Giant Step Arts continues Modern Masters and New Horizons series with the second album as a leader by vibraphonist Chien Chien Lu
Built In System (Live from New York), due out October 6, 2023, features Lu's band with trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, bassist Richie Goods and drummer Allan Mednard
“10 Emerging Jazz Artists To Watch in 2023” – Morgan Enos, Grammy.com
“A soulful modernist on the rise” – Dan Bilawsky, AllAboutJazz.com
The vibraphone has been the hip instrument in jazz for the past few years and one reason is the work of Chien Chien Lu. After a self-released debut in 2020, Lu joins the Giant Step Arts roster with Built In System (Live from New York), recorded at Hunter College's Ida K. Lang Hall as part of Giant Step Arts' Open Recording Session/Concert series.
Built In System (Live from New York) is a triply stirring showcase for Lu: as a composer of all eight tracks, as a player of unique influences and gifts, and as an assured bandleader of a group of highly regarded veterans.
Born in Taiwan, Lu studied classical percussion before coming to Philadelphia's University of the Arts in 2015 to study jazz vibraphone and graduate with a Master of Music in Jazz Studies. It was in 2017 at the Banff Jazz Residency in Canada that she met faculty member Jeremy Pelt, who was so impressed he invited Lu to be part of his working band and play on three of his recordings. He, bassist Richie Goods and drummer Allan Mednard—all also appearing on Lu's debut—have forged a tight musical bond with her, evident in the wonderful interplay throughout Built In System (Live from New York). Of particular note is the camaraderie between Lu and Goods, who separately have a duet project, and the way Pelt and Pelt and Lu have developed from mentor and mentee to equal partners.
Lu composed all the music, which she says comes from "three central themes...fate—what happens to us is predetermined and we are meant to cross paths with certain people and experience certain things; relocating to new communities—an incredibly enriching experience, as it exposes us to new ideas, customs and ways of life; and the importance of cultural inheritance—that our unique perspectives are not lost in the ever-changing world. I refer to them as my built-in system, and I often draw ideas from these themes when I create and play music."
These themes are clearly heard on Built In System (Live from New York)'s compositions, from the buoyantly complex opener "Boulanger's Variation" and folksy dance of "Hsiu Chin" to the retro-cool of "Special Things" and limpid beauty of the closing "Full Moonlight," one of two trio tracks on the album. Lu draws equally on her classical study and jazz training to be both a compelling soloist and highly personal accompanist, at times functioning like a guitarist or pianist in her approach. The other trio track, the album’s shortest piece, is a highlight. "Percussion Song (The Wheel of Fate)" is an absorbing mix of textures reveling in dark hues and shifting shadows.
That all these songs were written for this project and debuted in a concert setting speaks to Lu's systemic yet flexible approach and how all four musicians have grown together as a unit.
© Jimmy Katz
Built In System (Live from New York) is the second entry in Giant Step’s new series Modern Masters and New Horizons. Specially curated by trumpeter Jason Palmer and drummer Nasheet Waits, the series features artists who have helped shape the modern jazz landscape along with rising voices doing the same for the next generation. Artists currently slated to contribute include Waits, saxophonists Ben Solomon, Neta Raanan and Michael Thomas, drummer Eric McPherson, bassist Edward Perez and trio Tarbaby with Orrin Evans, Eric Revis and Waits.
Giant Step Arts
Founded by Jimmy and Dena Katz in January 2018, Giant Step Arts is an innovative, artist-focused non-profit organization dedicated to commissioning and showcasing the work of some of modern jazz’s most innovative artists. In an era where it is increasingly difficult for musicians to earn a living, Giant Step Arts offers artists the creative and financial resources to create bold music free of commercial pressure and with total control of their artistic projects.
For the musicians it chooses to work with, by invitation only, Giant Step Arts:
• presents premiere performances
• records these performances for independent release
• provides the artists with digital downloads and CDs to sell; artists retain complete ownership of their masters
• provides the artists with photos for promotional use
• provides PR support for the recordings
Katz says: “Giant Step Arts exists to aid musicians in realizing their artistic dreams. It does not sell music and artists retain full rights to their music. We work tirelessly to raise funds with the goal of helping more musicians."
Jimmy Katz
Through his award-winning photography with wife Dena Katz and his esteemed work as a recording engineer, Katz has spent nearly 30 years helping to shape the way audiences see and hear jazz musicians. Katz has been part of more than 600 recording projects—many historic—and has photographed more than 200 magazine covers. Whether taken in the studio, in the clubs, on the streets or in the musicians’ homes, his photographs offer intimate portraits of the artists at work and in repose and capture the collaborative and improvisatory process of jazz itself. Recipient of the Jazz Journalists Association award for jazz photography in both 2006 and 2011, Katz’s work has been exhibited in Germany, Italy and Japan. Among the world-renowned artists he has photographed are Sonny Rollins, Keith Jarrett, Ornette Coleman, Freddie Hubbard, Roy Haynes, Cassandra Wilson, Ray Charles, Dave Brubeck, Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, John Zorn, Pat Metheny, and Dizzy Gillespie. His recording credits include such artists as David S. Ware, Joe Lovano, Harold Mabern, William Parker, Benny Golson, Chris Potter, Mark Turner, George Coleman and Jason Palmer, among others.
Chien Chien Lu – Built In System (Live from New York)
Giant Step Arts – GSA 020 – Recorded January 12, 2023
Release date October 6, 2023
