»NICA exchange« at Cologne Jazzweek: Sun-Mi Hong Quintet ‚Third Page: Resonance‘

The South Korean percussionist Sun-Mi Hong, who lives in the Netherlands, knows how to turn contemplative moments into ecstatic sparks of sound. On the edge of tradition with a joy in the avant-garde, the promising young musicians have grown into a band that knows how to listen to each other and, in well-rehearsed unity, emphasizes the individual strengths of the individual ensemble members without boasting about them. "A Self-Strewn Portrait", the quintet's most recently released album, was awarded the prestigious Dutch music prize Edison Award in 2021, and the jury's statement included the following: "Sun-Mi Hong's compositions are exciting and fascinating because composed and free passages flow seamlessly into one another. Subtle and groping rhythms alternate with driving percussion." Due out in November 2022, "Third Page: Resonance," the new album on Edition Records.

NICA exchange takes place in cooperation of the artist:inside support program NICA artist development and Cologne Jazzweek. The main focus of the concert series, newly initiated in 2022, is to create spaces of exchange for a young, experimental generation of musicians, to encourage sustainable networking and creative exchange, and at the same time, in the context of the festival, to initiate a connection with an audience eager for discovery.