KIM Soo-chul fast forward

You'd think that would be the perfect day to simply, gently press 'rewind', and then 'play'..., but no, KIM Soo-chul keeps pushing 'fast forward' all the way, because he always needs to project himself toward his next projects.
   
For the final concert of his return to Hakchon, and on his 62nd birthday, the legend did remind us who and what he is: a great singer, an amazing guitar player, a wonderful songwriter, a multifaceted composer, a producer, a broadcaster, an actor. a genuine artist, and a true star, the kind of sun that brightens your day, makes you laugh or cry along with him.

KIM Soo-chul 20190407 (photos Stephane MOT)

If his hits have rocked and moved generations of Koreans since 1978, Soo-chul is even prouder of promoting gugak long before that was cool (one of his university friends told me that he was actually surprised to see him start with occidental music), and of helping its unique sounds reach new audiences at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and 2002 World Cup opening ceremonies, or with original soundtracks (like the one he composed for IM Kwon-taek's 'Sopyonje'). And yes, KIM is also very proud of performing live at the UN in NYC, of composing the delicate KBS jingle, or the cult 'Chikichiki chakachaka' (animation series), which he even played live on Sunday in Daehangno.

His show started unconventionally, with a lecture that was both fun and inspiring, even if he could have reduced the number of illustrations by half and still make all his points - but such is the man and the artist: always willing to communicate, and to share. 

Then came the concert. Did he bring the house down? You betcha. 'Little Big Man''s old band mates cheering from the audience, KIM Soo-chul teamed up with younger talents on stage: just one drummer, one bass, and one heck of a guitar hero, who jammed for a while with young gugak players, before returning to his greatest hits. A musical and emotional overload ending up in tears, before a touching finale: four songs merged into one, simply delivered by a soft voice, discreet strings, and pure melodies.

Happy Birthday, KIM Soo-chul, and thank you again for this very special moment.

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Cheong Alive, Jeonju Kicking

Last week, we had a fantastic time in a Jeonju blessed with a perfect weather... 

Autumn in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do - 20141010
twitter.com/theseoulvillage/status/520443719456026625

... and a perfect alibi for returning to that lovely city: the 2014 Jeonju International Sori Festival (see links below).

Official poster of the 2014 JISF (Oct. 8-12) - sorifestival.com

I was specially looking forward to watching 'Cheong Alive', the opening concert:

Cheong Alive (淸 ALIVE), the inaugural concert

I knew that PARK Jechun and Miyeon would give their best, not only for Jeonju and Korea, but also for the country's younger generations and for the future, particularly in the wake of the Sewol tragedy. They delivered such an incredibly powerful creation that we came back the following night to watch it again, this time with 600 Korean kids in the audience.

'Cheong' is the SIM Cheong of Simcheongga, a great pansori classic that had already been adapted and updated in countless ways (some of which quite stimulating, like in "Bitter, Sweet Seoul"). In the story, the daughter of SIM sacrificed herself for her father, but comes back from the depths of the sea to become an Empress.

It took guts to cast only young pansori singers for the opening ceremony of such a prestigious festival, but the young talents were up to the task, and 'Cheong Alive' follows on from a long tradition, without forgetting to honoring pansori greats. Master KIM Cheong-man, the janggu player in that amazing 'Yeourak' Super Session (see "In the zone with Miyeon and Park Je chun"), even chaperons the younger generation during a multisensorial experience that's much more than a concert, an opera, and a musical wrapped in one. Bridging generations and lifting pansori to new territories, Miyeon's music claims you from the first to the last second, and keeps haunting you long afterwards.

'Cheong Alive', an amazing pansori musical for the Sori Festival opening ceremony in Jeonju. Bravo Park Jechun and Miyeon!
20141008 - twitter.com/theseoulvillage/status/519813170731315201

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Mind you, I also crave for more traditional pansori, and loved KIM Yeon's take at another one of the five surviving great stories of pansori, Heungbuga, where humor plays a much larger role.

