RICEMEGATRON EXPERT: KOREAN SCREEN INSIGHTS: Excerpts from the History of Korean Popular Music [8]

Meanwhile, Jazz Plays Softly: The Korean Jazz Band (Part I)

The Korean Jazz Band, c. 1928 (Public Domain)

The history of the development of jazz can be traced back through the 19th-century history of the United States. The urban hubs of various regions mark the birthplaces of specific musical genres. Black slaves, primarily trafficked from West Africa, brought with them their own folk music, the blues, and numerous musical characteristics that defined their traditional music: work songs, hollers, call-and-response singing, blue note scales, rhythms, and more. Increasingly, many learned to play the instruments of white people—initially as a means of lampooning slave owners—but musical interactions were inevitable, and urbanization favored the emergence of unique musical styles. Inspired by military bands, brass instruments became the foundation of jazz, and under Latin American influence, percussion instruments were added, with New Orleans becoming the center of Dixieland music.

Black musicians, who initially acquired their musical knowledge through self-teaching, eventually gained access to classical European musical training; thus, folk-based ragtime already bore the characteristics of both musical worlds. Despite being trained musicians, African American players were excluded from established orchestras in 1890, and the resulting "released musical capacity" further fueled the birth of jazz. Building on similar musical foundations, cities like Charleston, Memphis, Saint Louis, as well as Chicago and New York, became centers of experimentation and development. Everything pointed toward the birth of an improvisational, variation-rich new genre whose name was still evolving: initially jass, it finally became standardized as jazz in the late 1910s.

Most of this music was inseparable from dance, numerous varieties of which were first presented in vaudeville and cabarets. However, especially after the Prohibition era of the 1920s, it quickly moved into the rapidly proliferating illegal dance halls, clubs, and speakeasies. These exciting new sounds captivated white musicians and young white socialites alike. The 1920s and 1930s are often called the Jazz Age, by which time Chicago had become the musical center.

Orchestras transformed: older instruments were replaced—the double bass instead of the tuba, the guitar instead of the banjo—and various saxophones appeared. The marching 2/4 rhythm of military bands gave way to a 4/4 beat, opening the door to an era infused with dance mania: the Swing Era arrived, and with it, the world of big bands. Jazz became a synonym for the modern lifestyle, sophistication, and decadence.

Jazz reached Joseon in the 1920s, meaning there was almost no time lag compared to the processes occurring in its original locations.

Pai Un-soung - Girl in Black Dress, 1930s (Public Domain)

However, an interesting question remains: how did Western music, in general, reach colonial Korea?

Once again, we must first mention the missionaries arriving in the Far East. Through them and the Westerners who followed in their wake, cultural content was showcased and made personally accessible to the locals (for example, Koreans first learned and sang church hymns this way). Interestingly, military relations also played a role in the introduction of Western instruments; the first such instruments arrived from the Russian Empire and later the German Empire as part of military cooperation.

A humorous anecdote has survived regarding this: Joseon and the German Empire signed a treaty of friendship and commerce on November 23, 1883. On this occasion, a German military band arrived aboard the ship SMS Leipzig. The band played at a ceremony in King Gojong’s court, and this was allegedly the first time Koreans heard Western music live. Their reaction was recorded by Rosalie, the wife of Paul Georg von Moellendorff, a foreign affairs advisor to the Joseon government: the guests sat waiting at the set tables because the Korean staff members were so surprised by the music that they forgot to serve the food.

Yet, only a few years later, we see that Emperor Gojong decreed the establishment of the Imperial Korean Military Band in late 1900, which officially began its work in 1901 when sheet music and fifty instruments were brought in from the German Empire, and the German musician Franz Eckert was invited to lead the band.

Although it cannot be fully confirmed, according to the caption, this is a group photo of the military band after a performance held in Tapgol Park on September 7, 1901, on the occasion of Mansuseongjeol (the Emperor's birthday). Bandmasters Franz Eckert and Kim Hak-su are visible in the center.
(Public Domain)

It is likely that the first instruments necessary for playing jazz (e.g., saxophones) arrived with this contingent, and it was in this band that the first Koreans learned to play them. Baek Woo-yong was appointed as the band’s second conductor.

