A truly transcendent multi-generational delight that embodies the concept of “passing the torch” on multiple levels, The New Jersey Sessions taps into the beautifully organic dual energy of Singapore’s venerated “King of Swing,” legendary pianist Jeremy Monteiro and 25-year-old emerging saxophonist Sean Hong Wei.
The two first connected when Hong was 18 and joined the Monteiro led ensembles, the Jazz Association Singapore Orchestra (JASSO), a professional big band, and the Jazz Association Singapore Youth Orchestra (JASSYO!), it’s youth offshoot. In addition to having the opportunity to share the stage with top jazz artists like Benny Golson and Randy Brecker, Hong impressed Monteiro so much that the pianist later contacted him on a trip to New York, where the saxophonist had move in 2022 to study at The New School.
Monteiro launched The New Jersey Sessions – a showcase for fresh, dynamic spins on eight standards, plus the pianist’s heartfelt, melancholy original “Life Goes On” – as a way to capture this inflection point in the young musician’s musical growth While Monteiro points out that he can hear the influences of Dexter Gordon and John Coltrane in his playing, the point of these tasteful, alternately burning and gracefully sensual arrangements is to reveal Hong as a player in full command of his own evolving intimately melodic and often explosive improvisational style.
Stylistically, the sessions roll from the high-octane bebop roll through Charlie Parker’s “Dewey Square” (which includes powerhouse solos by trumpeter Alex Sipiagin and drummer Evan Sherman) and the mid-tempo, playfully strutting confidence of the Nat King Cole originated “A Weaver of Dreams” through the whimsical romantic charms of “Nothing Ever Changes My Love For You” and a intimate, emotionally exploratory piano-sax duet version of “Sophisticated Lady.”
The tenderly soulful “When Sunny Gets Blue” and smoky, easy swinging blues of Milt Jackson’s classic “Bag’s Groove” pair Hong with veteran saxophonist Houston Person, creating a remarkable duality where the generational torch is seamlessly passed – revealing a future where timeless jazz traditions are in great hands.
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