Autumn nights with Jazz in October

Autumn nights with Jazz in October. September. 26, 2016 07:09. by 임희윤기자 imi@donga.com. The true spirit of music can be found in live concerts, regardless of genres, and jazz is a typical example of live music. It is like watching a thriller movie, seeing the roaring brass, drum, bass, and piano squirm out those burning notes on coordinate axis.

Marking its 13th anniversary, the Jarasum International Jazz Festival will take place at Jara Island, Gapyeong on Oct. 1-3. The Musica Popular Brasileira maestro Caetano Veloso, also known as the South American Bob Dylan, will perform for the first time in Korea at Asia’s biggest jazz festival. Veloso is famous for his trancelike melodies, mixing various ingredients ranging from samba to jazz, soul, psychedelic rock and others. He also resisted to dictatorship as an artist.

Another highlight would be the U.S.-based band Oregon who for 45 years built their exclusive reputation criss-crossing various genres including jazz, world music, and new-age avant-garde. Members include legendary guitarist Ralph Towner who released various albums with ECM, and Grammy Award winner and world renowned jazz superstar Paul McCandless.

French drummer Manu Katche, who played for Sting, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Peter Gabriel, Jeff Beck, Al Di Meola, will also present his unique sounds in jazz music, combined with outstanding techniques and senses.

A heads-up for those who will visit Jara Island; as the island is surrounded by lake, the temperature drops below zero in the evenings, just like during the winter period. While the heat of jazz may heat up your heart, padded jumpers are absolutely necessary. For more information, please call 031-581-2814.

The LG Art Center will be full of heat on Oct. 15 by two players who released their first duo album, pianist Brad Mehldau and saxophone player Joshua Redman, who are jazzing up the world among their 40s peers. Only two instruments will be played, but the tension will be higher. Once the saxophone ballad “The Nearness of You” is played like a drifting boat on the rippling piano keyboards, the autumn of 2016 will become a moment of your lifetime. For more information, call 02-2005-0114.

Jazz will also be resonated on Oct. 7-9 at Chilpo Beach in Pohang, South Gyeongsang Province. Marking its 10th opening, the Chilpo Jazz Festival will welcome visitors with famous line-ups including legendary American jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater, Woongsan, Jeon Yong-joon and Golden Swing Band.