Breaking boundaries with sound and improvisation… “I put the mysticism of pansori into the piano.”
New album *NOLDA* released – Pianist Eunhye Jeong / Immersed in Korean traditional aesthetics and pansori in the U.S. /Pursuing "creative music" beyond genre boundaries
November 18, 2021, Heeyun Lim
“It was like a lightning bolt!”
On the 15th, at a building in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, pianist Eunhye Jeong passionately played the piano. Through repeated shouts and explosive sounds, she filled the space with her unique energy. Jazz, Korean traditional rhythms, tonal clusters, body movement, breath—all of it combined into a performance of creative improvisation. She said,
“I don’t play piano in the traditional way. I treat it like a living being, creating timbre by controlling touch, pressure, and pedal in real time.”
Jeong’s new album *NOLDA* was recently released on the prestigious American avant-garde jazz label ESP-Disk, which introduced icons such as Albert Ayler and Sun Ra. She studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston, and while living in the U.S., she began to explore Korean traditional music.
“When I first heard explanations of the origin and principle of Korean traditional music, it hit me so deeply. I even went back to classical piano with a new perspective.”
She recalled that during her time in the U.S., she often heard “Who are you really?”—which pushed her to explore her Korean roots.
“While searching for my own artistic voice, I encountered pansori, and its mystery and depth really moved me. I began studying its breathing techniques and vocal structure.”
Since then, Jeong has continued to delve into the aesthetics of Korean music and how it can be applied through improvisation.
“I’m not trying to replicate Korean traditional music exactly, but rather, I’m expressing its essence through creative interpretation.”
In addition to performance, she also creates animated media artworks that combine visual art with sound. Her works have been presented in experimental art scenes in New York and Korea.
Photo caption:
On the 15th, pianist Eunhye Jeong said, “One lightning bolt struck me when I encountered the roots of Korean music—I put that energy into my piano.”