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| Seulah Noh Jazz Orchestra - NOhMAD (SR) Born in Seoul, South Korea, Seulah Noh is a pianist, composer, and conductor with a diverse musical background. Her musical journey began with classical training at the age of 5, culminating in a Bachelor's degree in Classical Piano Performance from Ewha Womans University. Early on, she immersed herself in theater productions, serving as a pit pianist, music director, and conductor for various companies in Korea. Driven by her passion for learning, she took a leap of faith, leaving her job to embark on a new trajectory. Transitioning to jazz, Seulah delved into the world of jazz, and secured admission to Berklee College of Music in 2015, where she earned an Asia Tour Scholarship. Her time at Berklee was marked by notable achievements, including the Composer/Pianist Award, Thelonious Monk Award, and CJ Cultural Foundation Scholarship. Under the guidance of mentors like Francesca Tanksley, Lazlo Gardony, Greg Hopkins, Bob Pilkington and Ayn Inserto, she honed her piano and composition skills. She also had the privilege of collaborating with esteemed artists like Kurt Elling through her involvement with the Berklee Concert Jazz Orchestra. While embracing her newfound passion for jazz, Seulah continued to seek opportunities as a music director. She lent her expertise as an ensemble coach and music director to various theater workshops and shows at institutions like Boston Conservatory, Boston University, and Bridge Repertory Theater. With a second Bachelor's degree in Jazz Performance and Jazz Composition from Berklee, Seulah furthered her education at New England Conservatory, specializing in Jazz Composition. Here, she studied under the mentorship of Ken Schaphorst, Frank Carlberg, Donny McCaslin, and Marshall Gilkes. During her tenure at NEC, her compositions garnered recognition, including awards from the Seattle Women's Jazz Orchestra's annual composition contest and the Downbeat Student Music Award. Upon completing her studies, Seulah materialized her creative vision, recording and releasing her debut album NOhMAD with her 21-piece Jazz Orchestra. Her debut album includes six original compositions by Seulah and two arrangements. With this debut release it has finally allowed Seulah to unleash the most musical self that she has longed for. It marks the first chronology of her creative journey, encompassing some of her early compositions from 2017 that explore a deep excitement for fusion and rock, both incorporated into a jazz language. An exemplary example is the composition "L'illusionniste, " written in 2018, which won the Seattle Women's Jazz Orchestra Composition Contest in 2019 and received its world premiere at the Earshot Jazz Festival the same year. NOhMAD showcases her diverse musical tastes and the unique sound of the Seulah Noh Jazz Orchestra, which includes a string quartet in addition to the traditional 17-piece big band. "Traveler's Suite, " her most recent work, reflects the experiences, impressions, and thoughts gathered throughout Seulah's time in the United States — sometimes as a stranger, an international student, or simply a person from a different culture. Each of the three distinct movements was inspired by and written based on a different time period and place, although they are strongly thematically related to one another. The entire suite highlights the ensemble's fresh colors and textures, created by the collaborative blend of strings and horns. Seulah explains, "while I have been incredibly fortunate to work with many wonderful mentors over the years, including Marshall Gilkes, Greg Hopkins, Francesca Tanksley, Ken Schaphorst, Donny McCaslin, and many others, I am also extremely excited to lead this ensemble featuring some of the finest musicians from Boston and New York, " She furthers "All of the music was recorded in May 2022 at Firehouse12 Studio in New Haven, Connecticut, where the entire band spent three days together, sharing their inspirations and excitement for this project. Those three days were perhaps one of the best experiences I have ever had in my life as a musician, and I aspire to continue this path with this incredible band to further our growth." TRACKS, TIMES, COMPOSER: 1. L'illusionniste (feat. Song Yi Jeon) 8:12 (Seulah Noh) 2. Arrogant or Elegant 6:38 (Seulah Noh) 3. Hear the Light (feat. Astghik Martirosyan) 8:56 (Seulah Noh) 4. Heartsong 6:52 (Fred Hersch, Arranged by Seulah Noh) 5. Traveler's Suite: I. 6829 Miles 7:23 (Seulah Noh) 6. Traveler's Suite: II. A Letter From Me 5:55 (Seulah Noh) 7. Traveler's Suite: III. Sail at Dawn 7:44 (Seulah Noh) 8. Have You Heard (feat. Kan Yanabe) 7:55 (Pat Metheny, Arranged by Seulah Noh) 9. L'illusionniste (Alternate Take) 8:15 (Seulah Noh) PLAYERS, INSTRUMENT: Seulah Noh [Composer, Arranger, Conductor] [Woodwinds] Nathan See – Alto Sax, Soprano Sax, Flute Harry Pershing – Alto Sax, Soprano Sax Hunter McKay – Tenor Sax, Clarinet Ian Buss – Tenor Sax Nick Biagini – Bari Sax, Bass Clarinet [Trumpets] Mark Tipton – Trumpet, Flugelhorn Mike Brehm – Trumpet, Flugelhorn Dan Hirsch – Trumpet, Flugelhorn Alex Quinn – Trumpet, Flugelhorn [Trombones] Joey Dies Michael Gerace Josh Gagnon Gabe Ramos – Bass Trombone [Rhythm Section] Dabin Ryu – Piano, Fender Rhodes Kevin Scollins – Guitar Benjamin Young – Upright Bass, Electric Bass Willis Edmundson – Drums [Strings - Track 5, 6, 7] Hannah Chaewon Kim – Violin I Haekyung Ju – Violin II Julian Seney – Viola Claire Deokyong Kim – Cello [Special Guests] Song Yi Jeon – Voice (Track 1, 9) Astghik Martirosyan – Voice (Track 3) Will Fredendall – Flute (Track 4, 8) Kan Yanabe – Percussion (Track 3, 5, 7, 8) write your comments about the article :: © 2023 Jazz News :: home page |