Aug 7, 2024 2:02 PM
Snarky Puppy’s Shaun Martin Dies at 45
Shaun Martin, a multifaceted, Grammy-winning pianist, keyboardist and producer who was best known for his work in the…
“It’s always been there,” multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Jen Shyu said about a wave of vitriol aimed at Asian Americans during the coronavirus pandemic. “These events, they’re just an excuse for people.”
(Photo: Steven Schreiber/pirecordings.com)For Hatamiya, the challenge is for people to recognize his embrace of traditional and modern jazz as a facet of his own identity.
For Sugimoto and Shyu, their intention has been to examine and embrace their identities as Asian women in their music.
“What I’ve been exploring my whole life as an artist is trying to come up in a music world—and more specifically a jazz world—that has objectified me and ‘exoticized’ me as an Asian female,” Shyu said.
Both Shyu and Sugimoto have felt pressure from various people—men who suggested it would bolster their careers if they played up their sexuality. For Asian women, that expectation can cause profound confusion about who they should or want to be.
“When I was little, the thing I wanted to do most was to be Miss Saigon on Broadway,” Shyu said, laughing. “It’s kind of disturbing: My greatest ambition was to be a prostitute on stage.”
The thread tying these artists together is tethered to a needle that pierces the heart of every Asian who was born in or immigrated to the States: the seemingly unsolvable paradox of belonging here and identifying with American culture, yet being seen as “the other” by neighbors.
Jang recently was out buying groceries, preparing to hunker down and protect against the coronavirus, when a woman yelled at him, accusing the pianist and composer of trying to cut in line. He won’t ever know if her anger was motivated by conscious or unconscious racial bias, but it’s a worry that he shares with the other artists interviewed here—as well as those who nervously endure the current wave of bigotry pointed at Asian Americans.
Four decades after the inception of Asian Improv aRts, Asian Americans continue to find different ways of reconciling their origin stories with their passion for jazz and improvised music, knocking down persistent racial stereotypes in the process.
But Jang realizes everyone needs to find their own path.
“For Francis and myself, that’s our history; for the younger generation, it’s not going to be the same,” he said. “What we share is our personal expression in our own unique way. We march to the beat of a different gong.” DB
In addition to his work with Snarky Puppy, Martin freelanced as a keyboardist, producer and music director with prominent gospel and R&B musicians.
Aug 7, 2024 2:02 PM
Shaun Martin, a multifaceted, Grammy-winning pianist, keyboardist and producer who was best known for his work in the…
In addition to his instrumental prowess, Malone was praised for his musical generosity and his singular sense of humor.
Aug 27, 2024 12:09 PM
Guitarist and bandleader Russell Malone died Aug. 23, while on tour in Japan, after battling end-stage kidney failure.…
The June 19 Town Hall celebration of Michael Brecker was the culmination of the 10-night Peperoncino Jazz Festival.
Aug 7, 2024 2:03 PM
Although it’s been 17 years since tenor titan Michael Brecker passed away, the memories of his towering instrumental…
“I don’t focus on the harshness of the music business,” Lloyd says. “I focus on the profundity of what we’re doing because that’s the real stuff. You can change the world with that.”
Sep 4, 2024 1:29 PM
“To get this honor at this late stage, I suppose I’m blessed. I just know that this is a sacred song, and I’m in…
A concert of duets featuring trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and bassist Dave Holland was cerebral and unhurried at this year’s Montreal Jazz Festival.
Aug 13, 2024 11:52 AM
In its third edition since rebounding from senior management changes and COVID-related disruptions, the 44th Festival…
