Hyeseon Hong Jazz Orchestra: Things Will Pass (Pacific Coast Jazz)
This is one of the best records I’ve heard in a very long time. The music is wonderful, and the sound is sublime.
Hyeseon Hong is a Korean jazz composer and arranger who has spent time (born and raised in) Seoul and studied jazz in New York City. She received bachelors and masters degrees in music, served as an assistant professor at Dae Gu Art College, has taught classes in jazz arranging, composition, and other areas. She now resides in New York. Things Will Pass by the Hyeseon Hong Jazz Orchestra is her second album, following the release of EE-YA-GI (“Stories”) in 1977. Things Will Pass features a 19-piece big band comprised of piano, brass, woodwinds, bass, drums, and other instruments. It was recorded by Aaron Nevezie at The Bunker Studio in Brooklyn, New York, with additional recording by Chris Sulit at Paramus, New Jersey’s Trading 8s Studios.
The album’s nine all-original compositions offer a mix of modern and traditional jazz, fusion, Korean influences, and other less-categorizable flavors. The music flows over and around you, whether the relaxed groove of the opener, “Road to Hana,” the slowly-unwinding “Memoirs of Ladies,” or the playful “Raindrop’s Journey,” though I’m still scratching my head trying to figure out what time signature “Dance With Dracula” is in! Although calling it “jazz” is a convenient catch-all, and there’s plenty of superb jazz soloing here, the music ultimately goes beyond such an easy categorization. You just have to listen.
Which I can’t recommend enough. I’ll reiterate: Things Will Pass is a fantastic album. And emphasize: this is an incredible-sounding record. It’s warm and rich, though detailed and open. It has a spacious sound and fantastic dynamics, a crucial element in reproducing the sound of a big band. Individual instruments have exceptional body and presence. One of the things I love to hear in a jazz recording are saxophones that have that “creamy” full-bodied sound, and they’re beautifully-recorded here. This album sounds equally gorgeous on my main system and via my high-quality desktop setup, though it’s just thrilling on the big rig.
Hyseon Hong Jazz Orchestra, Things Will Pass, album cover.
The musical highlights are many and varied, with sophisticated chord changes and voicings, and delightful ensemble textures and combinations of instruments, like the wooden flute being doubled by the female vocal in the melody of “Memoirs of Ladies.” This track will also reveal the purity of your speakers’ upper-mid and high-frequency reproduction or lack thereof, and have you reveling in the brass and woodwind ensemble sound.
“Run Away” features vocals by Aubrey Johnson and outstanding soloing by guitarist Matt Panayides and Alejandro Aviles on alto sax. It’s captivating. The Rhodes electric piano sound is sumptuous, as is David Smith’s fluegelhorn playing on “Waltzing With Dad.” “Treasure Hunt” has some truly inventive orchestrations, and the amazing sound of the baritone sax in the intro will make you realize it’s one of the coolest instruments on Earth. The band is unbelievably tight on this one. “Night Climbing,” with its bossa nova-tinged melody and easygoing pace, had me forgetting time and space and getting impatient about taking listening notes – I just wanted to revel in the music. The sonics and the drums on “Dance With Dracula” are particularly outstanding.
The album ends on a plaintive yet positive note on “We Will Meet Again,” the perfect closer to an album filled with musical and sonic wonder.
If you’re in the Manhattan area on October 13, the Hyeseon Hong Big Band will be playing at Birdland. I already bought my ticket.
I spoke with Hyeseon Hong about the making of Things Will Pass, and with engineer Aaron Nevezie on recording the album.
With Hyeseon Hong:
Frank Doris: Why is the album titled Things Will Pass?
Hyeseon Hong: I wanted to tell people, and also remind myself, that suffering and tough times will eventually pass. It's both self-assurance and a way to comfort others at the same time. When we're in the midst of hardship, it often feels like there's no end in sight, as if it will last forever. But we need to remind ourselves – and others – that it will end, and things will get better. This message is not only to comfort ourselves, but also to offer hope to those around us who are struggling. As a composer speaking to my audience, I’ve been where you are, and I’m telling you this: things will pass, and you will be all right.