Baek Woo-yong (1883-1930)

Baek Woo-yong (Public Domain)

Baek Woo-yong studied the clarinet. He enrolled in the Hanseong Deok German-language military school and then entered the Military Academy, where he became an infantry lieutenant. Meanwhile, he studied Western music under Franz Eckert. Between 1904 and 1907, he rose through the conducting ranks, but the band was unexpectedly disbanded. Afterward, he became the leader of a Western-style band operating under the General Staff of the Imperial Court. However, with the loss of independent statehood, the Japanese government finally disbanded this orchestra as well in 1915. He worked closely with the institution called Yi Wangjik Aakbu (the direct institutional ancestor of today’s National Gugak Center), which did much to preserve traditional Korean music during the colonial period; Baek's task was to transcribe aak (court and ritual music) into five-line staff notation. Some references suggest he also learned to play the saxophone, making him one of the first Korean saxophonists. In 1927, at the request of the Dansungsa Cinema, he formed an orchestra from former military musicians to accompany silent films—meaning these musicians had to be proficient in various genres, and it is likely they were inspired by jazz.

The process described above also highlights where the sudden influx of trained musicians, whom we see appearing in the entertainment industry during the colonial period, actually came from. During the Joseon dynasty, the "cream" of musicians belonged to the Jangakwon (장악원), an institution of the royal court that existed for 427 years and was responsible for all musical activities, from the training of musicians to performances at court ceremonies. In 1895, the institution was transferred from the Ministry of Rites to the Ministry of the Royal Household, and upon the proclamation of the Korean Empire in 1897, its name was changed to Gyobangsa (교방사). In 1907, it was renamed once again, becoming Jangakwa (장악과), while its staff numbers were drastically reduced.

Court musicians could only occupy the lower (6th to 9th) ranks of the official hierarchy, and their obligations were strictly regulated. After the annexation, however, the Jangakwon was abolished, and the musicians were disbanded. During the institution's heyday, more than a thousand musicians belonged to it; toward the end of the empire, during reorganizations, their number was first reduced to 782, and then to 305. Once their obligations disappeared along with their status, these highly trained musicians partly joined private institutions aimed at preserving traditional music, and partly found employment in the entertainment industry.

As can also be seen in the drama scenes shown in the first part, people in the meantime could experience Western dances, music, forms of entertainment, and customs. They could see travelogues (a genre that was also an invention of the era), and it has already been mentioned that the gramophone records sold in Joseon themselves were made by traveling an international route (recording in Japan, pressing in the USA, distribution in Joseon).

The "shrinking" of the world actually began as early as the beginning of the 19th century; with the explosive development of transportation, even the most remote regions became accessible—not only for adventurous explorers, but slowly for commoners as well. The wealthier, but mostly those whose business or professional interests required it, could already personally gain insight into the lives of other countries, and thus into their cultural customs. Personal souvenirs and commercial items changed locations, including sheet music, phonograph records, and musical instruments affecting the music industry. In parallel, contemporaries could experience another phenomenon never seen before: news and information were no longer merely the privileges of the socio-economic elite. Following the birth of the telegraph, technology made it possible to lay cables connecting continents; thus, the press was able to obtain and transmit news increasingly faster, even between continents. Soon, first local and then international news agencies were established. Radio broadcasting developed, and from the perspective of our topic, all this meant that everyone could be informed about the affairs of the world without a significant phase lag, and as a result, global mass cultural trends could already emerge.

It may have been the influence of the two great world expositions held there (1889 and 1900) that Paris appeared in Japanese and Korean advertisements as the center of the modern world, as the stronghold of the entertainment industry, and the home of fashion and jazz. This plays an important role in that during the Great Depression, many musicians from the USA toured in Europe, which helped, for example, swing become a global trend. But we are not yet at that time; for now, the only question is how Koreans became acquainted with jazz music. Along with the options above, the simplest answer is that it was through the Japanese, which is roughly true. However, how the path of jazz led to the Japanese is a story that is perhaps unknown to many.

“Crickett Smith’s Plantation Quartet” — Teddy Weatherford, Rudy Jackson, and Roy Butler.
Naresh Fernandes, Taj Mahal Foxtrot: The Story of Bombay's Jazz Age, Roli Books, 2012.

