Ensemble-Workshop mit yonglee & the DOLTANG

DOLTANG is a music collective consisting of five musicians who stand out in the Korean jazz scene, led by pianist Yonglee, Lee Youngwoo, Kang Hwansu, and Seok Dayeon. Encompassing progressive rock, jazz, and free improvisation, they articulate the spirit of the times based on an ontological quest on the complex desires of modern Korean society and a satirical depiction of the absurdity felt as young artists.

“In the current Korean jazz scene, they are the team that best demonstrates how the ambivalence, complexity, and diversity that make up music impress us”. They differentiate themselves from other teams with expanded improvisation concepts and a variety of sounds encompassing electronic instruments and acoustics.
Their music does not miss either the intellectual or emotional aspects, and gives sufficient alternatives to the question, "How should Korea respond to the global trend of localization of jazz?" The structural beauty of multiple layers of rhythms (complexity) carefully woven beneath singable melodies (simplicity), and the improvisation that reveals creativity and emotions without filtering overwhelm the audience.
DOLTANG has performed at Jazzahead!(DE), Ulsan Jazz Festival(KR), and Opus jazz club at the BMC(HU). Their album “Surface of Time” has been selected the best album of 2022 from South Korean jazz magazine “MM Jazz”.

For this specific event, award winning vocalist Song Yi Jeon will replace the guitarist.

Yonglee and his band DOLTANG recorded Surface of Time and released in Dec. 2021. Currently they are working on another recording called Invisible Worker, which will be released early 2024.

Band Lineup:

Yonglee, compositions/piano/e.p.
A pianist/composer based in Seoul, is speaking his own voice of contemporaniety through the piano by rendering a compound of various modern musical elements based on improvised music. Yonglee released two collections of works <Touch> and <Surface of Time>, has received the notable attentions from critics, which includes introduction in “Best Korean best jazz album of 2022”, from MM Jazz, Korean jazz mag. He also continuously performed on stage since his time in the U.S., where he studied and lived for 2 more years after graduating, and very actively nowadays as well. Stages including Jarasum Jazz Festival, Ulsan Jazz Festival, and the Jazz Gallery (NY).

• Berklee College of Music (BA)
• New England Conservatory (MA)
• Performances; Jazzahead(DE), BMC Opus Jazz Club(HU), Jazz Gallery(US), Smalls(US), Jarasum Jazz Festival(KR), Ulsan Jazz Festival(KR), International Sori Festival(KR), etc.
• Awards; Creativity Grant (Seoul Cultural Foundation), Best Album of the Year 2022 (MM Jazz magazine)

Youngwoo Lee, synth/electronics

• Conservatory of Amsterdam (BA, MA)
• Performances; Sunmi Hong Quartet European Tour, Bimhaus (NL), North Sea Jazz Festival (NL), Jarasum Jazz Festival (KR)

Hwansu Kang, bass

• New School for Contemporary Music and Jazz (BA)
• Manhattan School of Music (MA)
• Performances; Jazz Gallery(US), Billy Harper Quartet(US), Jarasum Jazz Festival(KR), National Theater(KR), etc
• Awards; Rising Stars of Korean jazz 2021 (Jazz People magazine), Best Album of the year 2021 (MM jazz magazine)

Dayeon Seok, drums

• Berklee College of Music (BA)
• New York University (MA)
• Performances; Dave Douglas & Elan Mehler Project, Seoul Jazz Festival (KR), Timo Vollbrecht European Tour, Jarasum Jazz Festival (KR)

Song Yi Jeon, vocals

• Berklee College of Music (BA)
• FOCUSYEAR
• Performances; Blue Note New York, Jazz Gallery (US), Bird's eye (CH), Bimhaus (NL), Jarasum Jazz Festival (KR), etc
• Awards; Music Protégé by Rolex Arts Initiative

Official Website yonglee | Pianist/Composer 
yonglee 용리 on YouTube