Steph Chou

Press

April 2013: All About Jazz Italia review of Prime Knot
May 2012: Featured as a founding artist on the Songeist homepage
May 2012: Review on Songeist
April 2012: Premiere of "C for G" Ballet at Goucher College in Maryland (Choreography by Susan Jaffe, Music by Steph Chou)
April 2012: Hot House JazzWomen! column shoutout, page 40 "Saxophonist/pianist/vocalist Steph Chou ties a 'Prime Knot'"
Video footage from the album release concert at Drom.
June 2011: Recent radio airplay in Lilles, France
May 2011: Sinovision, the leading Chinese TV program provider in the greater New York area, airs a feature segment/interview from the release concert!
Articles in Westchester publications (available in hard-copy only): The Rivertowns Enterprise and The Hudson Independent
April 2011: World Journal- Chinese Press Release
Columbia Spectator

News

Summer 2012

Summer started off with a really fun show my band played at the Underground Lounge, a neighborhood bar on the upper west side. We tried out some new instrumentation and continue to sharpen our sound with each gig. It was great to see so many new (and long-lost) faces there. The Underground has also been home to a friendly Monday night jam session where I've been singing and playing alto weekly. I also sang on some exciting gigs with Kenny Wollesen's Search and Enjoy vocal choir! Kenny's new choir plays mostly improvised music and is like a version of the Himalayas marching band, but for voices. It's really been opening up my entire vocal concept. We played with a small band at The Stone, accompanied a film/art projection by Raha Raissnia at a gallery in Chinatown, and accompanied projections by Bradley Eros and Larry Seven at Microscope Gallery (part of "Bushwick Open Studios").

As part of my work with ArtistShare, I assisted on interviews with Richard Marx, Terence Blanchard, and Bruce Lundvall, filmed video at the recording session for the Clayton Brothers' new album with Wycliffe Gordon and Stefon Harris, and at a concert with Ron Carter and Russell Malone. I also worked on the final book that will accompany new music from the Jim Hall Live! (1972) sessions to be released later this year along with another Live at Birdland recording. We went to the Newport Jazz Festival and heard an unforgettable weekend of music. It was such an amazing scene, and I filmed over 20 interviews with various musicians, industry, and fans. There was too much great music to list.

The summer flew by! It was filled with so much great music and hanging with so many close friends. I return to CCNY for my second semester of grad school in just a few weeks, and will return to Asia for gigs in Taipei and Beijing in September (as well as visiting family and traveling to Tibet). I have been continuing to study voice with James Wordsworth and saxophone/composition with Patrick. We are working on plans for the next recording project...!

On August 31, my band is playing an end-of-summer show at I-Beam, a great performance space in Brooklyn. Come on out and help us wind down the summer!

Spring 2012

This spring was busy with gigs, grad school, and my new job at ArtistShare! I finished my first semester of my MA program in composition at the City College of New York, taking a class in Bach counterpoint and another in set theory. While it took some adjusting to get used to being back in school, it was a great semester. I started working as a project manager at ArtistShare, the first fan-funded record label. It's been amazing to learn more about the behind-the-scenes of the business and work with some great musicians. I filmed interviews with Norah Jones, Herbie Hancock, and several others as part of my work there. I also copy-edited music and helped run rehearsals for Patrick Zimmerli's upcoming project with Joshua Redman, Satoshi Takeishi, Scott Colley, and the Escher String Quartet! That was a thrilling experience and the music sounds awesome.

My band's February gig at Drom was a lot of fun and the band sounded great debuting new arrangements. See live video from the show at In April, my ballet collaboration with the great Susan Jaffe premiered at Goucher College. I attended the premiere with my Dad. It was really a special experience to see a multimedia component to my music for the first time. The dancers performed gracefully and Susan's choreography was astoundingly beautiful. Stay tuned for video footage.

I also played some gigs at Jazz at Lincoln Center, including the reception for the final NEA Jazz Masters Awards Ceremony where Dave Liebman sat in with us on a blues! I recorded saxophone on a Broadway audition pilot for production company Face2Face and have been continuing to sing at local jam sessions. Of course, this spring was also filled with so many stellar concerts in NYC, where I attended many friends' shows, saw legendary artists perform, and discovered new music.

Winter 2011-2012

My first commission for dancer-extraordinaire Susan Jaffe (www.susanjaffedance.com) is almost finished! We recorded in early January at Dubway Studios in NY. Glenn Zaleski (piano) and Kenny Wollesen (vibraphone, percussion) made my music come to life, and it is the first time I’ve written music for dance—a very different thing for me! Kenny’s homemade percussion instruments sound amazing! The piece is in three movements (I play saxophone on the second movement), and will be choreographed by Susan in early February for dancers at Goucher College. It’s been an amazing learning experience all-around.

Special thanks to Susan Jaffe and Joshua Feigenbaum for the commission, Patrick Zimmerli for helping out with the compositions and at the session, and David Binney for helping with the synths, edits, and mixing.

Susan is giving a special artist-in-residence workshop at Goucher in early February, and the piece will premiere at Goucher College in Baltimore, MD in April!

Earlier in the fall, I performed my own music in Taipei,Taiwan for the first time. The band consisted of local musicians and we had a great time playing at Marsalis and Sappho. It was great to check out that scene, visit my grandparents, and eat a lot of amazing street food! I hope to return there soon…I am starting a graduate program in classical composition at the City College of New York next week… The next concert with my band is Feb 24 at Drom- and will feature new tunes, more vocals, and erhu (Chinese violin). Hope to see you there! Looking forward to more music and new projects this year…

Fall 2011

Since the release of "Prime Knot," I have been taking a slightly different musical direction, and working on new music with a new band! We've got a set of brand new tunes and a new lineup, so don't miss it! ... I will be performing in Taipei, Taiwan-- where my mom is from-- for the first time in early November with a local band. Also, I've been working on some dance and singer-songwriter collaborations, which I'll share as soon as they're ready...Looking forward to a busy fall!

Summer 2011

Regrouping after album release. Developing new material for a different instrumentation. Listening to a LOT of different music.

Video footage from the album release concert at Drom!

Spring 2011: Debut CD, New website launch!

Welcome to my new website! Artwork by Vinnie Neuberg. Please explore and feel free to make suggestions. Enjoy!

I am excited to announce the release of my debut album, Prime Knot! The album contains a varied set of original compositions including jazz arrangements of the Chinese classic, "Jasmine Flower," math-inspired tunes, classical piano, and pop. Marcus Printup, trumpeter from the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, is featured on this exploration of math, jazz, and Chinese music. The release concert will be on Friday, April 29th from 7-830pm at Drom NYC (85 Avenue A between 5th/6th St.). Hope to see you there!
This project was self-funded and self-released. It was recorded in early 2010. Visit the music section to find out more.