The spread of jazz in Asia occurred primarily through a network of port cities for passenger ships (Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi, Goa, Manila, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Batavia, Surabaya, several Chinese and Japanese cities, etc.). In all of these places, hotels equipped with stages and ballrooms were built, making them suitable for staging Western entertainment shows as well as hosting dance nights. African American jazz musicians became highly sought after, and their emigration to the region began. However, there were other actors who contributed to the spread of jazz: to understand this, a brief detour must be made to the Philippines, which was initially a colony of the Spanish who arrived in the wake of Magellan. However, the Spanish-American War that broke out in 1898 rearranged the map of colonies, and from 1901, the Philippines came under the control of the victorious Americans, although for a long time this could only be enforced through continuous warfare with resistors. Nevertheless, during this period, the Philippines became the American musical stronghold of the region. The Americans who arrived there delivered the current trends of jazz firsthand, and the Filipino populations living in America did the same. Filipino musicians not infrequently learned to play music in the USA, and due to direct musical contact, they became highly trained musicians in the region. At the same time, as indigenous people, they faced severe discrimination, which not infrequently resulted in them fleeing and settling in other Asian countries.

Filipino swing musicians in India in the 1930s
Naresh Fernandes:

The forgotten story of a Filipino swing musician in 1930s India (Quartz, 2012)

The Japanese were particularly receptive, as they needed musicians in their hotels and on their ships, and especially so in their entertainment districts built up after the 1923 Tokyo earthquake, which is why they even recruited musicians. In addition, Shanghai was a major musical center, whose status became a designated foreign trade "treaty port" under the 1842 Treaty of Nanking, and it was full of nightclubs, bars, and dance halls.

Based on the contemporary history of the musical genres examined more closely so far—yuhaengga (early trot), sin minyo (new folk song), manyo (stage song)—it will surely come as a surprise to no one that when speaking of jazz, the very first observation is that we should by no means think of music in today's sense if we encounter this designation in Korean music prior to World War II. The reason is the same as what characterizes other contemporary genres: the simultaneously arriving Japanese and Western musical influences mixed with traditional local music formed, for the time being, only that mixture from which individual genre characteristics would later crystallize. Therefore, one should not be surprised that under the designation of jazz at this time, we can still encounter all Western music that might have sounded exotic to Korean ears, whether it was actually American, European, Latin, or Japanese music of any genre.

Two examples of other genres that can also be found among jazz songs: the first, Lee Nan-young's 1939 recording titled The Blue Dream of a Teahouse (다방의 푸른 꿈) is actually blues. Composer: Kim Hae-song, lyrics: Jo Myeong-am.

The second, Park Dan-ma's 1939 jazz song titled Broken Tape (끊어진 테프) is actually tango. Composer: Jeon Su-rin, lyrics: Kang Young-sook.

The word jazz appeared in the press for the first time in 1926; more precisely, even the transliteration of the word jazz (재즈) was uncertain for a while, and it was also used in the form of jass (쟈스 / 짜스). The term jazz band first appeared in contemporary articles in 1927, and the designation Korean jazz band followed in 1928.

Paul Whiteman’s orchestra played a major role in the general acceptance of jazz in America; his exclusive five-record album was also released in Japan, and through this, in the view of Taylor Atkins, the musical approach represented by Whiteman—which synthesized genres and styles—became defining for Japanese jazz. (Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue was also commissioned by Whiteman.) The Dong-A Ilbo also advertised this album in 1928, which is interesting because the Korean-language advertisement shows that jazz already had a purchasing audience in Joseon beyond the elite at that time.

