Traditional Korean melody singer Jang Sa-ik(58) uses a song writing process resembling a potter's work. First, when he has the words set in mind, he begins to practice humming a tune. After hundreds of times humming the song, the melody is complete. The lyrics naturally flow with the melody as he sings along to the tide of emotions and where his heart leads him. It's almost as if he is playing a song game. His songs move people's hearts and make them happy before they even realize it.


Gukak becomes one with world music

Jang's songs are an exquisite harmony of traditional Korean melody and the sentiment of today's Korean music. Jang's "fusion" music, which combines the traditional Korean music 'gukak,' K-pop, '70s guitar folk songs and even jazz, attracts audiences with his unique interpretation and gukak-style vocals. His songs, fused and created from disparate music types, have been crafted into five albums. His music, proclaiming a 'music appreciation transcending genres,' is a pleasant mix of gukak and contemporary Korean pop with piano accompaniment.


Song is life


Hailing from Chungcheong Province, Jang sports the trademark provincial accent of that area. He talks slowly and softly, with half of his utterances consisting of laughter. He gives off the image of a kindly old uncle. Jang's been a salaried worker for some ten different companies over 25 years. His last job before debuting as a singer was a car center clerk, and before that he did all sorts of odd jobs including valet parking. His life never was as smooth as his friendly persona. It wasn't until age 45, after he tasted all the bitterness of life, that he began singing.

Then on January 1st, 1993, he finally quit working and laid his hands on a 'taepyeongso,' a Korean double reed wind instrument in the shawm or oboe family with a conical wooden body, which he had gained an interest in. This was in fact no surprise. His father and uncle were also renowned taepyeongso musicians in Gwangcheon, South Chungcheong Province. It may have been his destined life course.

He started out as a traditional melody singer, and he described the subsequent portion of his life as a truly happy time. For 13 years, he created a world of music filled with Korean soul and spirit. He has held concerts at the prestigious Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul every other year since 1996, and tickets have now been sold out for the tenth year. Just last December, 6,000 tickets for two of his concerts sold out in a month.

So why do people love his music so much? One attraction is the imbuement of the uniquely Korean sentiment of 'han' (deep-seated grief) in his music that somehow appeals to modern audiences.


Korean soul resounds in US


His latest project is a U.S. concert tour. He plans concerts entitled "Missing People" for some 10,000 people in four U.S. cities. The schedule starts at the New York City Center on June 2, in Chicago on the 9th, Washington on the 17th and Los Angeles on the 24th. He planned the tour after he saw potential success when all 1,500 seats sold out for a Washington concert three years ago. He decided to seriously perform his music in front of the people. The U.S. concerts are especially special to him as he is bringing Korean gukak to the American audience. If the music of Korean pop stars Rain or BoA can be likened to a Western suit, Jang's music would be the traditional Korean attire of hanbok. Sometimes, he wonders if his concert tickets will sell well, but he confidently says that his goal is to properly demonstrate Korean music even if it is to a single person.

Joining his tour will be 25 of his close musician friends including pianists, trumpeters, chorus teams, jazz musicians, a cappella singers, and musicians who play the Korean fiddle and other traditional percussion instruments. He first planned the concert to have a light and enjoyable time with his Korean American audiences. But following the gunshot massacre at Virginia Tech, he feels he should include a time of remembrance for the shooting victims.

He will donate parts of the concert proceeds to UNICEF and the Korean American Voters’ Council, which is promoting the adoption of a resolution by the U.S. Congress on Japan's wartime sex slavery. The concert will jointly be held with the Korea Green Foundation, and Jang will also make a pitch for foundation's Asian Well of Life Campaign. He will also take part in a movement urging revisions to the U.S. immigration law, which directly relates to the status of ethnic Koreans in the U.S., as well as help aid campaigns for children in North Korea and Sudan.

Jang says music tells the story of life. He says that if he had become a singer from early on in life, his music may have not been able to portray all the vicissitudes of life. Jang's dream is to create "that one marvelous song." We hope to listen to more of his music about life that touches our hearts.


Profile

1980 ~ Begins gukak
1993 ~ Organized and played taepyeongso, Memorial concert for Kim Yong-bae at Yonsei Univ.
1994 ~ Premiere of Jang Sa-ik Soripan 'The Road to Heaven'
1996 ~ Taepyeongso performance of Geumsan folk music, Int'l folk festival in Taipei
1997 ~ Performed with Royal Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Arts Center (SAC)
1998 ~ Performed with KBS Symphony Orchestra, SAC New Year's Concert
1999 ~ Performed with SaltaCello, SAC
2000 ~ Performed with Hungarian Nat'l Orchestra, SAC
2001 ~ Performed with Boston Pops Orchestra, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts
2002 ~ Opening show of Int'l Dance Festival, SAC
2003 ~ Constitution Day memorial concert, KBS Hall
Awards
1993 1st prize for Gongju folk song performance at Jeonju Daesaseup Game
1994 1st prize with Geumsan folk song performance at Jeonju Daesaseup Game
1995 Presidential prize, KBS Gukak Awards
1996 Gold prize, KBS Gukak Awards
2006 Gukak Award, Nat'l Assembly Pop Culture & Media Awards