Berlin-based vocalist and composer Song Yi Jeon has unveiled The Earthy Suites, the debut album of her nine-piece SYJ Nonet. The project fuses traditional Korean percussion with modern jazz harmony and improvisation, creating a rhythmic conversation across cultures.
Jeon draws inspiration from Samulnori, the percussion-based form developed in 1978 by four Korean masters. She transforms rhythms from Honam, Yeongnam, and Jungbu Nongak into two original jazz suites. Each piece traces ritualistic and agricultural roots while echoing the pulse of jazz history.