city was empty and everything about this show was a surreal experience, from leaving the house and commuting, to showing up in the West Village, which was a ghost town, to playing an empty club that would normally be packed with a line out the door. Everything was strange, but when we finally played music, it was like everything snapped back to a former life and we ended up making something beautiful out of the ashes."

The repertoire on Sun Of Music comes from songs the trio regularly plays. They always include something by Wayne Shorter; for this show, they chose "Speak No Evil" and "Fall." They often close their sets the way they do here, with Bobby Hutcherson's "Montara." But familiarity, in this case, bred innovation. Chin said there were surprising moments all throughout the set, such as on their rendition of "Pure Imagination."

"As we go into 'Pure Imagination,' there's an interlude that comes straight from the music cues in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," said Chin. "And then somehow, toward the end, the three of us ended up deconstructing the tune, and then I found myself playing solo piano. It was a beautiful and surprising moment for me. It speaks to that intuition I mentioned. We'd never done it that way before … and we've never done it that way since."

It's clear that all three musicians feel that same sense of connection.

"As a drummer, playing with John and Sean is like driving in a luxury car that has four-wheel drive," said Brown. "It’s amazing sharing music with individuals who can approach the most simple and complex music with equal intensity. Playing with this trio is a spiritual experience that cleans out my heart and soul."

Chin agreed: "I felt the love in the room, and it felt familiar, even though I hadn't been in Smalls for months. It didn't throw me off that the room was empty. It didn't matter to any of us. I know that for sure. It was familiar and beautiful and there was something very reassuring about it."

That ease is immediately apparent in the opening moments of "Bermuda Triangle Eyes," a tune by friend of the band Kelvin Sholar. It starts with a Basie-esque slow drag by Chin. After the break, the song builds and builds. There's a bass solo, during which someone on the bandstand laughs and it's clear they're all locked in and having a blast. The energy shifts throughout the set, but that initial sense of joy and release never disappears. It's there in the drive of "Speak No Evil," in the ebb and flow of "Fall," in an edge-of-the-seat performance of Coltrane's "Countdown," and all the way through the final groove of "Montara."

Overcoming all the strange realities of the world at this time, that shared vision and trust is what brought forth the recording of Sun of Music.

"With those guys I'm not afraid to do anything," said Chin. "They can support me as a pianist in a way that will enable me to play nothing if I need to and it will still be musical and amazing. That kind of trust is very rare. After not playing for months and months, this was a beacon of light."