ListN Up playlists are commissioned by American Composers Forum. Artists are selected by ACF staff (including I CARE IF YOU LISTEN and innova Recordings).
Shinjoo Cho is a bandoneonist, pianist, tango musician, improviser, and composer based in Philadelphia. She has performed in the Americas, Europe, and Asia with ensembles ranging from duos to orchestras and collaborates with visual and dance projects.
I am Shinjoo Cho, bandoneonist, pianist, tango musician, improviser, and composer based in Philadelphia. Born in Korea, raised in the US, and with musical formation in both those countries plus in Argentina, understanding how they connect and inform my music making has been a long process for me. Emotionally gripping music seems to be the common thread and I’d like to share with you the music that leaves me with devastating ups and downs and motivates me to keep making music.
“Geudae geusaram” by Sim Soobong
Singer-songwriter and multi instrumentalist, Sim remains a unique voice and trailblazer in the genre of trot and ballad in Korea since the 70s. This song, recalling the loved one on a rainy day, is the epitome of nostalgia that influenced the generations of songwriters in Korea. The gentle power of her expressions struck me as emotionally devastating and probably helped put me on the path of making music that constantly looks to the past.
Balkanski cocek by Aleksandar Sisic
Balkan music sweeps you off your feet like no other. Led by Serbian violinist Aleksandar Sisic, every single musician in this song shows the ceiling of musical drive and expression with their respective instruments. Encountering this music in my early 20s was like learning there are planets and galaxies beyond the earth.
“Será una noche” by José Tinelli and Ferradas Campos, Performed by Lidia Borda and Diego Schissi
Lidia Borda established a sound that is poignant and distinct from the performative tendencies of tango singing while highlighting the beauty of the forgotten tango repertoire. Accompanied by Argentina’s leading composer Diego Schissi on piano, this song convinces you that there will be an end to your long wait.
La Rayuela by Julio de Caro, Performed by Leopoldo Federico
Master of the genre and the instrument, Leopoldo Federico brings out the elegance, force, and jest of bandoneon and his arrangements and performances continue to inspire bandoneonists around the world.
Alma Guarani by Rudi and Nini Flores with Gustavo Gancedo
Nini Flores and Rudi Flores are brothers and natives of Corrientes, Argentina born into a musical family and took the genre of chamamé and folklore music of Argentina to a new dimension. Nini was a master of both bandoneon and bayan accordion and brought the listeners to the depth and intimacy of his instruments.
” Love Me or Leave Me” by Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn, Performed by Nina Simone
Defiance is what I felt the first time I listened to Nina Simone. Transforming the songs to serve her distinct, commanding voice and giving the piano a rich swing and contrapuntal sensibility that conjure deep emotions, she challenges and liberates the senses in so many ways.
La Camorra II by Astor Piazzolla, Performed by Quinteto Tango Nuevo
Recorded in NY in 1988 and the last album he made, I consider La Camorra Suite to be Astor Piazzolla’s masterpiece. The suite draws its inspiration from Neapolitan crime organization and this movement in particular is dense and brooding with thinly concealed violence, where the tango idioms are perfectly embedded in Piazzolla’s flawless quintet writing.
Attention Deficit Distorter by Shinjoo Cho
Restless and chaotic, this piece came to me the easiest when I began writing music for bandoneon for my first solo album Abriendo y Cerrando. Turning out the percussive possibilities of bandoneon in the beginning and letting the harmonies clash together, this piece is over before you know it.
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