*

But the Sori Festival is not just Korea's best festival for traditional music, and if Songlines lists it among the 25 best in the world, that's also because it is truly international, and proposes very high quality music that don't often reach Korean shores (that's all about heralding cultural diversity, remember?*). I'm sure Jechun loved the incredible percussionists in these Iranian and Armenian groups:

From Iran, Sialk Ensemble - 20141010 twitter.com/theseoulvillage/status/520444186571460608

Duduk music from Armenia - 20141010 twitter.com/theseoulvillage/status/520592506069594113

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The beauty of having festival venues, cultural assets, and great eateries scattered across the hanok village is that you can always find quiet or busy spots, depending on your mood:

Visitors and characters from all horizons roaming Jeonju hanok village. Sori Festival full throttle - 20101009
twitter.com/theseoulvillage/status/520057631625314304

Aaah Jeonju... special mention for the doenjang (with the zucchini leaves, bottom left) - #koreanfood - 20141010 twitter.com/theseoulvillage/status/520373873405988864

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Of course, beyond the festival and the hanok maeul, there's a lot to see in Jeonju. 


The Nambu market deserves a triple visit for its outdoor street along Jeonjucheon, its covered section, and its trendier upper floor.

Jeonju Nambu Market - 20141010 twitter.com/theseoulvillage/status/520480117097644033

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On the other side of the river, Dongseohak-dong is evolving into a arty neighborhood full of new cultural hotspots, but like in many other parts of the city, original vintage shop signs are preserved, and sometimes old trades, such as this time-capsulesque cushion puffing place:

One of Korea's few surviving cushion puffing services, in Jeonju - 20141011 twitter.com/theseoulvillage/status/520717462656937988

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We went on to an amazing trip across Southern Korea, but more about that later.

I'm very glad I could enjoy Jeonju with old and new friends, and wish Chip were there as well, to taste the makgeolli we prepared together last July for the festival inauguration:

Preparing makgeolli with friends last July (see "Soriju seems to be the sweetest word")

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See all posts related to Jeonju and to the Sori Festival, including:

• on Jechun, Miyeon, and the festival: "In the zone with Miyeon and Park Je chun" (May 2014)
• on the hwimori flashmob: "World Cup v. Korean Keg" (June 2014)
• preparing the makgeolli for the festival: "Soriju seems to be the sweetest word" (July 2014)

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* talking about waves and shores, see "Heralding cultural diversity - a stronger and more sustainable Korean wave (Part I)", Part II, Part III

In the zone with Miyeon and Park Je chun

Korea is really lucky to have this couple. Miyeon and Park are not only outstanding artists, but also heralds of cultural diversity* who reconcile musics that Koreans are not used to consider on the same plane.

Miyeon the pianist, Park Je Chun the percussionist

To start with, few people can work with the best in the field in free jazz, contemporary, classical, modern or traditional musics from Korea and all over the world. Because Je Chun and Miyeon respect music like great chefs respect food, what you get is neither a tasteless 'bibim' nor some 'world music soup', but new realms for creation, composition, and improvisation, new dimensions for each genre or 'cuisine'. They live, eat, breathe music, and that's at the same time very sensual and very cerebral. I'd really like to visualize how their brains react to new sounds.

They perform all over the world, but decided to stay in Korea to help the local ecosystem grow from within. 

You just have to see how great masters in gugak / traditional Korean music join them "in the zone" in this amazing concert with AHN Sook-sun (pansori), KIM Cheong-man (janggu), and LEE Kwang-soo (kkwaenggwari). See how they all enjoy the moment, how they push their art as they explore new levels of Korean improvisation, something that reaches much further than a simple 'jazzy version of gugak'. And it's as if Je Chun's western percussions and Miyeon's piano had always been with them. The main impro starts at 1'35", but around 1'10" there's a close up on Miyeon's hands. Look how she morphed gayageum into her piano, as if she were plucking the strings.

Sitting close to Je Chun when he performs is also quite an experience, and I had that chance during their concert in Tazak Madang. Many videos are available on Park Je Chun's website: parksbluesky.com 

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A couple of years ago, the Jeonju International Sori Festival chose PARK Je Chun as its creative director, and the event, previously stuck in purely traditional gugak, evolved into an international reference and a major cultural crossroads (among the World's 25 best international festivals according to Songlines). It didn't only bring to Korea musics that had never been played there, but raised awareness for Korean traditional music, and generated previously unseen artistic encounters. Don't miss the next edition (October 8-12, 2014):
 
Jeonju International Sori Festival: sorifestival.com




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* They are the perfect illustration of what I wished for Korea in "Heralding cultural diversity - a stronger and more sustainable Korean wave (Part I)", Part II, Part III. Typically, they offer solutions to what I called Korea's 'wonjo syndrom', which opposes tradition and modernity and where sticking to a mythic 'original' destroys 'originality'.