No Myth

Jason Kao Hwang, violin; Taylor Ho Bynum, cornet; Ken Filiano, bass; Andrew Drury, percussion

In “No Myth,” Chinese-American composer/improviser Jason Kao Hwang conjures up the sound world of the erh-hu on an instrument that has much more force—an amplified violin—which allows him to butt heads with three other raucous and relentless improvisors on much louder instruments and not only not get drowned out, but soar. This is music of dramatic intensity, which makes sense coming from this particular free jazzer who has also penned an opera. According to Hwang, each of his compositions is “an architectural narrative providing various stages for musicians to extemporaneously sing their chapter of the story.” Indeed.

—FJO