The Port Theatre Society, Korean Cultural Centre of Canada &
The Nanaimo International Jazz Festival Association present
SE:UM
In 2013, a group of jazz players and Korean traditional musicians started to play jam sessions based on traditional Korean folk melodies and shamanistic rhythms, eventually forming SE:UM.
The eclectic quintet is comprised of saxophonist Hachul Song, trumpeter Jongsang Park, bassist Jaeha Lee, traditional percussionist Hanmin Cho, and gayageum (twelve-stringed Korean zither) player and music director Joon Lee. Joon Lee is the recipient of the esteemed 2023 KBS Korean Traditional Music Award for his mastery of the Gayageum.
The members of SE:UM have learned to respect one another’s musicalities over the years and succeeded in breaking down the borders between their musical conventions, finding balance and harmony in their own music.
SE:UM’s debut album was nominated for Best Crossover Album and Best Jazz & Crossover Performance at the Korea Music Awards. The group made a splash at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, receiving a five-star festival review. Since then, SE:UM has performed around the world from the UAE to the US, and expanded its musical boundaries collaborating with ever diverse partners.