By the end of the 1920s, jazzy influences had become completely common in the orchestration of songs, and then, following the American trend, the rhythm of swing took over dominance. While in America, swing was the music of energetic revival after the times of the Great Depression and Prohibition, in Joseon, it represented a more complex emotional range: on one hand, it expressed the joyful atmosphere of a modernizing, developing world leaving old times behind, carrying a kind of Western, American "feeling of freedom," yet at the same time, this music also belonged to the oppressors, as it arrived through the mediation of Japanese cultural policy. Because of this, it is ambivalent: uninhibited and modern, but still sounding within an occupied society. This complexity always appears in films and series set in this period of history: we mostly see entertainment venues where the youth of the modern generation mingle in places operated by or also serving the Japanese, making them simultaneously nests for both collaborators and resistance fighters. Swing always evokes a world in which the desire for freedom, secret resistance, and Western influence appear all at once. Just like in the drama Chicago Typewriter, where Lim Soo-jung sings the song La-di-da Wind (날라리 바람), which will be discussed later.

There is also some uncertainty regarding the date of appearance of the first Korean orchestra truly specializing in jazz music, for which the few surviving photographs and newspaper articles, as well as interpretative differences concerning contemporary orchestras, are responsible. It has been mentioned earlier that individual record companies (Columbia, Victor, Okeh, Nippophone, Nitto, Taepyung, etc.) also maintained performing arts ensembles, including orchestras. But movie theaters operated such ensembles as well, see the previously mentioned orchestra established by Baek Woo-yong. For some of them, however, based on the musical instruments visible in the photographs, it is difficult to judge precisely what genre of music they might have played, as some can refer to classical music just as well as to jazz. In newspaper articles, the names (Gyeongseong) Sunshine Jazz Band and Gyeongseong Jazz Band also pop up, but almost nothing can be known about these formations or their connection to the Korean Jazz Band. If a photograph only had "performance of the jazz orchestra, date" written on it, it was difficult to decide which one it could have been.

Therefore, we can encounter two versions regarding the time of birth of the Korean Jazz Band, which is considered the first Korean jazz orchestra. The first is contained in Kim Kyung-ok's novel published in 1964, titled "80 Years of Dawn: The Turbulent History of Modern Korea" (여명 80년: 한국 근대 풍운사), and it is from this that it spread generally—thus we mostly encounter this in encyclopedia entries, newspaper articles, and blogs—that the orchestra was established in 1926. Jang Yu-jeong, a professor at the Faculty of Humanities of Dankook University, however, published a study in 2025 titled "Korean Jazz Band: A Reconsideration of Its Formation Period and the Origins of Korean Jazz" (코리안재즈밴드: 결성 시기의 재검토와 한국 재즈의 기원), in which, supported by logical reasoning and documents, she puts the source materials in order, and as a result of this, it seems realistic that the debut of the first Korean jazz orchestra, the Korean Jazz Band, took place two years later, in 1928. Apart from this, the other elements of the story, which is not without fabulous qualities, are authentic.

The photographs giving cause for misunderstandings: among the images originally dated to 1926, the first and second were taken in the auditorium of Yeonakho (YMCA), and the third at the Gyeongseong Radio Station, which only began its operations in 1927. For the latter two, it is probable that their true date is 1928, and perhaps it is not the final formation of the Korean Jazz Band, but other lineups operating in 1926-27 that are visible in them (the trumpet player here is different from the later ones), although there is almost complete overlap among the musicians. The first image was indeed taken in 1926 and shows the orchestra of Yeonakho, which, despite the saxophone player, does not seem to be a jazz orchestra. And at the concert, they played a march whose original was the composition titled “On the Mall” composed by Edwin Franko Goldman, which is also not a jazz piece, but being Western music, it was also referred to with the collective name of jazz.

A band at Yeonakho [YMCA], (Public Domain)

Perhaps the Korean Jazz Band at the Gyeongseong Radio Station (Public Domain)

From left to right:
Park Geon-won - trombone, Kim Sang-jun - drums, Choi Ho-young - violin, Hong Nan-pa - piano, Hong Jae-yu - banjo, Kim Won-tae - trumpet, Lee Byeong-sam - tuba, Lee Cheol - saxophone,
Baek Myeong-gon - saxophone

Baek Myeong-gon (? - ?)

Thus, jazz reached Joseon by the 1920s, probably from multiple directions, especially from Japan and China, but Shanghai played a special role. The spirit of modern times captivated many young people, among whom was a young man from a highly wealthy merchant family from Jeolla (his father, Baek In-gi's wealth rivaled that of the emperor), who was not interested in taking over the family business, but did not spare money for his hobbies. Baek Myeong-gon was passionate about two things: football and jazz. Neither of these was native to Joseon, but Baek changed the situation.