Hyeseon Hong. Courtesy of the artist.
FD: Why did you decide to use a big band, rather than go the usual jazz quartet or small-group jazz route?
HH: It’s the sound that drew me in – full and rich. There’s no reason why you are drawn in. That’s what I hear and imagine in my head.
You can have so much fun doing different orchestrations with many different instruments.
FD: You’re from Korea, yet have settled in New York. Is it because New York is a worldwide center of jazz?
HH: I lived as a professional musician in Korea for a while. I could see myself experimenting with different approaches, being more flexible in finding experienced musicians, and staying open to new music and fresh audience perspectives in New York City. I wanted to challenge myself more by engaging with the ongoing new developments in the city.
FD: How do you go about composing a piece? It seems that many of the songs on Things Will Pass were inspired by particular events, people, and memories.
HH: That’s right. They stem from my travels, personal losses, memories of loved ones, childhood experiences, books I’ve read, and historic figures I’ve studied.
FD: Your orchestrations are unique, yet also draw on classic jazz and other musical traditions. What inspires you to create these musical blends of instruments?
HH: If you are asking about orchestration itself, I have to say my influences include classical composers like Brahms, Debussy, Prokofiev, Bartók, Mahler, Scriabin, and Charles Ives. As I developed my musical studies, I was also inspired by Gil Evans, Bob Brookmeyer, Maria Schneider, and Bill Holman.
If you ask about the spirit of my music, I have to say I am very much inspired by sources of music from the theater, including film music by Ennio Morricone and the musical theater that I have been involved with.
My music is also inspired by some of the classical symphonic music that I grew up listening to, and my long-time study of painting.
FD: The musicians on this album are fantastic. How did you find them?
HH: They’ve been playing in the band for over a decade. Some are long-term committed members and we grew together as musicians. I met some at concerts. I liked their playing and contacted them. For [others], I got recommendations by other musicians who knew my music well.
With Aaron Nevezie:
Frank Doris: What format was the album recorded in?
Aaron Nevezie: I pretty much always record jazz in 24-bit/96 kHz in Pro Tools.
FD: What hardware did you use to record the album?
AN: All the mic preamps are the Neve 31102s in the Neve 8088 console in Studio A at The Bunker Studio.
FD: What kind of mics did you use for the various sections (brass, piano, etc.)
AN: The mics were RCA ribbon mics on the trumpets, Coles 4038s on the trombones, Neumann U67 on saxes, and Neumann U47 and Schoeps mics on the bass. We used Neumann M49s on our Steinway C piano and for drum overheads.
FD: What was the overall sound and feel you were going for? The album has a very warm and rich sound, yet detailed in the upper midrange and highs. The presence of the instruments, like the baritone sax on “Treasure Hunt,” is excellent. The Rhodes piano sounds wonderful.
AN: It’s a pretty standard rhythm section (recording) setup for me, looking for clarity, detail and air. I’m focused on capturing the subtleties of the performances and the individual character of the musicians. For the horns, I’m looking for a unified group sound yet with separation between sections for musical definition. The Rhodes is a vintage 1974 Suitcase model, recorded in stereo through a Radial JDI direct box into the Neve console.
The Musicians on Things Will Pass:
Ben Kono – soprano sax, alto sax, flute and wooden flute
Alejandro Aviles – alto sax and flute
Rich Perry – tenor sax
Quinsin Nachoff – tenor sax and clarinet
Andrew Hadro – baritone sax and bass clarinet
John Lake, David Smith *5, Colin Brigstocke, Jonathan Saraga – trumpet and fluegelhorn
Mike Fahie, Daniel Linden, Nick Grinder, Becca Patterson -- trombone
Broc Hempel – piano
Matt Panayides – guitar
Evan Gregor – bass
Jeff Davis – drums
Aubrey Johnson, Lauren Lee – vocals
John McMahon – whistle
Hyeseon Hong and Matt Panayides – additional percussion
