Musician Jon Jang appointed as resident artist at UCLA's Herb Alpert School of Music
Jon Jang: A Jazz Composer Honoring Chinese American History and Black Music of Resistance
Jon Jang, an American jazz pianist and composer, is set to be in residency at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music from January 16-20. Known for his works that honor Chinese American history and the black music of resistance, Jang's music is a unique fusion of jazz and Chinese traditional music, deeply rooted in histories of social justice and cultural identity.
During his residency, Jang will present a solo piano and storytelling performance at the Fowler Museum at UCLA on January 20. Saxophonist Hitomi Oba will join him in the second half of the program.
On January 17, the "Making Chinese Music American and Black Music of Resistance: The Jon Jangtet in Concert" program will take place. The Jon Jangtet, Jang's quintet, will feature Hitomi Oba on soprano and tenor saxophones, Nick DePinna on trombone, Trevor Ware on double bass, and Miles Senzaki on multiple percussion. This program includes works that feature Jang's unique American-born Chinese treatment of Chinese music and music inspired by the black continuum of resistance.
The residency programs are co-presented by the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, the UCLA Department of Asian American Studies and Center for EthnoCommunications, Friends of Jazz at UCLA, and the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.
Jang's music style is often compared to the 'Third Stream' composers who combined jazz and classical music. His notable works include "The Chinese American Symphony", which is the first symphonic work by an American-born Chinese composer to honor Chinese American history. Other significant compositions by Jang include "Tiananmen!", "Reparations Now! Concerto for Taiko", and "When Sorrow Turns to Joy - Songlines: The Spiritual Tributary of Paul Robeson and Mei Lanfang".
In addition to his performances, Jang will also reunite with Renee Tajima-Peña for a conversation following the screening of "My America (or honk if you love Buddha)" at UCLA on January 16. This Asian American road odyssey, which won an award at the Sundance Film Festival, will provide an insightful discussion about Jang's work and its cultural significance.
Jang will also explore heterogeneity in music as seen through the lens of his works in the lecture "Traditions in Transformation: The Musical Language of Jon Jang Composer" on January 18. UCLA lecturer Hitomi Oba's contemporary jazz ensemble will interpret Jang's work "Reparations Now! Concerto for Large Music Ensemble and Taiko" in a session of ensemble coaching on the same day.
All programs are open to the public. Details can be found in individual event listings or the school of music calendar.
Jang is a founding member of Asian Improv aRts, an organization that produces, presents, and documents artistic works representing the Asian American experience. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with world-renowned artists such as saxophone-composer-bandleader David Murray, drummer Max Roach, and the Kronos Quartet.
In summary, Jon Jang is a prominent jazz composer whose significant works honor Chinese American history and Black music of resistance. While the precise names of these compositions are not included in the current search results, they are widely recognized in music scholarship and jazz history for these thematic contributions. To learn the titles of particular works, one would normally look into his discography or academic music sources focusing on Asian American jazz artists. No information on John Santos, Jung Kook, Yoon Jong-shin, or Jang Dong-gun pertains to Jon Jang or his compositions.
- Jon Jang's residency at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, which includes performances and discussions about his unique fusion of jazz and Chinese traditional music, sits within the realm of education-and-self-development, offering insights into music and cultural identity.
- The "Making Chinese Music American and Black Music of Resistance: The Jon Jangtet in Concert" program showcases entertainment, not only in the form of live jazz performances but also through the presentation of Jon Jang's compositions, which have deep roots in histories of resistance and social justice, making it a blend of music and storytelling.
