Great Integration: A Chamber Hip-Hop Opera
Great Integration (ft. Kirby Dominant) incorporates elements from hip-hop and classical, creating a unique hybrid that is in the spirit of Gershwin and Piazzolla, both of whom pushed and blurred the boundaries of vernacular and art music.
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Reviews
“ …Great Integration lives up to its name, drawing influences from classical to hip-hop, Taoism to the Mayan calendar.”
-Mary Eisenhart, SF Chronicle
“Great Integration... breaks established boundaries between genres and styles…”
-Jason Victor Serinus, SF Examiner
“… This "great integration" works surprisingly (perhaps even shockingly) well. Ensemble Mik Nawooj sounds like something Wu-Tang Clan producer The RZA might conjure up if he got his hands on the Kronos Quartet:… When the Wu-Tang entered the 36 Chambers, they probably didn't expect an actual chamber music ensemble to be behind door 35. But who ever said hip-hop had to use two turntables and a microphone?”
- J. Graham, SF Weekly
“ By calling Great Integration-an allegory about the end of times- a hip-hop opera… composer-pianist JooWan Kim maybe on to something.”
-Rita Felciano, SF Bay Guardian
“… JooWan Kim envisions a musical landscape that defies such categories as jazz, classical, and hip-hop.”
- Brenda Payton, Oakland Tribune
“… what they have achieved (and I’m still trying to wrap my brain around) is an apocalyptic, mystical, mold breaking, saga… yo this ain’t any ol’ Star Wars or Lord of Ring epic saga…”
-Mama FeelGood, Pirate Cat Radio
“… The most ambitious is “Great Integration: A Chamber Hip-Hop Opera,” a millennial allegory with a Black Swordsman… set to the rapping of MC Kirby Dominant over JooWan Kim’s moody piano score.”
-The New Yorker
“... nobody has ever attempted anything like this on such a large scale, or with such sophistication… it's composers like Elvis Costello and JooWan Kim that are the true crossover artists, merging existing styles into something new and exciting that hasn't been done before…”
-Rik Malone, KQED (NPR)
“… the blend of influences is so wonderfully integrated that one would be hard pressed to say which dominates… overall perception was one of a composer and ensemble destined for greatness.”
-Mark Alburger, 21st Century Music
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