【3
Kings of Korean Free Music】
(Kang Tae Hwan, Kim Dae Hwan, Choi Sun Bae)
（Mr. Kim Dae
Hwan passed away on 1st of March, 2004. The cause of death is acute pneumonia.
We miss him deeply. God bless him. RIP.）
☆ Kang Tae Hwan《Korean Free Jazz》(Ponycanyon Korea)(1989)
This is the reissue
CD of the memorable
free
improvisation record
put on the market first in Korea. And we can listen to Kang Tae Hwan Trio’s
music, and this is also the first Mr. Kang Tae Hwan’s leader album.
Mr. Kang Tae Hwan, alt sax player, born in 1944, made up the first free
music group called Kang Tae Hwan Trio in 1978, with drummer Mr. Kim Dae
Hwan and trumpeter Mr. Choi Sun Bae. Kang Tae Hwan is a cousin of Kim
Dae Hwan.
At first they were known on Tokyo Meeting 1985 by Kondo Toshinori in Japan.
In the same time Kim Duk Soo’s Samulnori also came to Japan. All Japanese
free jazz fans were very surprised by Korean teams' exciting playing.
After that Kang Tae Hwan Trio had two Japan tours and broke up, each man
went on his own way.
This album has the tracks of Kang Tae Hwan Trio's
recordings,
and duo recordings with Evan Parker(ss) and Takada Midori(per), and Kang
Tae Hwan's saxophone
solo. He had already built up his own deep sound world, but we can listen
to his flaming youthful playing on this CD (especially on track of trio).
And when we listen to circulation battle of Evan Parker and Kang Tae Hwan,
we cannot say anything.
It makes us dizzy.
From these days he began to play saxophone sitting cross-legged on a stage.
☆ Kim Dae Hwan 《Black Rain》(Sound Space)(1991)
He died 70 years
old. It was very fast to be gone. We cannot forget his wildness and smile.
At first He was a drummer of the first Korean rock group ADD4 formed by
Shin Joong Hyun who is the godfather of Korean rock. Then he formed his
own band called Kim Trio (the principle of this band was never performing
the same songs), and so on.
He joined the first Korean free music group Kang Tae Hwan Trio in 1978.
After that, he had performed by solo musician, and collaborated with many
kinds of artists till his death.
And also he was a famous calligraphist. His work, 346 letters on a gain
of rice, appears on Guinness Book. He had performed calligraphy on his
stage every time.
Only this was his leader album put on the market formally before he died.
He played very simple drum sets that constructed with a roto-tom and cymbals
and Korean traditional drum, with six sticks in his hands. It was very
silently. Above his drum sound, haegeum (Korean traditional instrument)
by Mrs. Kang Eun Il was crying bitterly or weeping gently.
☆ Kim Dae Hwan《Moogu》(1995)
Kim Dae Hwan liked
motorcycle very much. He was the oldest “grand pa” rider in Seoul. He
wanted to go to Harley’s Festival held in Japan, so he had done a concert
in Japan.
One day he found out new idea. Harley’s engine is natural rhythm, it cannot
be forecasted. So if I play with a motorcycle, it will be completely free
music. And he did. This is the recording of collaboration with Harley
Davidson. When we listen to this, it begins to smell of gasoline in the
room. We must open the window….
This CD was not put on the market. He gave this as gift. He said, “Only
people who like my music, I just want them to listen to this CD.” Hi,
Mr. Kim Dae Hwan, everybody wants to listen! But there are no sets now…oh,
my god! Please reissue! Right now!
☆ Kim Dae Hwan《Like a Dew also Like a Thunder》(Bigtory)(2004)
This is the memorial
album of Kim Dae Hwan made in Japan. Title is the words that he wrote
many times on calligraphy performing of his stage. Like dew also like
a thunder - it is Kim Dae Hwan. It is philosophical words including Kim
Dae Hwan’s music (he called his rhythm one beat) and meaning of his life.
This CD has last live performance of Kang Tae Hwan Trio, the Kim Dae Hwan’s
music life 50th years memorial concert (trio with Yamashita Yosuke and
Watanabe Katsumi), and duo with Mrs. Kang Eun Il (haegeum :Korean traditional
instrument), etc. Especially Kim Dae Hwan liked the trio with Yamashita
Yosuke(p) and Watanabe Katsumi(g) who are the best Japanese Jazz musicians,
he sometimes gave hand-made private CD-R of the trio’s live recording
to his friends.
Anyway no one will appear again but him such as very wild, innocent, a
hard worker, genius, natural, spontaneous. He could speak Japanese very
well. Oh, I want to see his gently smile again. I very often speak like
imitation of Kim Dae Hwan…unconsciously suddenly…. Whenever such time,
I really miss him very deeply.
You must read the biographical story “Hatan-no Hito” written by Okura
Shonosuke who called his Japanese son and who is Japanese traditional
Noh drummer.
☆ Choi Sun Bae《Freedom》(Chapchap)(1999)
The third person
of Kang Tae Hwan Trio is trumpeter Choi Sun Bae, born in 1943. This album
is completely solo improvisation by trumpet with no overdubbing, no edit.
Starting including Arirang melody, sound is flowing like clouds in the
sky.
I think Kang Tae Hwan is stoic, Kim Dae Hwan is wild, and Choi Sun Bae
is humanistic. Because of his character, although a simple impression
is given to us. But in fact, he is the most aggressive, and he has full
of experiment soul. It is very interesting.
Recently he plays with effectors like delay and makes too much psychedelic
sound. It is because of his greed for new sound.
Please see my discography including collaborations with Choi Sun Bae.(Yukie's
disc) (photo)