ARTIST: Noreum Machi
COUNTRY: South Korea
GENRE: Samul Nori, Korean traditional percussion music, new wave traditional Korean music
MORE ABOUT: Noreum Machi consists of young musicians specializing in a genre of Korean traditional music that originated from the local farming culture and shamanistic ritual background. Kim Juhong and Noreummachi pursues the depth of tradition, yet reinterprets it from their point of view on stage. With its consistent interaction with local Korean and musicians abroad, Kim Juhong and Noreummachi, is a professional performing arts company that continues to bring shows for those from various backgrounds to enjoy. Since its foundation in 1993, Noreum Machi has been trying to re-discover its traditional music that suits our time by communicating with various artists around the world. The name “Noreum Machi” comes from the jargon of Korean minstrels, a combination of skill and timing attained only by the best players. In competition amongst minstrels “Noreum Machi” would refer to the player so skilled that no one would dare follow. In other words the best! Noreum Machi, which is known for its artistic performances and creative activities, invites you to the original soulful rhythm and sounds on the lively stage.
Noreum Machi is a captivating new group from Korea that performs the virtuosic percussion music known as samulnori. First introduced to the West in the late 1970s by the legendary ensemble Samul-Nori, this exciting music had a huge effect in galvanizing the student movement in Korea and reengaging Koreans with their traditions. Samulnori is a modernized staged adaptation of p’ungmul nori, a ritualistic celebratory event with origins in shamanism and animism performed by rice farmers and professional musicians at harvest festivals. Noreum Machi’s colorful program includes spectacular percussion dialogues, shamanic chants, and acrobatic dances.
P’ungmul nori represents the soul of Korea. Whereas court music died out for the most part with the end of dynastic rule in the early 20th century, p’ungmul nori, a folk medium, was maintained in the villages and rural areas. After the 1961 military coup and throughout the latter half of the 20th century, students throughout Korea employed p’ungmul nori as a medium to empower the masses and demonstrate against the authoritarian government.
Until Samul-Nori’s first U.S. tour in 1983, Korean music was performed only to diehard aficionados; it was considered far too esoteric for Western ears. Even in Korea, traditional music was fast fading in the wake of the onslaught of Western music – both pop and classical. Samul-Nori, with its emphasis on percussion, dramatically changed the way that Korean music had been perceived both in the West and by young Koreans; here was a music that was easily accessible and seemed to speak a far more universal language.
Noreum Machi essentially continues and expands the journey that Samul Nori began. The group was founded in 1994 by Kim Juhong, a graduate of the Korean Traditional University who studied singing, shaman rhythms, and pansori (traditional storytelling/vocal music) with masters of these various genres, including Kim Duk Soo, one of the original members of Samul-Nori. While steeped in the tradition of p’ungmul nori and its derivative samulnori, Noreum Machi has reached out to embrace outside elements and improvisation is a key element of their performance.
THE INSTRUMENTS:
The core instruments used are the janggo, an hourglass-shaped double headed drum that could be considered the national instrument of Korea since it is used in all forms of Korean music; the buk, a double-headed barrel drum; the kkwaenggwari, a small gong originally used in the royal ancestral shrine music; and the jing, a large gong. Other instruments used selectively are the piri, a small eight holed high-pitched oboe; the taepyongso, a conical oboe; and the bara, brass cymbals used in Buddhist and shaman ritual music.
MUSICIANS AND INSTRUMENTS:
- Kim Ju-hong: Janggu, Kkwaenggwari, Jing, vocal
- Lee Ho-won: Janggu, Kkwaenggwari, Jing, chorus
- Oh Hyun-ju: Janggu, Kkwaenggwari, Jing, chorus
- Kim Jong Myung: Janggu, Kkwaenggwari, Jing, chorus
- Lee Jae Hyup: Piri, Taepyongso, chorus
SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY:
- “Kim Ju Hong – Noreum Machi” (2007)
SELECTED VIDEOS:
SELECTED PRESS REVIEWS AND QUOTES:
“A spellbinding show of dancing and drumming” (NY Daily News)
“I highly recommend this group, they were an absolute hit at our festival and perform a style of music called Samul Nori, which combines dance and percussion. Although this is a very traditional form of Korean music, this group has managed to contemporize it in such a manner to maintain the traditional framework and yet make it fresh. They are excellent musicians, they represent their country and music style extremely well, and they are very colourful and exciting!” (Randy Raine-Reusch, Rainforest World Music Festival)
“Spectacular percussion dialogues, shamanic chants and acrobatic dances! Noreum Machi is a captivating group that performs the virtuosic percussion, vocal and dance tradition. I knew Noreum Machi’s blending of the traditional with contemporary and the group’s commitment to touring and reaching new audiences made this group an easy choice.” (Isabel Soffer, World Music Institute)
“With a colorful programme of spectacular percussion performance, haunting shamanic chants and entrancing acrobatic dances, Noreum Machi really took the stage by storm. With vibrant skills and positive outlook, Noreum Machi is surely all set to rock the world music stage.” (Antonia Chiam, Eastern Times)
SELECTED PERFORMANCES:
- Ulsan World Music Festival, Korea (2010)
- Das Sommer Musik Fest, Germany (2010)
- Esplanade, Singapore (2010)
- Australasian World Music Expo, Australia (2009)
- Das Sommer Musik Fest, Germany (2009)
- Rainforest World Music Festival, Malaysia (2009)
SONGS:
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