'The Earthy Suites' by Song Yi Jeon

'The Earthy Suites' marks the latest release from vocalist and composer Song Yi Jeon whose new Nonet ensemble finds its formal introduction unveiled in stunning fashion.  

The South Korean-born and Berlin-based Jeon has consistently conveyed inspirational levels of creativity and imagination when it comes to the vast array of music she has helmed over the years.  With each project serving as a conduit of sorts that finds Jeon lovingly tapping into elements of Korea's rich heritage and culture, subsequently recontextualising those ideals for within a contemporary jazz aesthetic.  'The Earthy Suites' serves as something of a pinnacle for Jeon's over-arching ambition as she delivers a project that proudly draws from Korean tradition, percussion, poetry and folklore presenting an elegant tapestry of Korea's rich lineage via her nine-piece ensemble.

For Jeon, 'ambition' seems like an apt way of describing her approach to music.  Never seeking to create the same project twice, she continually embraces the notion of presenting various facets of herself and her music through diverse collaborations and arrangements that help convey the project's respective narrative.  A storyteller at heart, some of Jeon's past releases have found her exquisite vocal soar as part of duo projects like 'Home' (Greenleaf Music, 2022) which saw a collaboration with guitarist Vinicius Gomes while 'Solitary Bloom' from 2024 saw a scintillating collaboration alongside pianist Lorenzo Vitolo and drummer Paulo Almeida drawing subtle inspiration from Brazilian instrumental music.  

As a highly-educated and highly-decorated artist, Song Yi Jeon's commitment to excellence has been honed from her years of international travel and study.  Having studied classical composition at the University of Music and Fine Art in Graz, Austria, and Jazz vocals at the Music Academy in Basel, Switzerland and Berklee College of Music in Boston, Jeon has found herself having graced stages from Korea to Amsterdam to New York, and having performed alongside some jazz luminaries over the years.  

Jeon's current release, 'The Earthy Suites', finds the artist delivering an incredibly bold project worthy of her years of sensational offerings to date.  Comprised of three compositions including the beautiful rendition of the Korean folk song 'Seya Seya' paired alongside two suites totalling nearly thirty combined minutes.  'Suite One' and 'Suite Two' offer up breath-taking depictions of Korean art and history with each composition beautifully paced and elegantly nuanced but set apart by the more impassioned and spirited performances of 'Suite One' juxtaposed with the more transcendent effectuation of 'Suite Two'.

'The Earthy Suites' is a resounding statement of identity, artistry and reverence — a project that not only deepens Song Yi Jeon's already remarkable catalogue but also stands as a testament to the power of cultural storytelling through music.  With a bold compositional voice and a deep-rooted connection to her heritage, Jeon presents a definitive triumph of vision — ambitious in scope, meticulous in execution and deeply human at its core.