Baek Myong-gon (Public Domain)

Hardly anything is known about the biographical data of Baek Myong-gon, but it is certain that he was a true "modern boy," an athlete himself, a man who, thanks to his upbringing, was cultured and blessed with artistic sensitivity, and who did not disdain the female sex either. His wealthy background enabled him to act as a patron for his pastimes. First, he created the Joseon Football Team (조선 축구단) (which was the first domestic football team) in such a way that he paid salaries to the players he recruited, while moving them into his estate where they received training. He also took the team to Shanghai to test their skills (according to the first version in 1925, but according to subsequent reviews actually in 1928). Naturally, the team, which was not yet sufficiently prepared, did not achieve success, but this did not discourage Baek. Before heading home, he bought a bunch of jazz sheet music and instruments (banjo, saxophone, trumpet), and then at home, he set about organizing the first domestic jazz orchestra. Baek himself was also a trained musician, allegedly a member of the royal military band. He studied at the Tokyo Music Academy, played the mandolin and cello, and later learned to play the saxophone as well. Under pressure from his father, he went to Germany to study economics at Friedrich Wilhelm University (today's Humboldt University), although this did not last long. Yet even at this time, he was in artistic company, since his companion, Pai Un-soung (1900-1978), who was also supported by Baek In-gi, became Korea's first Western-style painter.

Pai Un-soung - Self Portrait, 1930 (Publid Domain)

Returning home from Shanghai loaded with musical instruments, Baek Myong-gon immediately contacted his old friend, Hong Nan-pa, who, along with his fellow musicians, began practicing on the instruments. Hong Nan-pa was primarily a classical musician; his contact with the genre of jazz seems more like an interesting excursion in terms of his life's work.

Hong Nan-pa (1897-1941)

Hong Nan-pa (Public Domain)

Hong Nan-pa (his real name being Hong Yeong-hu) was a composer, violinist, conductor, music critic, writer, and editor all in one person. As a child, he attended a private school and studied Korean classical music in the meantime. Since he was also baptized following his father, they were in continuous contact with foreign missionaries, so he became acquainted with Western music through the sacred music of his church. As a high school student in 1912, he enrolled in the Joseon Jeongak Training Center, which was the first professional musical institution established in the modern era; here he completed the vocal and then the Western music departments, after which he immediately started teaching at the institution. In 1918, he enrolled in the foundational year of the Tokyo National Music School, during the completion of which he founded and edited the journal Samgwang (삼광 - Three Lights) for Korean music-loving students studying there, which dealt with literature and fine arts in addition to music. Returning to Korea, he became a journalist for the Maeil Shinbo for a year, and performed in concerts in the meantime. His entrance exam to the Tokyo National Music School was unsuccessful in 1920, so he gave music lectures at the faculty of humanities of a local university, and then returned to his homeland in the very same year, where two of his novels were published in serials in the Maeil Shinmun under the titles Vanity (허영) and The Last Handshake (최후의 악수).

He established the private musical organization called Yeonakhoe (Music Study Circle) in September 1922, whose main profile was music education, but it also dealt with organizing concerts and publishing music collections. In April 1925, he launched the first Korean music magazine titled Music World 음악계(音樂界), and in addition to this, he published numerous children's song collections while also giving concerts as a violinist. The following year, he became a violin major student at a private higher education school in Tokyo, while playing in local symphony orchestras and even becoming a first violinist. After this, he continued concertizing in his homeland for two years and became the department head of the music section of the teacher training institution.

I feel that even if it has nothing to do with jazz, it is worth listening to a piece of his written for violin and piano, which was also released on record in 1936. The violin solo became famous under the title Joseoni Lament, and on this recording, he plays it himself. Whatever happened to Hong Nan-pa in the future, I feel that his true soul speaks in this melody.

