Min Xiao-Fen + Alan Chan present “Moon Walk”- New York Debut
Sunday, February 10 @ 4pm
Central Brooklyn Public Library
Min Xiao-Fen, who plays solo Monk tunes on pipa, collaborates with LA-based composer Alan Chan to explore new jazz through their new project “Moon Walk,” with inspiration drawn from the story of the goddess of the Moon Chang’e and Michael Jackson. The seemingly impossible musical journey to the moon through time and space will be presented by a 7-piece ensemble with master musicians Ned Rothenberg (wind instruments/alto sax), Steven Bernstein (trumpet), David Taylor (bass trombone), Dean Johnson (bass) and David Cossin (percussion).
https://www.bklynlibrary.org/calendar/classical-interludes-min-central-library-dweck-20190210
Please check out this review of our premiere from the LA Times: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-cynosemma-moon-walk-notebook-20180821-story.html
Min Xiao-Fen’s Blue Pipa Trio performs “From Harlem to Shanghai and Back” with Dean Johnson, Steve Salerno and a guest Thomas J. Manuel
Friday, March 15 @ 7pm
The Jazz Loft (275 Christian Ave, Stony Brook, NY)
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Min Xiao-Fen New Release “Mao, Monk and Me” – in celebration of the 100th Birthday of Thelonious Monk
CD “Mao, Monk and Me” is available on CD Baby and Amazon
“Ms. Min, a spry and fearless practitioner of the pipa, a Chinese lute, has a new album out, titled “Mao, Monk and Me.” On it she performs and sings unaccompanied, blending the music of Thelonious Monk with Chinese folk song and her own experimental excursions… ” — Giovanni Russonello, The New York Times
“Mao, Monk and Me, an inventive solo homage from Min Xiao-Fen, who plays the four-stringed Chinese pipa. “ — Larry Blumenfeld, The Wall Street Journal
“Min Xiao-Fen is a masterful interpreter of Monk. Unburdened by instrumental lineage or cultural signifiers, she is free to treat Monk the same way Monet did his waterlilies…You’ve never heard Monk like this.” — Andrey Henkin, The New York City Jazz Record
“…Monk’s music has become intertwined with her own on Min’s most personal release to date, ‘Mao, Monk and Me.’ The striking album reimagines Monk’s iconic melodies for the pipa, the Chinese lute of which Min is a long-recognized master and innovator, fusing those jazz classics with traditional Chinese folk songs and Min’s startlingly original sounds.” —Shaun Brady , JAZZIZ
“Mao, Monk and Me” — Min Xiao-Fen, pipa, ruan, sanxian, cymbals and voice
Born in the ancient capital of Nanjing, Min Xiao-Fen interweaves Chinese folk music, regional operas and Taoist music with the sounds of John Cage, jazz and blues. Her works transcend borders with their own brand of cutting-edge fusion. Min’s latest solo set, “Mao, Monk and Me,” features her treatments of jazz standards by Thelonious Monk mixed with their historical Chinese counterparts. As a young girl coming of age during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), the reformed Beijing Operas and folk songs she heard from the many regions were dedicated to the workers and soldiers. After moving to the United States, she was inspired once again – this time by Thelonious Monk.