Francesca Han: Right Music, Right Time

[RSS Feed Guy]

Korea has never been more fashionable, leading the way in technological advances and dictating hair styles, television viewing, eye shape and pop music trends across Asia and beyond. The mindboggling response to singer PSY's song "Gangnam Style," with over a billion hits on You Tube, epitomizes the phenomena of the so-called "Korean Wave." Fewer people, inevitably, are aware of the depth of Korean jazz talent, amply demonstrated on the essential compilation Into the Light--Korean Music III--Traditional Music and Korean Jazz (KAMS, 2010). And whilst Korean jazz may not make US President Obama, UK Prime Minister Cameron or UN Chief Ban Ki-Moon strut their funky stuff as they've all reputedly done to Gangnam Style, it's enjoying vibrant growth as perhaps never before...

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