Improvisation adds a modern twist to ancient tunes
About two decades ago, Ye Yunchuan traveled to China’s western Gansu province to see the famous Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang.
The Chengdu-born and Beijingbased music producer returned home with more than just a camera full of photos — he also gained an inspiration to create a Dunhuang-themed album.
Featuring seven young Chinese female folk musicians — Zhao Xiaoxia (guqin), Yang Xue (erhu), Su Chang (guzheng), Yu Yuanchun
(pipa), Li Juan (flute and xiao), Di Lin (ruan) and Ma Rui (percussion) — this album will finally be released on June 6.
Titled Moonlight Glow Over Dunhuang, the album comprises 10 musical pieces created based on music scores that date back thousands of years. What makes the album unique, Ye says, is that the seven musicians improvised in the recording room like a group of jazz musicians jamming together.
“We brainstorm and inspire one another, which is rarely done in traditional Chinese folk music,” says Ye, who also plays percussion in the album.
“We have similar musical backgrounds and have known each other for more than 10 years. So our cooperation was very smooth and natural. This album takes the audience back to the Dunhuang from thousands of years ago with some fresh beats,” says guqin player Zhao.
“Many musicians from ancient China played the guqin without scores. Improvisation has always been important in the development of the guqin,” adds Zhao, 35, an associate professor at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.
Unlike Western music, which has strong beats, melody is an essential part of Chinese music, says Ye, who is renowned for his creations that fuse musical elements from the East and the West. Ye moved from his hometown in Chengdu to Beijing 17 years ago and started his company, Rhymoi Music, in 2003. The company has released about 65 albums in 15 years.
Besides music awards in China, Ye’s creations have also won international acclaim. His 2009 album Masterpieces of the Chinese Qin from the
Tang Dynasty to Today, which was performed by guqin player Zhao Jiazhen, won the Best Traditional Music Album at the 2011 Independent Music Awards.
One of his latest albums is When the Blues Meet Chinese Folk Music released in 2017. Musicians from 10 countries, including Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist Russell Ferrante, performed a variety of Chinese folk songs for the album. The songs include Just Past
Sunset of Guangxi and Sheep Belly Headband with Three Blue Stripes from Shaanxi province.
“The most challenging aspect of making the album was finding ways to have the Chinese material feel natural and organic in a jazz and blues context. Some elements we had to work with were really quite uncharacteristic of the styles we were attempting to merge them with. It was a fun challenge,” says Los Angeles-based pianist and composer Ross Garren, who helped rearrange songs for the album.
“This is the first time I’ve worked with Chinese folk music and I really enjoyed exploring this rich tradition.”
For Ye, a self-taught musician who divides his days between traveling alone and making music, the process of releasing each album starts with his random ideas which he calls “crazy”.
Last year, Ye went to Boston and met suona player Guo Yazhi, who studied at the Berklee College of Music, before initiating the idea of combining Chinese wind instruments with organ music. The result was an album titled Endless Journey which gathered musicians from countries including China, Israel, Turkey and the United States.
Released in last November, the album was recorded at the Methuen Memorial Music Hall in the US state of Massachusetts.
According to Ye, the organ in the Methuen Memorial Music Hall is considered the first concert organ in the US. Built in Germany by E.F. Walcker and Company, it arrived in the US in 1863.
“We recorded the album for three days, eight hours a day. I didn’t feel exhausted because when the sounds of the organ and my instrument worked together, it was magical,” says Guo, adding that he shares Ye’s ambition of popularizing Chinese music worldwide.
We brainstorm and inspire one another, which is rarely done in traditional Chinese folk music.”
Ye Yunchuan Music producer of the album Moonlight Glow Over Dunhuang