IGJI 0075. (RECORDING DATE NOT AVAILABLE)
Korean and jazz rhythms come together in Mina Cho’s Beat Mirage. The result is as tasty and spicy as your favorite Korean restaurant. Cho and her band, The Grace Beat Quartet, serve up a hypnotic appetizer with the shamanic chanting of “Nacht Song,” a piece based on a traditional Korean melody that entices you for more. The five tunes that follow, including the title track “Beat Mirage,” explore Cho’s fascination with gospel, jazz and her native music. Traditional Korean percussion instruments, played by Insoo Kim and Yeongiin Kim, punctuate the percussive and single-note attacks of Cho’s playing. Lyrical solos from bassist Max Ridley add more flavor to the mix. For dessert, Cho turns to her interest in Latin American music with the bolero-inspired “There’s a Stage For Me in Heaven.” You’ll sure to enjoy some familiar and unique flavors in Cho’s fusion of Korean-inspired and jazz-imbued music.
BOTTOM LINE: Cho states that her goal with Beat Mirage was to create a platform where traditional Korean and jazz musicians could organically exchange ideas for composition and improvisation. She succeeds from the first note to the last!
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