Asian Heritage Month will come alive in Metro Vancouver with the sounds of Korean, Chinese, and Western jazz. The Korean quintet SE:UM will perform their first concerts in the region at the Anvil Centre in New Westminster and the Annex in Vancouver. The East of the Sun shows will also feature Jasmine Jazz as part of the double bill. This ensemble is comprised of the Jodi Proznick Trio and members of the Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble.
SE:UM’s roots go back to 2013. That’s when Korean traditional musicians Minhyeong Lee (percussion) and Joon Lee (gayageum, a13-stringed Korean zither) began jamming with saxophonist Hachul Song, trumpeter Jongsang Park, and bassist Jaeha Lee.
In 2015, they earned nominations for Best Crossover Album and Best Jazz & Crossover Performance at the Korea Music Awards. In their upcoming concerts, SE:UM will perform songs from their newest album, Ten Thousand Waves, which they recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile in 2023, Jasmine Jazz won Instrumental Artist of the Year at the Westcoast Music Awards. These musicians make contemporary jazz music with traditional Chinese instruments, such as the erhu and guzheng, along with western inistruments.
Watch Jasmine Jazz at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival.
Caravan World Rhythms, Korean Cultural Centre Canada, Vancouver Chinese Instrumental Music Society, and Vancouver Independent Music Centre will present East of the Sun. The Anvil Centre concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. on May 3. At the same time on May 4, the concert will be at the Annex in Vancouver.
SE:UM members have been playing jazz together since 2013.
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