Hong Nan-pa stayed in the United States from 1931 to 1933, where he obtained his bachelor's degree from the Sherwood Music School in Chicago and joined the Young Korean Academy (Hungsadan, 흥사단) headquartered there. Returning home, in addition to performing his official duties, he founded the Nanpa Trio, the first domestic chamber orchestra, with his nephew Hong Seong-yu and Lee Yeong-se. They operated for four years, which was brought to an end by the early death of Hong Seong-yu. In 1934, Hong became the musical director of the Victor Gramophone Company and taught for a year at the music department of Ewha Womans University.

In 1937, the Sino-Japanese War broke out, and at this time, the Japanese targeted Joseon civil circles to force them into showing loyalty toward them. In the action that became infamous under the name Suyangdongwoohoe Incident, the targeted organization had previously absorbed the Hungsadan, of which Hong was also a member. A total of 181 people were arrested, including Hong Nan-pa, who was brutally tortured during his 72-day detention. Due to the deterioration of his health, he was released in 1938 with a suspended sentence after writing an "Ideological Conversion" statement, and almost immediately appointed as the conductor of the Gyeongseong Central Radio Station orchestra. Still in that year, along with 18 of his companions, he joined a pro-Japanese organization, changed his name to Japanese, and composed numerous pro-Japanese songs. Also in 1938, his book containing anecdotes from the musical world was published, and in 1941, he was elected as a council member of the pro-Japanese Joseon Musical Association.

Due to his activities serving the Japanese, after the liberation, his name was placed on the list of collaborators with the Japanese occupiers, but—as in the case of others—it is still debated to this day to what extent his decision can be considered voluntary or born out of compulsion. What is a sad fact, however, is that he died three years later, at the age of only 44, from the consequences of the torture he suffered.

We left off the story of the formation of Korean jazz where Hong Nan-pa practiced on the instruments brought by Baek Myong-gon with his fellow musicians belonging to the Yeonakhoe, and they decided to found an orchestra, for which they chose an English name: it was named Korean Jazz Band (코리안재즈밴드). According to the news in the Chosun Ilbo, the debut concert was held on April 7, 1928, and the formation, reminiscent of New Orleans bands, could have consisted of 9 members based on the picture published in the article. Most of the time, these names are mentioned in the captions:

Baek Myeong-gon (백명곤) - 1. saxophone and organizer
Choi Ho-young (최호영) - violin
Han Wook-dong (한욱동) - trumpet
Hong Jae-yu (홍재유) - banjo (Hong Nan-pa's cousin)
Hong Nan-pa (홍난파) - piano, violin
Kim Sang-jun (김상준) - drums
Lee Byeong-sam (이병삼) - tuba
Lee Cheol (이철) - 2. saxophone
Park Geon-won (박건원) - trombone

In connection with a regional tour, 14 is written as the number of the arriving performing group. In one of the captions, Kim Won-tae's name appears as a trumpet player, and mention was also made regarding composer Moon Ho-wol that he played in the orchestra, so there were probably more musicians who perhaps took turns at individual performances.

The Korean Jazz Band, c. 1928 (Public Domain)

Information cannot be found about everyone among the members of the orchestra, but independent entries can be read about a few of them on the Korean Wikipedia.

Park Geon-won (1904-1975)

Park Geon-won (Public Domain)

His father, Park Seung-ryong, was a representative of Cheondoism and an independence activist. As a high school student, Park Geon-won participated in the March 1st Movement of 1919. He entered the medical department of Gyeongseong Imperial University (Keijō Imperial University) as a member of its very first incoming class, graduating in 1930. During his university years, as a member of the university orchestra, he co-founded the Korean Jazz Band, playing the trombone. After graduating, he remained at Gyeongseong Imperial University's medical faculty, serving as a surgical assistant and teaching assistant while also conducting anthropological research. He was later appointed head of surgery at the Gangneung Provincial Hospital in Gangwon Province.

He was also an amateur photographer, and his award-winning works were featured in an exhibition in 1936. On September 22, 1938, he discovered a large-scale burial site from the Silla period in Gangneung.

At the end of the colonial period, he was drafted into the Japanese Air Force. After the liberation, he worked at the Joseon Bank, while participating in the work of the American military government. He was dismissed from the bank in 1947, and due to his alleged leftist views, the police also detained him for two weeks. In the same year, along with about ten of his companions, they established the Joseon Surgical Society. In this turbulent year, he was still appointed as the governor of South Jeolla Province, and then this was also withdrawn. In 1949, he became the director of the Chuncheon Red Cross Medical Center.

