Jazz masters to celebrate Blue Moon anniversary

In six years, Once in A Blue Moon has established itself as the place for some of the best jazz in Seoul. People go to the club in Cheongdam-dong for the experience of a meal, a glass of wine and cocktails named after musicians, in an upscale setting. The real attraction is the music, a mix of jazz and bebop, classics and original scores.
To celebrate its sixth anniversary, Once in a Blue Moon is holding an event called “the Korean version of the Buena Vista Social Club” on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
The musicians are a living history of jazz in Korea ― from drummer Choi Se-jin, 72; percussionist Hong Duck-pyo, 72; clarinetist Lee Dong-ki, 65; vocalists Kim Jun, 64, and Park Sung-yeon, 48; sax man Kim Soo-yeol, 63; Choi Sun-bae, 61, on trumpet; and keyboardist Shin Kwan-Woong, 57. They’ll be performing standards such as “Fly Me to the Moon,” “Feels So Good,” “Moon River,” “Sing, Sing, Sing,” “Take Five” and “All of Me.”
Opening for the older musicians is the Shin Kwan-Woon Big Band.
The performance is also a tribute to Kim Dae-whan, a percussionist who died on March 1 at age 71. One obituary noted that “his unique playing style brought him international gigs, through which he was able to share Korean jazz with the world.”
Kim, who played the drums with six sticks, toured Japan, the United States, China, France and Britain. He released one album recorded late in his career, “My One And Only Love” in 1997. One of the jazz musicians performing Tuesday, Choi Sun-bae, performed with Kim Dae-whan in the Free Jazz Band for almost 10 years.
Many who attended Kim Dae-whan’s funeral realized that despite paving the way for today’s jazz musicians, the older jazz musicians could die off without leaving any lasting legacy ― photographs, album recording, videos.
“Despite the legacy these musicians have created, there really hasn’t been any official record,” says April Lee, with Once in a Blue Moon. “It’s an honor to host them.”

by Joe Yong-hee

For more information, visit the Web site at www.onceinabluemoon.co.kr.