|
|
Francis Wong Biography: Saxophonist/flutist Francis Wong has been a part of almost every major development in Asian American Creative Music in the last 10 years, beginning with his debut on pianist Jon Jang's groundbreaking recording Are You Chinese or Charlie Chan? (1984). He has performed throughout the US, Canada, Hong Kong and Europe. His work is well documented, having been part of 18 creative music recordings including those by Jang, LA based pianist Glenn Horiuchi, NY saxophonist Fred Ho and his own group, The Great Wall.As a charter member of Jang's Pan Asian Arkestra and Mark Izu's ensembles, he has participated in seminal collaborations between jazz and taiko (Japanese drums) and jazz and Chinese traditional instruments. He has been a student of both Chinese and Japanese traditional music, including being a founding member of the San Francisco Gagaku Society. As a saxophonist, he is recognized as carrying on the legacy of that instrument in American music, owing a particular debt to the work of John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and the contemporary master, David Murray. In addition to the African American masters, he is inspired by the late Native American saxophonist Jim Pepper and the respected Persian American saxophonist and scholar Hafez Modirzadeh. San Francisco Examiner critic Philip Elwood has named Wong "...among the great saxophonists of his generation." As a leader and artistic voice in his own right, Wong has founded the ensembles Great Wall, the eight member Asian Improv aRts Composers Workshop (AirShop) and a new trio Ming ("light"). He has been involved in numerous interdisciplinary collaborations with poet/performer Genny Lim, choreographer/performance artist Sachiko Nakamura, numerous CAC Roster artists/ensembles, including The World of Tales (A Theater for,Young Audiences) and the San Francisco Mime Troupe. He is a respected teacher and community leader, being awarded grants from the CAC Artist in Residency program for the years 1992-93, 1993-94 and 1994-95. He is presently a recipient of the Rockefeller Foundations "next generation leader" and a Meet the Composer Artist in residence grant which he shares with Jon Jang at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center. CDs on which Francis Wong appears:
|