He participated in the Korean War as an officer, and as recognition, he received an American medal of merit. He rose to the rank of brigadier general in the Air Force, and in 1958, he became the deputy commander of the Military Police Command. In 1961, he became the president of the Lions Club, and then of the Korean Medical Association. In 1966, he was a founding member of the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies, and subsequently held the position of vice president.

Lee Cheol (1903-1944)

Lee Cheol (Public Domain)

Lee Cheol (his real name being Lee Eok-gil) started working as a stage musician after high school, then managed a music publisher, and hosted festivals and competitions. He enrolled in the Department of Commerce at Jonhui College, where he participated in the creation of the school's orchestra. Following his contract with the Japanese Teichiku Records, he established the company's Gyeongseong sales office in 1933, changing its name to Okeh Records. This became the first record company managed by Koreans in Joseon, and the discovery of numerous Korean songwriters and singers is credited to Lee's name, who operated it until 1937. Meanwhile, he organized the Okeh performing ensemble and its performances in Japan. Okeh was the only label that possessed a recording studio in Joseon and manufactured gramophone records locally. The Japanese parent company ultimately did not look upon this favorably, and with the reorganization of the firm, Lee was made to resign from his leadership post.

Lee then concentrated on the performing group, changing its name first to Okeh Grand Show, and then to Joseon Akgeuk Troupe. The troupe's performance series achieved great success in Tokyo in 1939, after which a bold statement by Lee Chol drew retaliation. Lee said this: "These kinds of getas (meaning: figures wearing geta sandals) cannot defeat us Koreans." ("Getas" was a pejorative, mocking contemporary designation for the Japanese.) The police kept him in detention for 20 days, after which he was placed under close surveillance. Following another Japanese tour, the troupe also performed in China and Manchuria, and Lee put together several performances that possessed strongly pro-Japanese content. Yet changing his name to Japanese did not bring greater freedom for Lee either. From 1941, he was appointed to various leadership positions, and he could perform his activities only by serving Japanese militaristic interests. His death occurred unexpectedly due to blood poisoning in 1944.

The Korean Jazz Band also embarked on a national tour with the sponsorship of the Joongang Ilbo, where Baek Myeong-gon worked as an advisor and also wrote: the first jazz critique in Korean history originates from his pen. They visited nine cities, and with the proceeds of their performances they served a charitable purpose, supporting evening schools with them.

Strangely enough, no record recording was made with the Korean Jazz Band, therefore we cannot hear in what manner they actually played. Reconstructing their repertoire is not easy either. They primarily played instrumental music, but here and there one can read about the cooperation of guest singers as well. Among these, an important name arises, which, if he was truly connected to jazz music, is a real curiosity: Lee In-seon, namely, was the pioneer of Korean opera.

Lee In-seon (1907-1960)

Lee In-seon (Public Domain)

As a high school student, he learned to sing and play the piano from an American missionary, then obtained a medical degree and began his practice. Between 1934 and 1937, he studied in Milan, and returning home, he gave concerts in Seoul, Tokyo, and Chingtao, China. Even though he was mentioned as the greatest tenor of the East, this was not enough to make a living from singing, so he continued his medical activities as well. At the end of 1946, he founded the National Opera Company, in 1948 Verdi's La Traviata was presented, and then Bizet's Carmen in the following year. While they performed with Carmen in several places, thus in Hawaii as well, Lee conducted research at the Nashville State Hospital. As the first Asian, he passed the audition of the New York Metropolitan Opera in 1951, but due to financial difficulties, he postponed his performance. Unfortunately, it never took place. He continued his medical activities and musical studies in parallel for a while longer, but while preparing for the first rehearsal, exhaustion and a previously contracted liver disease led to his death.

I would have gladly listened to Lee In-seon's voice, but despite a record recording allegedly being made with him in 1936, I found no digitized trace of it.

