Yooni, Money, Music, Art
October 25 2009

Incredible music. So what.

Moving. Big deal.

Deeply artistic. Ho hum.

Brilliant. Give me a break.

Entertaining! Entertain this!

Why would great music, doubling as joyous art, and tripling as fun, not attract the masses? Why do thousands pay hundreds to see U2's plain old rock, while but a few pay $10 for one-of-a-kind creativity?

Why does every music-loving human not rush to hear the astonishing vocalist Yoon Sun Choi?

The Pianobabbler first heard Yooni, as we call her, in the late 90's. Reaction: whoooomf at first hear. Chops. Tone. Feel. Time. Smarts. Range. She had it all. And still does.

Over the years, the Pianobabbler got to accompany Yooni a few times. Always jazz standards. She can sing them with the best, and better than most.

Yooni then moved to New York. In the intervening years, the Pianobabbler had few chances to hear her.

Last year Yooni released her recording Imagination. The CD features Yooni and her frequent collaborator, pianist Jacob Sacks, playing the music of Joe Raposo. If you don't recognize the name, you'd recognize Raposo's songs. He wrote songs made famous by the Muppets: It Ain't Easy Being Green, Sing, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and many more.

Last Thursday, Yooni and Jacob performed songs from Imagination. Drummer Vinnie Sperrazza joined them for one set. The Pianobabbler had the good fortune to attend.

Once again: whoooomf.

I am hard pressed to describe the wonder of the music. We talk about playing and instrument. Yooni played the songs. Singing, stretching, pleeping, be-dee-be-deeping, scatting, whooping, recounting, meep-meeping, all of these, and much more. She never sang the song straight through. She interpreted it, emphasis on in, so deeply did she enter the soul of each tune.

Surely only a handful of people in the world can sing with such skill, depth, bravura, and fun. Beyond that, though, the uniqueness of the music, its magic, its virtuous entertainment, and entertaining virtuosity left the Pianobabbler grateful for the art. Happy he had come. Happy. and in awe.

Jacob Saks brought forth rich sounds and ideas from the piano, hand-crafted to match Yooni's creations. Vinnie Sperrazza added music, and not mere drumming, to the mix.

The evening blended art, fun, body and soul into one. A rare artistic achievement.

Why, though, did the audience number only about 30? Did the idea of jazz, or freely interpretive jazz keep others away? Did the fact Yooni was performing in a new music space set of alarm bells, and repulsion force fields?

What a shame. Many people complain about the staleness of pop music. Time for something new, they say. Something better.

Well, sisters and brothers, something new has arrived. Yooni. New and better.

I can't imagine Yooni made more money that night than the price of two of those U2 tickets. But she and her colleagues did make imprint on the soul of music, on the mind of art. And they did make the Pianobabbler the happier and better for having heard them.

If only Yooni would come home to play some standards together again.

- Yoon Sun Choi's website

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