I take off my load and sit down.
But, who was unburdened: the bag or me?
I gaze at the road.
But, who gazes at the other: the road or me?
Beyond the sunset,
Already, the low mountain blots out the sun.
02. 징 – 바람 Jing, The Wind
03. 아프로틱 Afrotic
04. 장고 – 비 Janggo, The Rain
05. 검은달 Black Moon - English
06. 꽹과리 – 천둥 Kkwaenggwari, The Thunder
07. 길 A Road
08. 입장단풀이 Vocussion
09. 도당 Dodang
10. 넋두리 Blue in My Mind
11. 북 – 구름 Buk, The Cloud
12. 수평선 넘어 Beyond the Horizon
13. 검은달 Black Moon - Korean
Dong-Won Kim - Janggo, Jing, Kkwaenggwari, Buk, Voice; Gerald Rumpold - Bass Guitar; Klaus Falschlunger - Sitar; Alex Mayer - Didgeridoo: Bernhard Noriller - Janggo, Berimbau; Erwin Vindl - Buk, Surdo; Michael Hornek - Piano; Paul Heis - Tenor Saxophone; Bernhard Kowatsch - Electric Guitar; Eva Singer - Violin; Kaspar Singer - Cello; Dieter Sailer - Acoustic Guitar, MIDI-instruments
Recording Studio: Klangspurstudio www.klangspur.at in Sistrans, Austria
Sound Design (Recording/Editing/Mixing/Mastering): Dieter Sailer
At heart, I am a traditional Korean percussionist. And I enjoy injecting high spirits into my voice. This album consists of my percussion and lyrics combined with a new diverse approach to music by the group Comin & Goin. If I were to sum up the artistic process in two words, it would be 'deconstruction' and 'encounter.'
'Deconstruction' is about jangdan, a kind of Korean traditional rhythmic pattern. Perhaps there is no one who has been more fascinated by the beauty of Jangdan than me for the past twenty years, and derived more benefit from it. I learned, wrote, and taught jangdan. When I realized the underlying principle of jangdan, "a jangdan is completed by the space between beats," it made me rethink what rhythm is and this guided me to a new musical approach.
To me, playing jangdan is about distributing space between beats. The discovery that the harmony between space and beats determines jangdan's energy became my inspiration and my hwadu (koan);rearranging space, not by the rearranging of beats, but by the deconstruction of a beat. In that way, I could put new energy into the recreated space. This album contains that kind of creation.
Encounters are inevitable. In this world meetings between different cultures are inevitable. There have been many musical encounters in my life. With Master Kim Duk-Soo, I had many chances to play with western orchestras and jazz ensembles. And I have had a beautiful musical experience as I have participated in the “Silk Road Ensemble” that was founded by the great cellist Yo-Yo Ma in 2001.
Later, when I met the Comin & Goin group, we learned from each other and fell in (musical) love. And finally, we endeavored to create from our new encounters the music on this album. But, for me, 'fusion' is not a goal of my music. I agree with Yo-Yo Ma's statement, "Fusion is not the ultimate purpose to me. I prefer to 'meet' rather than 'fuse'." I believe that a real harmony comes after learning and loving each other that arises from 'meeting.' That's how I respect the affinity, 'meeting.'
― Kim, Dong-Won
"Kim Dong-Won is a student of mine as well as a fellow musician who has walked the same path with me for many years. I am happy to listen to his music, which is of his own energy and color. He has created a kind of music that only he could make. It is a wonderful blend of North and South Asian spirit, as well as a meeting of Eastern and Western cultures. I am so thrilled that he has injected the energy and spirit of the Korean tradition into a new and universal language".
― Kim Duk-Soo / Founder of Samulnori
"Every pore of his being is devoted to expressing the deep emotion he feels for traditional Korean culture. Its philosophy, physicality and spirituality are organic to Dong-Won's art.
It is an inspiration to make music with him."
― Yo-Yo Ma / Cellist, Artistic Director of Silk Road Project
contact: wallykim@hanmail.net