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JUN
IIDA’s (Joon
Ee-da) debut CD, EVERGREEN, is a showcase for his
modern, edgy originals and imaginative re-workings of other
compositions off the beaten path. The trumpet and flugelhorn player
has lived in Seattle, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Los
Angeles, and recently relocated to New York City. Iida has internalized
the different styles of music from each region, making his approach
to composing and arranging appealing and unexpected with his subtle
amalgamation of contemporary jazz, blues, pop, hip-hop, soul, and
classical music.
Iida
also absorbed music from his Japanese heritage. His mother, a
semi-professional koto (Japanese harp) player, had a profound
influence on his love of music. He was born in St. Louis, where he
spent the first ten years of his life. Iida says, “My mother was
always playing music around the house. She loved all types of music,
especially classical, and I spent my formative years listening to
Brahms, Tchaikovsky, and Mendelssohn. My parents immigrated here from
Japan, and my mother wanted to make sure we didn’t lose our culture and
language, so she also taught us Japanese folk and children’s songs.
But I also listened to jazz, blues, soul, rock 'n' roll, and hip-hop,
which were all prevalent in St. Louis when I was very young.”
Iida
began studying the piano when he was five years old and subsequently
started playing the trumpet when he was nine after listening to his
mother’s Louis Armstrong album, Hello Dolly! When he was 10
years old, his family moved to Pittsburgh, which had its own thriving
jazz culture as well as many iconic clubs that featured alternative
rock and hip-hop. Although Iida was mainly attracted to jazz, his
interests encompassed a wide range of styles, and he performed in
several classical orchestras and wind ensembles throughout his high
school and college years.
Iida
studied classical music at the Cleveland Institute of Music and jazz
at Case Western Reserve University, where he also studied aerospace
engineering. After graduating, Iida moved to Los Angeles in 2015 for
an engineering job while actively pursuing his music. Los Angeles is
home to some of the finest jazz musicians in the country, and Iida
started to hone his chops performing at several notable jazz clubs,
theaters, and festivals as a sideman and with his own sextet. One of
the most important connections he made while living in Los Angeles
was with JOSH NELSON, the esteemed pianist and arranger who
was a big influence on Iida’s development as a jazz artist.
Iida
had made so many friends in L.A. that he decided to come down from
Seattle to record EVERGREEN at a popular
Glendale studio. Nelson, who plays piano and co-produced the album,
was a major consideration for his decision. Also joining Iida are
L.A.-based musicians MASAMI KUROKI (guitar) and JONATHAN
RICHARDS (bass). Seattle-based drummer XAVIER LECOUTURIER and
acclaimed New York vocalist AUBREY JOHNSON are also on the
album.
Iida
had a unique idea for the vocals on EVERGREEN, as he
wanted them to fill the role of a second horn. He met Johnson in
Seattle at a gig and was very impressed with her vocal abilities. She
vocalizes on all the compositions and sings Japanese lyrics
convincingly on two songs.
“Akatombo,”
(Red Dragonfly) is a popular song that Iida’s mother taught him. The
nostalgic tune is written in the voice of someone recalling being
carried on the back of his caretaker when he was just an infant.
Iida’s emotive trumpet solo and Johnson’s lilting voice are
highlights. “Shiki No Uta” (Song of the Seasons) is a Japanese pop
tune made popular by experimental record producer Nujabes. The melancholy
tune about a lover who comes in and out of the singer’s life features
Johnson tripling her vocals. The song has a distinctly Japanese
melody that Iida arranged in a jazz style with hints of hip-hop.
“Gooey
Butter Cake” is an Iida original. The straight-ahead, upbeat,
toe-tapping composition pays homage to a sweet treat that is popular
in St. Louis. Iida chose to open the album with this song since his
musical journey began in St. Louis. The other Iida originals include
“Evergreen,” the title track. The composition is an homage to Seattle
and the Pacific Northwest. “Forgotten Memories” deals with the loss
of memories as one ages and finding acceptance through new
experiences.
Iida
wrote “My Anguish in Solidarity” as a reaction to the incidences of
police violence against Black Americans. The composition is written
almost as a sonata with sections that employ odd meters, with Nelson
on piano and Fender Rhodes. “Song for Luke” is a sad ballad that Iida
wrote for a friend who passed away at a young age from brain cancer.
Johnson captures the melancholic nature fof the song with her
breathy, gentle vocals. Iida used shifting tone centers and odd
meters to capture the mellow time between the heat and passions of
summer and the cold and dark of winter in “Holding on to Autumn.”
Iida
also re-imagines Sonny Rollins’ and Elmo Hope’s “Bellarosa” with
Johnson doubling with Iida on the melody. “Love Theme from
Spartacus,” the theme song from the movie, features a charming and
disarming duet by Iida and Nelson.
EVERGREEN
is a
unique modern jazz album that sounds like no other. Although his
Japanese heritage shines through on many tunes, as does his eclectic
musical tastes and influences, Iida is firmly rooted in the jazz
idiom. With its outstanding musicianship and fresh, progressive
arrangements, EVERGREEN is a stellar debut for composer
and trumpeter Jun Iida.
# # #
EVERGREEN
is set for
release on January 19, 2024 on Origin Records and will be available
at Originarts.com and all streaming platforms.
Online:
Juniidamusic.com
Facebook.com/jun.iida.50
IG:
@juniidamusic
YouTube:
Bit.ly/junciida
Originarts.com
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