衛武營國家藝術文化中心 National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying)

A charming city often has a great river, which cultivates culture, drives history, and carries the memories of the entire city. "Music for the River" Jazz Suite is a brand new work by the award-winning bassist/composer Vincent HSU, who dedicates it to two great rivers: "Love River" from his hometown Kaohsiung, and "Mississippi River" that has a profound impact on New Orleans—the birthplace of jazz.

In 2019, Vincent HSU became the first Taiwanese musician invited to perform at the New Orleans Jazz Museum and its Downriver Festival. During his visit to New Orleans, he hopped aboard a steamboat down the Mississippi River, reimagining the energy and vitality the River brought to the early development of jazz. Meanwhile, he deeply felt the connection between jazz "swing" and the rhythm of the river, which also brought back his memories of the ferry and sunset of another port city, Kaohsiung. The Love River, used to be called the "Takao River," which flows through the city and witnesses the stories of Kaohsiung, has always shared a special emotional connection with the locals. The inspiration of this concert is based on HSU's life memories growing up in Kaohsiung and intertwined between the cultural heritage of the Love River and the Mississippi River flowing through music cities including New Orleans, Memphis, and St. Louis. "Music for the River" Jazz Suite will be a not-to-be-missed debut of jazz and Afro-Cuban originals, performed by Vincent HSU & The Jazz Supreme Orchestra.

  Post-talk  

2021/11/28(Sun) After performance at the Recital Hall.

  Program  

"Music for the River" Jazz Suite: The Spirit of Love River & Mississippi River

※World Premiere

  Creative and Production Team  
Music Director, Composer, Arranger | Vincent HSU
Performer | Vincent HSU & The Jazz Supreme Orchestra

Saxophone｜Hank PAN
Saxophone｜Shen-yu SU
Saxophone｜Jonas GANZEMÜLLER
Trumpet｜Wen-feng CHENG
Violin｜Yu-chen TSENG
Clarinet｜Chieh-an FAN
Trombone｜Yi-chun TENG
Guitar｜Shih-chun LEE
Piano｜Martin "Musa" MUSAUBACH
Double Bass｜Vincent HSU
Drums｜Kuan-liang LIN
Congas｜Carol HUANG

Producer | Calice CHEN
Sound Engineering｜Just Music Ltd. 
Research Support | New Orleans Jazz Museum, The Historic New Orleans Collection, Kaohsiung Museum of History, Kaohsiung Literary Museum

  Artists introduction  

Vincent HSU

★ Vincent HSU, acclaimed by American jazz bassist Cecil McBEE: "Now!—is his time to be heard and realized that his music of high quality should, and will be appreciated the world over."

Born and bred in Taiwan, award-winning bassist and composer Vincent HSU launched his musical career in New York City, where he lived for eight years. His debut album, Homeland, won Best Jazz Album at the 2014 Golden Indie Music Awards and was nominated for three Golden Melody Awards in 2015: Best Album, Best Composer, and Best Producer (Instrumental). His second album, Lullaby for the Youth was also nominated for three Golden Indie Music Awards in 2017. Vincent HSU & his Soy La Ley Afro-Cuban Jazz Band's latest album In Our Blood, won the Best Jazz Single with HSU's composition "Dreamer's Blues" at the 2018 Golden Indie Music Awards. In 2019, In Our Blood was honored with the Global Music Awards' Silver Medal for Outstanding Achievement. In 2020, HSU's composition "The Era" was selected by International Songwriting Competition (ISC) as the finalist in the jazz category.

HSU has performed at various jazz venues, such as Blue Note New York, Blue Note Beijing, Jazz Gallery, St. Nick's Pub, Nuyorican Poets Café, ShapeShifter Lab, Puppet's Jazz Bar, Deer Head Inn, Aaron Davis Hall, and Smalls. In recent years, he has been heading different bands appearing at jazz festivals to present his original music, including Madrid International Jazz Festival, Busan Jazz Festival, Taichung Jazz Festival, Taipei Jazz Festival, National Theater & Concert Hall Summer Jazz Festival, and Macau Jazz Festival, etc. In 2019, Vincent HSU & his Soy La Ley Afro-Cuban Jazz Band were invited to perform at the New Orleans Jazz Museum and the Downriver Festival, followed by their U.S. tour in New York, Chicago, and Connecticut. In addition to performing, HSU is committed to the outreach of jazz culture and original compositions, actively promoting jazz and Afro-Cuban music through projects in education and international exchange. As a broadcaster, his radio show won two major awards, including Best Non-Pop Music Program and Best Non-Pop Music Program Host at the 2020 Golden Bell Awards.

The Jazz Supreme Orchestra

The name of "Jazz Supreme" comes from paying tribute to John COLTRANE's "A Love Supreme" and its core spirit to summon the love and beauty of the universe with jazz. Furthermore, "The Jazz Supreme Projects" look forward to extending the value of jazz into people's daily lives. The Founder and Music Director, Vincent HSU, hopes to introduce the audience to various instrumentations, sounds, and styles of jazz through a series of live performances, master classes, lectures, radio and cross-disciplinary exchanges. "The Jazz Supreme Orchestra" is one of the platforms to gather different generations of jazz musicians. In the future, "The Jazz Supreme Projects" will continue to nurture and diversify Taiwan's jazz culture through the collaboration and co-production between international and Taiwanese musicians.

Creation research supported by National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying)

  Major Sponsor  

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