The following is an interview between jazz journalist Morgan Enos and Korean-born, New York-based composer, arranger and conductor Jihye Lee. On 31 May, Lee followed up her acclaimed 2021 debut with Infinite Connections: a new large ensemble album released via Motéma Music. Co-produced by Darcy James Argue, Infinite Connections features trumpeters Ambrose Akinmusire [“Surrender,” “You Are My Universe”] and David Smith [“Crossing the River of Grace”]. Links to purchase Infinite Connections, and to Lee’s website, can be found at the bottom of this article.
“There’s this funny story,” Jihye Lee offers when discussing her new album, Infinite Connections. However offhanded, it speaks to the ups and downs of her livelihood.
On the day of recording Infinite Connections, at Power Station at BerkleeNYC, the leg of her reserved Steinway piano got snagged and broken during transportation. “The Berklee person said, ‘It’s not an everyday event, trust me. We’ve never had this issue in decades.’”
In fact, Infinite Connections was meant to honour two once-in-a-lifetime experiences, both from 2022. That year, Lee’s grandmother died, and her mother fell into a serious coma, which she survived.
These battering experiences compelled Lee to write her most personal, as well as cosmic, work to date. Across Infinite Connections, Lee and her big band plumb the depths of womanhood, motherhood and ancestral ties.
UK Jazz News: I’ve seen you perform Infinite Connections a few times. How has this music developed over the years?
Jihye Lee: In 2018 or 19, I put together a show with composers from other countries. We had an idea: Let’s fuse our roots with the jazz orchestra. I did some arrangements, and it all started from there.
It got more developed in 2022, when I had a chance to do a cool show at the National Theatre of Korea. I did some of the music that is on Infinite Connections, and I did some arrangements here and there.
I collaborated with a Korean traditional percussionist, and I really didn’t like that approach, because I’m still a jazz musician… I thought I would have traditional musicians, but it turned out to be like, Oh, maybe not.
Even though that percussionist is very open to other genres, I think we just use different languages. Maybe I am not really familiar with their language; maybe I didn’t navigate it correctly, for them to do the right job.
I did the show in 2022, and then I developed the full program. Then, I was fortunate to have the Toulmin fellowship from National Sawdust and NYU. They supported me to go to Korea; it nurtured the program. So then, I started Infinite Connections.
UKJN: And in 2023, you premiered it at National Sawdust.
JL: The more you do it, the better idea you have.
I ended up having [Snarky Puppy’s] Keita Ogawa, a Japanese percussionist who has tremendous knowledge in African and Asian rhythms, all kinds of sounds and grooves, as well as being a jazz musician. I was really lucky to have him.
I borrowed some janguus, which are Korean percussion instruments, so it was perfect.
UKJN: I’m sure the music continued to change after the recording session.
JL: I think the music has stayed the same since we recorded it.
As always, the solo changes, and the drummer always plays differently. That atmosphere has an effect on musicians, and the musician reacts to that atmosphere and audience, so every performance is different.
But the main structure – the bone structure – is pretty much the same.
UKJN: Expound on working with Darcy [James Argue] and Keita.
JL: Yes, I think the workflow was much smoother. [Recordist and mixing engineer] Brian Montgomery is a genius, and Darcy is the detail king, always – so I had 100 percent trust in them.
What differentiates this project to my others is the percussion that Keita brings to the table. We had two very important Korean traditional percussion instruments: the janguu and the jing, which is a Korean cymbal. It has pitch [laughs] which can really get in the way of 13 horns, so we had to do lots of adjustments.
I think Keita was perfect because he’s not really a Korean traditional percussionist, but close enough: he’s Japanese, and a jazz percussionist. I wrote a lot of details, but Keita also brought a lot of new ideas that we discussed. I think he did a really fantastic job; he really fulfilled my vision.
We had trust that everyone would nail it. The atmosphere and vibes and energy were all goosebumps.
UKJN: Ambrose [Akinmusire] is such a great guest, although I’m unfamiliar with any playing he’s done in Korean idioms. What specifically made him ideal for Infinite Connections?
JL: Along with the Korean theme, this project has a philosophical message. I’ve always thought that Ambrose is such a deep thinker. I can hear a lot of humanism in his playing, and a spiritual aspect as well. It’s beyond music, beyond notes, beyond sound.
I saw him at the Vanguard before the recording session, and I was blown away. It was [drummer] Marcus Gilmore, [pianist] Fabian Almazan, and Ambrose. You know how the Vanguard is – it’s so intimate, you can actually hear every breath.
I think that performance was one of the best, if not the best, performances I’ve seen in New York. Then, I thought, I really need him on this record. He’s going to be the perfect person to elevate this music to another level.
I reached out to him. [Laughs] He’s a world star, but somehow, the timing worked, and he very generously agreed to do it. He doesn’t really do a lot of events or features, so it was even more special for me to have him on this record. He was a very cool person to work with. Never like, I’m the star. I really loved his solo and artistry.
UKJN: What was the vibe of the recording session like?
JL: I could see some tension, because everyone wanted to perform well. I appreciate that every individual treated this project with true heart; they did a serious job, and understood the importance of this project.
We recorded the hardest piece first.
UKJN: Really!
JL: I don’t know why Darcy did it, but Darcy did it! We were like, “Are you serious? You really want to record ‘Eight Letters’?’’ Which has a lot of different metres, and lots of groupings.
After the second and third piece, we got more relaxed, but I will say it was very, very intense, because the music was very hard. And it’s not typical big band music that they are very accustomed to; it needs certain playing methods.
For instance, I have a lot of grace notes, but they have very specific nuances. They’re always accented, and always on the beat. We had to keep on reminding [ourselves] that this is not a Western way of interpreting. Then, we had to discuss a lot of percussion choices on certain bars.
It was intense, but at the end, we all felt good and rewarded, like we had documented a very important album. I think everybody felt that way, and everybody was super happy. It was such a relief.
