Mina Cho & Grace Beat Quartet – Beat Mirage (International Gugak Jazz Institute, 2024)
Rooted in the larger Gugak Jazz Society, a nine-piece powerhouse devoted to fusing Korean traditional music with jazz, the Grace Beat Quartet distills that vision into an intimate yet equally boundary-pushing format. At the heart of it all is exquisite and elegant pianist and composer Mina Cho, a highly creative force in the jazz-world fusion landscape. With this quartet, she crafts a rhythmic conversation that transcends notation, where jazz and Korean gugak intertwine not just in theory, but in feel. The name Grace Beat itself speaks volumes: a nod to the ephemeral yet essential elements of rhythm, those unspoken pulses and micro-inflections that drive both traditions forward, like the grace notes in a fluid bebop run or the ghost strokes that animate a janggu drum pattern.
Their latest offering, Beat Mirage, is a masterclass in rhythmic perception, recorded in Boston in July 2023. The ensemble’s lineup is stunning: Korean percussionist Insoo Kim and jazz drummer Yeongjin Kim, both veterans of the Gugak Jazz Society, form a polyrhythmic core, while bassist Max Ridley, Cho’s longtime collaborator, anchors the quartet with elastic phrasing and deep groove sensibility. The album pulses with shifting performances and dazzling interplay.
Beyond its musical architecture, Beat Mirage is also a meditation on grace in all its forms, musical, emotional, and personal. Cho channels her experiences as both an artist and a mother, finding parallels between improvisation and resilience, syncopation and adaptation. The result is a dazzling mix of stellar solos, fearless ensemble work, and breathtaking improvisational flights.
Musicians: Mina Cho on piano; Insoo Kim on Korean traditional percussion (janggu, kkwaenggwari, jing, sori-buk); Yeongjin Kim on drums; and Max Ridley on bass.
Track listing:
- Nacht Song (6:49)
- A Bit of Grace (5:43)
- Beat Mirage (4:53)
- G-Street Dance (5:17)
- Prints of Imperfection (6:25)
- Parallel Destiny (UnMyung II) (6:53)
- If There’s a Stage for Me in Heaven (6:42)
Buy Beat Mirage.