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| Helen Sung at Jazz Standard May 30th Helen Sung Presents: "Sung With Words" Tuesday, May 30 The Jazz Standard, New York City "What's striking…is an openness of vision, paired with a looseness of execution. Ms. Sung sounds both relaxed and searching, and she imparts the same qualities to her crew." –The New York Times The Jazz Standard, located at 116 E 27th St in New York City is proud to present Helen Sung's "Sung With Words" on Tuesday, May 30, at 7:30 and 9:30 PM. As a 2014 winner of a Chamber Music America/Doris Duke Foundation "New Jazz Works" grant, pianist/composer Helen Sung was able to fulfill a long-time wish: to create her "Sung With Words" project, a collaborative effort with the celebrated American poet Dana Gioia which features a jazz song cycle using his poems as lyrics. Since the December 2015 debut (per grant requirements), the project has continued to evolve and will be featured on her next album. In anticipation of the release, Sung will present a CD Preview Listening Party on May 30, 2017, at one of New York City's premier jazz venues: The Jazz Standard. Enlisting Sung's long time collaborators multi-reedist John Ellis, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, bassist Ricky Rodriguez, drummer Kendrick Scott, percussionist Samuel Torres, along with guest vocalists Christie Dashiell, Carolyn Leonhart, and Vuyo Satoshe, "Sung With Words" takes its listeners on a journey with this all-star ensemble using jazz and poetry as powerful catalysts to create inspired music. When asked about her vision for this project, Sung replied: "I have always had a certain envy of vocalists with their special link to the listener via words. On another note, I felt 'allergic' to poetry because I could never feel sure of meaning. Dana helped me get past this by his belief that poetry is musical, best read out loud, and that meaning would come through the sound and rhythm of the words. So I thought – why not try to write songs with words? – thus joining these two threads." Sung and Gioia first met at a 2007 White House State Dinner where she was taping for one of PBS' "Live in Performance at the White House" concerts. A friendship ensued, and after exchanging work and ideas through the years, Gioia immediately came to mind when Sung applied for the Chamber Music America grant. Here was an opportunity to compose new work: songs - with words that she could help craft. For example, one of the songs uses a poem by Gioia built on a phrase Sung spoke in passing conversation. The rhythm of the words stuck with her and she brought the phrase to Gioia. Based in New York City, Sung is a graduate of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance and winner of the Kennedy Center's Mary Lou Williams Piano Competition. She has worked with a "Who's Who" of jazz including the late Clark Terry, Ron Carter, Wayne Shorter, MacArthur Fellow Regina Carter, Wynton Marsalis (who named her as one of his "Jazz Musicians to Watch!"), and Grammy-winning Terri Lyne Carrington. In 2014, Sung released her 6th recording as leader, her major label debut Anthem For A New Day on Concord Jazz, which topped radio charts and reached #25 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. Additionally, Sung's star continues to rise through regular touring on both the national and international stage, composition commissions, and unique collaborations like "Sung With Words". Inspired by her experience at the Monk Institute, Sung also stays involved in music education through residences and workshops/clinics, and serves on the jazz faculties at Columbia University and the Juilliard School. Chamber Music America is a national service organization serving individual musicians, ensembles, presenters, artist managers, composers, educators and others in the national chamber music community. As a recipient of a New Jazz Works grant (funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation), Sung participates in the organization's goal to support the development of new works by U.S.-based jazz artists and help ensure that their compositions are heard through live performances and recordings. write your comments about the article :: © 2017 Jazz News :: home page |