Browsing Tag

Jazz Pianist

BOMiN’s ‘Mirror’ Holds Listeners in a Chokehold of Bittersweet Reverie

BOMiN’s seminal single Mirror from her sophomore EP, Again, by Accident, delivers a filmic piano ballad while commanding attention with an emotive energy rarely found in the genre. The chanteuse vocal lines beguile the seraphic piano keys, creating an intoxicating contrast between fragility and power. The brass section and basslines rise like a tide, lifting the melancholy from the piano and vocals, allowing the composition to wade between sorrow and solace without ever losing its elegance.

BOMiN’s versatility as a jazz pianist, composer, and arranger has led her across some of the world’s most revered stages, from Seoul to New York, where she has performed at Nublu, Williamsburg Music Center, and Silvana Harlem. As a collaborator, she has worked with the UN Symphony Orchestra and played alongside artists like AKMU and Sam Ock.Her academic background, including a Master’s in Jazz Studies from the Manhattan School of Music, has been complemented by prestigious accolades like the ASCAP Foundation AAPI Songwriter Scholarship.

With Mirror, she continues to redefine the intersection of jazz and contemporary pop. The precision in every note ensures that no second of its runtime is wasted—each meticulously placed shift in instrumentation brings a cathartic resolve, making it impossible to pull away.

Stream the Again, by Accident EP on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jisu Jung took her journey of self-discovery in the neo-classic jazz release, Who Am I

After honing her talents in some of the most prestigious music institutions including Dresden College of Music, Berklee College of Music in Boston, and the Manhattan School of Music, the pianist and composer, Jisu Jung’s technical skills transcended into an ability to forge evocative connections with her innovative compositions.

Her latest classical jazz piece, Who Am I, welcomes you into her expressive world, where cello strings visualise the darkness we all need to negate on the path of self-discovery and the piano keys embellish the score with flourishing syncopation to mimic the freedom of personal growth.

As the momentum builds towards the mid-way point in the instrumental release, euphoric zeal starts to underpin the orchestration, marking a radical shift from the ornate air in the prelude to the virtuosic control of chaotic time signatures. Even though the energy doesn’t sustain towards the outro, the innate liberation in the progression lingers before the abrupt silence allows you to take a breath that isn’t influenced by the momentum within the classical Tour De Force.

Who Am I was officially released on September 22; stream it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

LA Jazz Scene Icon Sam Hirsh Created Melodic Chemistry with Amber Navran in His Seminal Single, Hot Slow

Taken from his LP, Quarantine Dreams, Sam Hirsh’s standout single, Hot Slow, featuring Amber Navran, is everything it says on the tin. Rather than cooking up a tried, tested, and uninspired blend of soul, Hirsh delivered jazzy melodies which artfully blossom around the smoky – almost trip-hoppy – whispered vocals.

In the LA jazz scene, the pianist, composer and educator is renowned for the soulful energy in his compositions; they are everything people who bemoan ‘they don’t make them like they used to’ could ask for. Better yet, right from the first hit, Hot Slow is smooth enough to melt into. For the same reasons I fell in love with California by Mr Bungle, I will be giving Hot Slow plenty of repeat attention.

Hot Slow is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast