Contemporary East I & II: DoYeon Kim / Leo Chang & Lesley Mok / Yuko Fujiyama

Pianist Yuko Fujiyama founded Contemporary East in 2022. The new nonprofit organization aims to showcase the beauty of Eastern expression in improvisational music, and provide opportunity for artists of diverse backgrounds across disciplines to converse and create together.

In its first curatorial project, in partnership with the Roulette, the Contemporary East Series returns to Roulette’s stage to present four ensembles across two days featuring projects by Lesley Mok, DoYeon Kim, Leo Chang, and Fujiyama.

The series kicks off with former Roulette Awarded Artist DoYeon Kim, a renowned traditional gayageum player with a uniquely broad approach to music which incorporates Korean music, jazz, and improvisation, among other influences. Former commissioned artist Leo Chang will follow with Young Mong, his project with Alex Zhang Hungtai and Che Chen, whose long form improvisational experiments create a rootless, stateless, and borderless state of mind. Young Mong performed at Roulette in June of 2024 with Tashi Dorji for Chang’s commission. Chang lived as an expat in Singapore, Taipei, and Shanghai and moved to the United States in 2011.

Set 1: DoYeon Kim Quintet
DoYeon Kim gayageum, vocal, percussion and composition
Peter Evans trumpet
Matt Mitchell piano
Sam Minaie bass
Tomas Fujiwara drums

Set 2: Leo Chang
Young Mong
Leo Chang jeonmo (electronic feedback hat), amplified gongs, voice, electronics, piri and taepyeongso (double reeds)
Alex Zhang Hungtai electronics, saxophone
Che Chen flute & megaphone, percussion, funnel reed

For night two, drummer Lesley Mok will perform works from her debut record The Living Collection featuring a 10-piece band that crosses musical communities – jazz, concert music, experimental electronics, and beyond. Fujiyama will also perform original compositions and improvisations in collaboration with Mok, flutist Robert Dick and dancer Miki Orihara.

Set 1: Lesley Mok The Living Collection
Lesley Mok composition, drums, percussion
David Leon flute & saxophone
Yuma Uesaka clarinet & saxophone
Milena Casado trumpet & flugelhorn
Kalun Leung trombone
Ledah Finck violin & viola
Lester St. Louis cello
Dorian Duke bass & electronics
Elias Stemeseder piano & keys

Set 2: Fujiyama Duos
Yuko Fujiyama piano
Miki Orihara dance
Lesley Mok drums
Robert Dick flute