Three excerpts from their first ever U.S. concert. Leenalchi is the brainchild of Jang Young-gyu, born 1968 in South Korea. He is a film composer and served as music director for a dance performance of the renowned Pina Baush.

Mr. Jang's work with "pansori" music began in 2007, after composing for choreographer Ahn Eun-me’s piece, Bari. With musicians from that project, Mr. Jang went on to form groups such as BIBING, SsingSsing, and eventually Leenalchi (이날치).

From behind a cloud of grey curls, Mr. Jang wordlessly directs his vision of cross-cultural funk with a collaborative spirit: First comes the rhythm section, developed with drummer Oh Hyungsuk, which sets the foundation for a song. Then, singers Ahn Yiho, Park Soobum, Ra Seojin, and Choi Suin draw from the repertoire of pansori songs to discover the most distinctive and fitting sounds.

“While many artists have attempted modern fusion, I had never seen someone break the framework as radically as he does,” said Park Soobum, a singer in Leenalchi. “He creates space for us to consider how pansori should exist within the music and how the four vocalists’ voices can harmonize. It felt like stepping into a new world.”

[As part of their training, pansori singers are required to spend time singing next to a waterfall, tasked to carefully observe and mimic the sonic nuances of water: the gurgle, burble, and rush of it all. While the meaning of “pan” in pansori is still widely debated (some say it means a situation where many people are gathered, others insist it’s a song composed of varying tones),; “sori” translates simply to “sound.” Throughout Leenalchi’s songs, you’ll hear many soris: Hee-hee! Ha-ha! Hut-hut! Ssukguk ssukguk! Aiiyeh! Joorooroo! Pong pong! Lala lala!

The meaning of these sounds might evade most listeners, but the way they are sung transcends all confines of time, space, and language. Listen, as you would a waterfall.

—Shannon Lee

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