Video Clip for Promotion (4 min.)
Live in Beijing
Photo by Maerta Wydler
"…the musicians of Sonic Calligraphy are presenting a program of rare intensity, combining humor, talent, originality and risk taking."
Alain Arnaud, Beijing, swissinfo.ch
“An interpretation of Li Bai’s poem “Question and Answer in the Mountains”…the effect is beautiful and mesmerizing…interpreting Li Bai across both vocal and musical languages.”
Jenn Chan Lyman, Shanghai, urbananatomy.com
Concerts in Switzerland 2010
Sonic Calligraphy feat. Coco Zhao & Wu Na
October 29 Basel Tinguély Museum 16:00 h
October 30 Vaduz Expo-Pavillion 18.00 h
November 3 Luzern Jazzkantine 20.30 h
November 5 St.Gallen Kultur im Bahnhof/Klubschule Migros 20.00 h
November 7 Zurich Moods 19.00 h
November 9 Basel Bird‘s Eye 20.30 h
November 10 Basel Bird‘s Eye 20.30 h
November 14 Bern Bee flat 20.30 h
After their successful concert tour in China in fall 2009 as participants of the Swiss Arts Foundation, Pro Helvetia‘s “Swiss Chinese Cultural Explorations“ program, “Sonic Calligraphy“ continued their cross-cultural collaboration with jazz singer Coco Zhao from Shanghai and gu qin master Wu Na from Beijing. A concert tour with the “Culturescapes Festival“ took place from October 29th to November 14th throughout Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The group also released their new CD “The Flow of Things“ on the Swiss label altrisuoni which was recorded in Shanghai.
Coco Zhao is the most renowned jazz singer in China. He has also performed in such established festivals and venues such as the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and many others.
Wu Na plays the gu qin, a 3,000 year old traditional Chinese zither with seven strings whose roots go back to contemplative music. Besides being a master in the traditional styles of playing, Wu Na also developed many new possibilities for this classical instrument to be performed in rock, jazz, and other contemporary music.
Improvisation is the common language of the group which inspired them to combine their divergent musical traditions and influences in an exciting and surprising way. A rich tapestry of sound emerged as they performed with material that included original compositions, poetry, American jazz standards, Chinese folk, and classical songs. The group has created a fascinating soundscape with a lively fusion of Eastern and Western elements.
Sonic Calligraphy’s China Concert Tour in September 2009
(with Coco Zhao, jazz singer from Shanghai and Wuna, gu qin virtuoso from Beijing)
In September 2009 “Sonic Calligraphy” performed in China with special guests, Coco Zhao, jazz singer from Shanghai and Wu Na, gu qin virtuoso from Beijing.
As participants of the Swiss Arts Foundation Pro Helvetia’s “Swiss China Cultural Explorations Program,” the group travelled to the cities of Shanghai, Hangzhou, Beijing, Qingdao, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
This exciting cultural encounter between five musicians of European, Chinese and American backgrounds created a new musical soundscape.
A cosmos of sounds both familiar and unexpected emerged from this unusual combination of gu qin (an ancient 3,000 year old Chinese zither), the piano, the percussion and the two voices singing in English, Chinese and wordlessly.
The response of the audience and critics were positive to the fusion of jazz improvisation, rhythms and harmonies with Chinese poetry, folksongs as well as jazz standards and originals compositions.
The group will continue their collaboration with a Swiss concert tour in 2010 as participants of the “Culturescapes Festival.”
To see more photos of the China tour: China Concert Photos
And here are some video clips: China tour videos
A video of the beginning of this cultural collaboration:
Back to China for the Second Time
Live in Shanghai, 2007
From Brazil to California to Switzerland
In January and February 2007, Peggy Chew and Adrian Frey shared musical experiences in Brazil where they participated in jam sessions and concerts in Rio de Janeiro and Joao Pessoa.
In October 2006, the duo performed at the Sanchez Music Hall in Pacifica, California with the American rhythm section of John Wiitala on bass and Jon Arkin on drums. The repertoire covered Chinese folksongs, jazz standards, American folk/pop tunes and originals by the pianist sung with the singer’s lyrics. The concert was reviewed in the Pacifica Tribune:
"Smart music fuse of culture without boundaries…the vision of Sonic Calligraphy…
The Chinese tune “Lan Hua Hua“ (The Orchid) was hip, catchy and hot…
"Li Bai’s Mood" (Frey) accompanied by the words of an ancient Chinese poem "Quiet
Night Thoughts" spotlighted Chew’s eloquent vocal charm inside a whirl of expressive
percussion.
The extraordinary musicianship of Sonic Calligraphy is obvious."
Pacifica Tribune, October 2006
September 2006 found the Sonic Calligraphy Trio with Willy Kotoun on percussion participating in the concert series of Zürich University of the Arts weeklong celebration of China. These concerts were recorded and the trio is featured on the CD “from beijing with love“ (ZHdK records). Pianist Adrian Frey also gave a workshop on the "Reharmonizations of Traditional Chinese Songs."
In June 2006, Sonic Calligraphy premiered a new program at the "Moods Jazz Club" in Zürich with special guest from Beijing, pipa soloist Yang Jing and master percussionist, Willy Kotoun. A DVD captured this performance. In July they recorded at the Radio Studio DRS 2 in Zürich.
Listen to music from this encounter:
The Embroidered Purse (Xiu He Bao)