Asian Improv aRts
Founded in 1987 by Jon Jang and Francis Wong, Asian Improv aRts (AIR) is a San Francisco-based non-profit record label and non-profit dedicated to promoting performances by Asian American artists.[1][2] The label focused on musicians who were inspired by the more politically-oriented African American musicians, such as Max Roach, Charles Mingus, Sun Ra, and members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).[3] In its first years, AIR released recordings by Jang and Glenn Horiuchi that reflect their involvement in the Asian American consciousness movement, their support for the Japanese American redress and reparations movement (which led to the Civil Liberties Act of 1988), and their efforts to fight anti-Asian violence.[4] In the 1990s, the label began to diversify its roster, and was instrumental in helping launch the careers of Miya Masaoka, Jen Shyu, and Vijay Iyer. When AIR celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2017, jazz critic Andrew Gilbert wrote, "The organization gave a disparate collection of composers and bandleaders a platform, and by the early 1990s several had attained international recognition by creating politically charged music melding traditional Asian forms and instruments with modern jazz vocabulary. It's potent, soul-stirring, often strikingly beautiful music, and it's still under appreciated."[5]
Discography[edit]
| Year released | Artists | Title | Catalogue # | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Jon Jang and the 4 in One Quartet | The Ballad or the Bullet | AIR 0001 | LP |
| 1988 | Glenn Horiuchi | Next Step | AIR 0002 | LP |
| 1988 | Fred Houn, The Asian American Art Ensemble & Kulintang Arts | A Song for Manong | AIR 0003 | LP |
| 1989 | Glenn Horiuchi | Issei Spirit | AIR 0005 | LP |
| 1989 | Glenn Horiuchi | Manzanar Voices | AIR 0006 | LP |
| 1989 | Jon Jang & Pan Asian Arkestra | Never Give Up! | AIR 0007 | LP |
| 1992 | Glenn Horiuchi, Lillian Nakano | Poston Sonata | AIR 0008 | CD |
| 1992 | Mark Izu | Circle of Fire | AIR 0009 | CD |
| 1993 | Hafez Modirzadeh | In Chromodal Discourse | AIR 0012 | CD |
| 1993 | Miya Masaoka | Compositions & Improvisations | AIR 0014 | CD |
References[edit]
- ↑ Sullivan, Denise (May 9, 2021). "Jon Jang composes bittersweet symphonies". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
- ↑ Kajikawa, Loren (2012). "Asian Improv Records". Grove Music Online. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.A2227353. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
- ↑ Wong, Deborah Anne (2004). Speak it louder : Asian Americans making music. New York: Routledge. pp. 172–193. ISBN 0-203-49727-9. OCLC 57595283. Search this book on
- ↑ Kajikawa, Loren (2012-06-01), Garrett, Charles Hiroshi; Goldmark, Daniel, eds., "The Sound of Struggle", Jazz/Not Jazz, University of California Press, pp. 190–216, doi:10.1525/california/9780520271036.003.0010, ISBN 978-0-520-27103-6, retrieved 2021-05-07
- ↑ "Turning 30, Asian-American arts nonprofit prepares for its busiest season yet". NBC News. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
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