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Before Dawn - Jazz Debut Album

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1. Little B’s Poem 7.07

2. Blue Moon 8.06

3. Momentarily 5.58

4. Before Dawn 7.03

5. Morning Star 8.16

6. While We’re Young 6.20

7. Stranger in Moscow 6.50

Total time: 49.45

Francis Hon (Piano), Jeong Hwan Park (Bass), Billy Drummond (Drums)

Focusing on the exploration of harmony and waltz, this jazz trio debut album reviews the music journey of a Taiwanese pianist, as the echo from his past including Michael Jackson, Yanni, Joe Hisaishi, Dario Marianelli, and Bill Evans.

Release Date: March 9th, 2018

Produced by FRANCIS HON

Recorded by Tom Tedesco at Tedesco Studios, Paramus NJ, Jan. 26th, 2017 (Track 1-4, 6-7); Greg Hanson at Dolan Studio, New York NY, Jan. 30th, 2017 (Track 5).

Mixed and Edited by Michael Kim, New York NY, Feb. 16th and Mar. 5th, 2017.
Mastered by Mike Marciano at Systems Two Recording Studio, Brooklyn NY, Oct. 2nd, 2017.

Photography by Josh Goleman
Design by Xi Lu

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Dusk - Classical Album

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Henri Dutilleux

1. Sonate pour Piano: I. Allegro con moto 7.04
2. Sonate pour Piano: II. Lied 5.26
3. Sonate pour Piano: III. Choral et Variations 11.17

Johann Sebastian Bach

4. The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I: Prelude and Fugue No. 3 in C-Sharp Major, BWV 848 3.35

Franz Liszt

5. Après une Lecture de Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata 17.01

Ludwig van Beethoven

6. Piano Sonata No. 4 in E-flat Major, Op. 7: I. Allegro molto e con brio 5.44
7. Piano Sonata No. 4 in E-flat Major, Op. 7: II. Largo, con gran espressione 7.31
8. Piano Sonata No. 4 in E-flat Major, Op. 7: III. Allegro 3.26
9. Piano Sonata No. 4 in E-flat Major, Op. 7: IV. Rondo: Poco allegretto e grazioso 5.57

Alexander Scriabin

10. Piano Sonata No. 2 in G-sharp Minor, Op. 19 “Sonata-Fantasy”: I. Andante 6.59
11. Piano Sonata No. 2 in G-sharp Minor, Op. 19 “Sonata-Fantasy”: II. Presto 3.50

William Bolcom

12. Twelve New Etudes for Piano, Book II: Butterflies, Hummingbirds 1.59

Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes

As a jazz pianist from a long term classical music background, I’ve always felt a strong root of classical music not only in performing practice but also the perspective of jazz improvisation. Now both music genres fulfill each other when I interpret the music, even though they were in a huge conflict in my early years of music study.

When studying these repertoire initially, I was a pure classical pianist knowing nothing about jazz. Then after switching to jazz and diving into the genre with improvisation for years, I felt liberated from the existing approaches and thoughts I knew when practicing solely classical music. This evolution enabled me to have a deeper understanding of classical music and appreciate it in a totally different perspective. Last year because of the pandemic, I had an opportunity and extra time to revisit these piano compositions. Interesting enough because of jazz influence, I was able to feel these old repertoire in a brand new way including phrasing, timing, harmony, color, and so much more. That became the reason for this album, so does the title “Dusk.”

It is in the dusk that everything in a day is concluded and transformed into the night. I love the beauty of this transition just like the dawn but in an opposite way. Standing on the crossroad and we can see the color overlap and eventually blend, same for the sound and music as I heard the classical and jazz crossing each other in this album. Every composition is interpreted in the classical way but with a jazz heart in the ears because jazz taught me another side of beauty in classical music.

Release Date: July 9th, 2021

All piano compositions performed by Francis Hon
Recorded at AMStudio (Track 1-9); Ja Wei Audio (Track 10-12), Taipei, Taiwan.
Mastered by Michael Kim, Austin, Texas.

Photography by Josh Goleman
Design by Francis Hon

World Jazz Quintet - From QPAC Theatre

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1. Astor Place 7.43

2. Spring Breeze 望春風 7.48

3. Soul Shadows 7.45

4. Ultimo fin de Samana 9.17

5. One's Way Back 귀로 7.43

6. Memory Games 5.57

7. Little Niles 5.20

Total time: 51.34

World Jazz Quintet, led by five creative musicians in New York’s jazz scene, perform a variety of works representing the rich cultural and artistic diversity heard in contemporary jazz styles today. The program includes standard jazz selections and original works as well as elements of Asian traditional folk music, American and Asian pop styles, and other influences representing improvisational musical traditions from around the world.

Recorded live at Queensborough Performing Arts Center Theatre
Bayside, New York, Oct. 18th, 2017.

Scott Litroff - Alto Sax
David Ullmann - Guitar
Francis Hon - Piano
Jeong Hwan Park - Bass
Daisuke Konno - Drums

Track 1 and 6 composed by David Ullmann; Track 2 by Yu-Hsien Deng; Track 3 by Joe Sample; Track 4 by Jeong Hwan Park; Track 5 by Seon Ju Park; and Track 7 by Randy Weston.

Recorded by Robert Anderson
Mixed and Edited by Michael Kim
Design by Francis Hon