One of the costumed performances of the Korean Jazz Band in 1928 (Public Domain)

Since the press continuously reported on the performances of the Korean Jazz Band, we can most easily gain a picture of the reception of jazz from these writings, which, naturally, was not uniform. Most of the time it was surrounded by enthusiastic adoration, often described as a kind of ecstatic experience. The writing titled "Jazz Taste, Beyond Theory" in the JoongAng Ilbo on July 30, 1928, gave a vivid account of its effect on the audience:

„Jazz is the music that is currently in fashion all over the world, and the ‘Korean Jazz Band’ performing tonight, as we have already presented earlier, is considered one of the most excellent orchestras in the East with a full jazz lineup. The atmosphere of jazz is lively and sparkling; even the most melancholic person cannot restrain themselves from dancing when they hear this music. For this very reason, this music can be consumed and enjoyed even by those who become gloomy suffering from the troubles of daily livelihood, or those who usually just yawn at boring concerts and balls—they too can move to this as a new, fresh dance music. It is precisely in this that the reason lies why this music has spread all over the world. Whether someone likes this music or not is just like asking the people sitting in the tavern whether wine is useful or harmful to man—which is to say, a completely meaningless question.”

Conservative critics, naturally, gave voice to their devastating opinions, not infrequently with a pen dipped in vitriol. The following excerpt originates from Yi Seo-gu, who, despite being one of the pioneers of modern Korean theater and urban popular culture (playwright, theater director, journalist, cultural critic), still formulated his views on the enjoyment of jazz very contemptuously in the 9th issue of 1929 of the Byeolgeongon magazine. In the writing, a traditionally medical, but highly derogatory term, jiral (지랄) appears. Originally referring to the uncontrollable convulsions of an epileptic seizure, the author weaponizes this word to describe the 'frivolous thrashing' of the dancers, contrasting it with the value of Confucian self-discipline:

"It is called a jazz band when someone, in the intoxication of rhythm, forgets all dignity and propriety, and thrashes with their body, hands, feet, and even their nose as if they were completely delirious, according to their own pleasure. The root of the passion for jazz thus stems from the jazz band itself, and by now, this end-of-the-century, shoulder-shrugging, frivolous atmosphere permeates our big city, Gyeongseong as well—this is a visible fact. Whenever the “Korean Jazz Band,” this excellent orchestra performed, the young men and women whose blood boils with passion always welcomed them with immense enthusiasm.
(…)
Words like 'propriety' or 'discipline,' the mere hearing of which makes the chest tighten, mean nothing to these people. They just return to a state similar to the hearts of the natives living in the 'shade of banana trees,' and self-forgetfully, losing all their consciousness, throw themselves into dancing and entertainment."

Yet, the incomprehension of many mattered little; by the mid-1930s, jazz had become an overwhelming musical phenomenon, an achievement in which the Korean Jazz Band—operating from 1928 to 1932 as the genre's first Korean custodian—undeniably earned imperishable merit. As a bridge between tradition and modernity, as well as between the West and Joseon, the orchestra possesses significant cultural value and can be considered a pioneering example that laid the foundations for jazz to take root in the Korean popular music scene.

Reaching the end of this chapter, I find it particularly painful that we cannot hear the Korean Jazz Band play. Perhaps when time travel becomes possible, we can go back to their performances. Until then, we can only live with what our present offers us, which in some aspects is no less futuristic. One can think all sorts of things about artificial intelligence, but for me, it is always moving when we can travel into the past with its help and see, for instance, former grand structures that today exist only in ruins. In their Time Machine series, the South Korean studio Sangsang Gongjakso undertakes the task of restoring the crackling and popping sounds of the past to make them enjoyable for today's ears; we could already hear one of their recordings in the previous part (Kim Jeong-gu: A Bachelor's Petition).

Now, however, I have come across another of their experiments: they used the capabilities of AI not only to enhance the audio tracks and fill in their missing parts but also to create visuals to accompany them. We could say it is often clumsy, as the rhythm of the images and the music is nowhere in sync (by their own admission, they did not strive for this). Yet, the evocation of the contemporary dance hall radiates the creators' respect and love for their musical past, which completely captivated me as well. The song, performed by Kim Hae-song, is Youth Class, which will be discussed further in the next part, making the video an excellent transition into the diverse world of Korean jazz songs.