Jason Kao Hwang

Jason Kao Hwang ( * 1957 in Waukegan, Illinois) is an American jazz violinist (also viola, electronics), composer and music educator.

Life and work

Jason Hwang has Chinese roots, but was not trained in traditional Chinese music, even if he heard this a lot in his parents' house. He began his career in New York Loftszene, including in the Basement Workshop in New York's Chinatown. There he worked among others with Gerald Oshita, Fred Houn, Miya Masaoka, Francis Wong, Jon Jang and Mark Izu and merged jazz and new music with Chinese sounds. At Hwang's models; Henry Threadgill, Borah Bergman, Butch Morris, Reggie Workman and Ken McIntyre. From 1990 to 2004 he headed the Far East Side Band, which also included Sang- Won Park, Joe Dailey, Satoshi Takeishi and Yukio Tsuji. The formation combined exotic instruments such as Taiko and Kayagum with tuba and violin; two albums published by Victor and New World. He wrote in 2001, first performed chamber opera The Floating Box: A Story in Chinatown and lead the trio Edge, where he worked with Andrew Drury, Taylor Ho Bynum and Ken Filiano. In addition, Hwang worked as a musician and arranger for the Broadway production of M. Butterfly and was musical director for the subsequent U.S. tour.

As a composer, Hwang has received numerous grants, including from Meet the Composer and the National Endowment for the Arts; Furthermore, he taught Asian American music at New York University and taught at the Westminster and Brooklyn College. Hwang, who worked throughout his career with Anthony Braxton, Henry Threadgill, Ken McIntyre, Butch Morris, Reggie Workman, Vladimir Tarasov, Tatsu Aoki, William Parker, Sirone, William Hooker and Pheeroan akLaff, worked in the field of Jazz 1980-2011 at 62 recording sessions.

In 2012 he was awarded the Kritikerpoll in the Rising Stars category of the Downbeat; 2013 nominated for the JJA Jazz Award from the Jazz Journalists Association.

Disco Graphical Notes

  • Commitment 8 (1983 ), with Will Connell Jr., William Parker
  • Unfolding Stone (Sound Aspects, 1990), with Mark Dresser, JD Parran, Ned Rothenberg
  • Jason Kao Hwang / Edge: Stories Before Within ( Innova Recordings, 2007)
  • Jason Kao Hwang / Edge: Crossroads Unseen ( Euonymus Records, 2011)
  • Jason Kao Hwang / Spontaneous River: Symphony of Souls ( mulatta, 2011)
  • Burning brudge ( Innova, 2012), with Sun Li, Wang Guowei, Taylor Ho Bynum, Steve Swell, Joseph Daley, Andrew Drury
Makanda Ken McIntyre Victor Talking Machine Company New World Records William Parker (musician) William Hooker (musician) Down Beat J. D. Parran Dominic Duval Discogs Integrated Authority File
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