Sol Jang about memories in music

Sol Jang (born 1992) is a South Korean jazz pianist who studied in Seoul (South Korea), Philadelphia (USA) and Arnhem (Netherlands).

How have you been doing the past few months?

Yes, I think I´m not the only one attacked by corona virus but apparently even though I lost pretty much all of my gig, I had my livestream gig and I have another upcoming gig and hopefully some other upcoming gigs in near future too.

When and where is the upcoming gig?

It´s in Mainz the venue is called “Schon Schön” and its planned for the end of August.

With Sols Electric Machines, right?

Yes

In this interview I want to talk with you about your way of composing but let´s start with your background.

Yes, so as you know I’m born and raised in South Korea, capital city of South Korea. So, my first conservatory was in South Korea, but I was there only for 3 semester and then I got my bachelor in Philadelphia USA and my master in Arnhem ArtEZ Netherlands.

You play your own compositions in the projects you´re leading, can you tell us something about them?

I’m leading two projects which are a trio and a quartet. The trio is called Sol Jang International Project. It´s straight forward modern jazz piano trio music. A little bit of film music, traditional jazz obviously because of the huge heritage I learned during my Philadelphia days, but still some European taste and some of the classical influence I got during my classical training in my childhood. I always want to create the life lessons I learned through my experiences, the things that I want to share with the others, not verbally but in musical ways.
In Electric Machines I’m playing with keyboard and lots of effects with electric guitar and electric bass and sometimes I also sing. Still Electric Machines has some traditional jazz harmonies and hip-hop, funk, so I would say danceable, groovy jazz but still it’s part of me. I have to say these two projects that I’m leading right now show my different personalities.

And you mentioned your life experiences influencing your music, is this helping you to have this strong musical identity within your compositions?

Yes definitely. Obviously, I’m still growing up as a person and a musician. I’m not going to say that all my life experiences and the lessons I learned are the perfect lessons and wisdom I need to share to the world, because I do believe that music shows your personality or your persona, your characteristics. Because each and everybody has their own perspective, their own personality, so I thought to have my own musical identity or originality I must have to say what I want to say which makes me special, or not special, but different than the others.

Because it´s your own experience and obviously nobody else can have your experience. You might have similar once which might even unify somehow through music but it’s still your own experience, your own voice you need to bring out.

Yes, and also to me at least I think I’m still changing the more I get aged, so I want to capture 24 years old me, 26 years old me, 27 years old me like capture these moments through my music to feel all those memories and what I have learned so it´s also for me.

It almost sounds like a picture album but instead of pictures you have music to capture memories.

Yes exactly!

Why do you choose music to capture your feelings and memories?

I choose to express my thoughts in music because it’s so complicated. Lyrics can’t capture it and also for me at least it was quite hard to explain what happened and what I learned and how I feel about this situation right now so instead of speaking or explaining to people I rather choose to explain my chaotic thoughts through music. I think that’s why my music has a lot of vamps because I tend to think about just one situation in a lot of different aspects so that is why my tunes have odd meter and then goes to 6/4 or 4/4 regular meter or rubato part and then goes into tempo and then again rubato part. To express all those chaotic thoughts and a lot of layers to show the different points of view for one situation.

So as an example, you wrote a tune Arnhem and one called Philadelphia. Does this kind of reflect your interpretations or your feelings about the cities?

Yes, it is, yes, it is. And they are also heavily inspired by my own experiences because when I was in Phily I learned how to play traditional type of jazz, bebop, swing, blues, this kind of styles and I played a lot on sessions and in Arnhem I was more focused on what I want to play so more likely my own tunes which are more contemporary. And the city is quite different as well cause Phily is quite a big city compared to Arnhem that is why my tune Phily has more up-tempo swing more likely very fast and super straight forward my interpretation of hard bop music and Arnhem is more relaxed and calm cause that were my impressions.

Just to recap you have two projects, in case any readers are interested, Sol´s Electric Machines and Sol Jang International Project. You can find them on YouTube, Facebook and her website https://soljang.com .

Please check it out guys

The concert form Sol´s Electric Machines is on the 31st of August in Main, Kulturclub Schon Schön. Thank you very much Sol for this nice talk.

Thank you very much

Edit: Due to Corona the Gig in Mainz was canceled unfortunately.