Classical Music Meets Jazz at Eagon
By Min Sejin, Staff Reporter

The Korean Times
27 Oct. 2004

The 15th Eagon Concert will be held in six different venues in Seoul,
Inchon, Taejon and Pusan beginning Nov. 6.

This concert will feature the Marcus Roberts Trio, an American jazz
band with pianist Marcus Roberts, contrabass player Roland Gueri and
Jason Marsalis playing the drums.

The trio will present American jazz music considered to be monumental
of the genre, including those by George Gershwin, Duke Ellington,
Jelly Roll Morton, Scott Joplin and Thelonious Monk.

Subtitled “New Orleans Meets Harlem,¡¯¡¯ the program offers a
reinterpretation of New Orleans jazz music. The ensemble will perform
master works of improvised jazz with elements of Harlem-style music
added to them.

At two of the six concerts to be given at the Seoul Arts Center and
Incheon Multicultural and Arts Center, the ensemble will be joined by
the Euro-Asian Philharmonic Orchestra led by music director Gum Nanse.

In the second half of these concerts, the jazz musicians, together with
the classical ensemble, will play a ballet suite by Aram Khachaturian,
a 20th-century composer of Armenian origin, and “Rhapsody in Blue.¡¯¡¯

“Rhapsody in Blue¡¯¡¯ is a 1924 work by George Gershwin, a composer
known as a songwriter. Among his well-known songs is “I Got Rhythm¡¯¡¯
from the musical “Crazy for You.¡¯¡¯ The song will also be performed
in the arranged form for the jazz trio.

“Rhapsody in Blue,¡¯¡¯ originally a concerto for piano and orchestra,
displays jazz influence, particularly of Blues, and is characterized
for its colorful orchestration.

Pianist Marcus Roberts was blind from the age four and took up the
piano when he was eight. He also played the organ in church, and
since 12, he began taking formal lessons with great interests in jazz.

After graduating from Florida State University in 1985, he won the
Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition in 1987 and has since
established himself as an accredited jazz musician, actively giving
performances. He has also released about 30 recordings including
those with the Sony Classical.

He has received the Helen Keller award for personal achievements.

The Eagon Concert series began in 1990 presenting quality live
performances to concertgoers in Korea. It began with the concert of
Academia Wind Quintet of Prague, which was joined by the renowned
local pianist Shin Soo-jung.

It has invited less well-known but highly talented musicians from
overseas. Last year¡¯s concert, for example, was given by a group
of musicians highly accredited as an ensemble presenting early-
and mid-Baroque and the 17th century music.

The event is sponsored by the Korean Committee for UNICEF.

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