For those unaware, pianist and composer John Chin is a modern veteran of the New York jazz scene, having been a landmark player since his emergence in the genre in 1998.

A GRAMMY-nominated sideman with Rene Marie (Sound of Red, 2017), Chin has performed alongside some of jazz’s most beloved figures, including Ron Carter, Benny Golson, Mark Turner, Dayna Stephens, and Ari Hoenig, among others.

Now, with five albums as a bandleader under his belt, Chin has set out on an expedition to explore the concept of identity in America through engaging with both his personal identity as a Korean American, and his identity as a masterful creator within the great American art form that is jazz.

Leading a trio of fellow Asian American jazz musicians Jeong Lim Yang (bass) and Jongkuk Kim (drums), Chin presents Journey of Han, a beautifully pensive observation on personhood and persona through diversity and individualism.

One of the most powerful elements contained on Journey of Han is Chin’s intentionally crafted pacing and song order. Organized into two Acts, the structure of each creates the overall emotional and sonic themes of exploration of self and examining of identity contained within the concept of han.

ACT ONE:
1. The Longing of the Wind (2:12) (John Chin)
2. Midnight Sun (7:57) (Lionel Hampton, Sonny Burke)
3. The Shimmering Veil (1:41) (John Chin)
4. Lady Day (9:54) (Wayne Shorter)
5. ATL (8:12) (John Chin)
6. The Constant Foreigner (8:34) (John Chin)
7. Promising World (1:47) (Jeong Lim Yang)

ACT TWO:
8. Lament for a Past Life (6:35) (John Chin)
9. Never Let Me Go (6:06) (Ray Evans, Jay Livingston)
10. Loom (6:22) (Jongkuk Kim)
11. Tarn (2:06) (John Chin)
12. The Next Thing (5:12) (John Chin)
13. Lush Life (5:34) (Billy Strayhorn)
14. Stardust (3:11) (Hoagy Carmichael)

Act One opens with the veritably glistening The Longing of the Wind and the more sprightly, skittish even, Midnight Sun, and then we get brought forth the palatial gossamer of The Shimmering Veil, the all-embracing, near ten minute rendition of Wayne Shorter’s Lady Day, the boisterously confident ATL, the Act rounding out on the decadently-sculpted The Constant Foreigner (which itself opens with the headlines describing the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings) and the pondering Promising World.

Act Two opens with the seamlessly smooth Lament for a Past Life and the gentle, late evening hue of Never Let Me Go and they are in turn followed by the drum-led Loom, the impressively sparkling Tarn, then comes the frenetically-charged The Next Thing, the second Act closing on the free flowing, excellent Billy Strayhorn track Lush Life, and the glamorously serene, simply mesmerizing, timeless standard Stardust.

With Journey of Han, Chin proclaims the beauty of diversity and the robust heritage of the Asian American community and wraps it all within the ornate splendor of the great American music of jazz. By both leaning into his roots and showing how they have added depths of luminescence to the oeuvre of jazz past and present, Chin creates an artistic reflection that is at once salient and hopeful as he sets his eyes upon the future – of jazz, of diversity, and of shared American identity.

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