Jason Kao Hwang (born 1957) is a Chinese American violinist and composer. He is known for his unconventional and improvisational jazz violin technique as well as his chamber opera '' The Floating Box: A Story in Chinatown'' which premiered in 2001 and was released in 2005 on

New World Records New World Records is a record label that was established in 1975 through a Rockefeller Foundation grant to celebrate America's bicentennial (1976) by producing a 100-LP anthology, with American music from many genres.Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi ...

after World War II. He was born in

Lake Forest, Illinois Lake Forest is a city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 19,367. The city is along the shore of Lake Michigan, and is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the North Shore. Lake Forest ...

and grew up in

Waukegan ''(Fortress or Trading Post)'' , image_flag = , image_seal = , blank_emblem_size = 150 , blank_emblem_type = Logo , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivisi ...

. He studied classical violin before attending

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, ...

where he received a degree in film and television. During his time at NYU, he became interested in jazz, and soon devoted himself to a career as a musician. He was active in New York City's free jazz scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but over the next decade he increasingly focused on

Asian American jazz Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

. His later work, including his opera '' The Floating Box'' and his extended composition ''Burning Bridge'' for a mixed ensemble of jazz, classical and Chinese instruments, has explored his own identity as an Asian American.

Discography

;With Jason Kao Hwang and the Spontaneous River Orchestra *''Symphony of Souls'' (

Mulatta (, ) is a racial classification to refer to people of mixed African and European ancestry. Its use is considered outdated and offensive in several languages, including English and Dutch, whereas in languages such as Spanish and Portuguese i ...

Records), 2013 ;With

Anthony Braxton Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones, particularly the alto. Braxton grew up on the South Side of ...

*''

Sextet (Istanbul) 1996 ''Sextet (Istanbul) 1996'' is a live album by composer and saxophonist Anthony Braxton with an sextet, recorded at the AkBank Jazz Festival in Turkey in 1995 and released on his own Braxton House label.996 Year 996 (Roman numerals, CMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Japan * February - Chotoku Incident: Fujiwara no Korechika and Fujiwara no Takaie, Ta ...

*''

Octet (New York) 1995 ''Octet (New York) 1995'' is a live album by composer and saxophonist Anthony Braxton with an octet, recorded at the Knitting Factory in 1995 and released on his own Braxton House label.

'' (Braxton House, 1995

997 Year 997 ( CMXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Japan * 1 February: Empress Teishi gives birth to Princess Shushi - she is the first child of the e ...

With

Jerome Cooper Jerome Douglas Cooper (December 14, 1946 – May 6, 2015) was an American free jazz musician. In addition to trap drums, Cooper played balafon, chirimia and various electronic instruments, and referred to himself as a "multi-dimensional drummer, ...

*'' Outer and Interactions'' (About Time, 1988) With

Dominic Duval Dominic Duval (c. 1944 – July 22, 2016) was an American free jazz bassist. Since the 1990s, Duval was active principally on the New York City jazz scene. He did not begin recording regularly until the 1990s, but since then had appeared on a ver ...

*''

Cries and Whispers ''Cries and Whispers'' ( sv, Viskningar och rop, lit=Whispers and Cries) is a 1972 Swedish period drama film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman and starring Harriet Andersson, Kari Sylwan, Ingrid Thulin and Liv Ullmann. The film, set in a ...

'' (Cadence Jazz, 1999

001 001, O01, or OO1 may refer to: *1 (number), a number, a numeral *001, fictional British agent, see 00 Agent *001, former emergency telephone number for the Norwegian fire brigade (until 1986) *AM-RB 001, the code-name for the Aston Martin Valkyrie ...

With William Parker *'' Through Acceptance of the Mystery Peace'' (Centering, 1980) *''

Sunrise in the Tone World ''Sunrise in the Tone World'' is an album by American jazz double bassist William Parker, which was recorded live in 1995 and released on the AUM Fidelity label. This is the second recording by William Parker & The Little Huey Creative Music Orc ...

'' (AUM Fidelity, 1995

With

Henry Threadgill Henry Threadgill (born February 15, 1944) is an American composer, saxophonist and flautist. He came to prominence in the 1970s leading ensembles rooted in jazz but with unusual instrumentation and often incorporating other genres of music. He ...

*'' Too Much Sugar for a Dime'' (Axiom, 1993) *'' Carry the Day'' (Columbia, 1995) With

Reggie Workman Reginald "Reggie" Workman (born June 26, 1937 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American avant-garde jazz and hard bop double bassist, recognized for his work with both John Coltrane and Art Blakey. Career Early in his career, Workman work ...

*'' Altered Spaces'' (Leo, 1993)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hwang, Jason Kao American jazz violinists American male violinists American jazz composers American musicians of Chinese descent Musicians from Chicago 1957 births Living people CIMP artists Jazz musicians from Illinois 21st-century American violinists American male jazz composers 21st-century American male musicians

Discography

See also

References

External links