Without a teacher or musical scores, Jeon Je-duk taught himself to play the harmonica solelythrough listening. Since his debut in 2004, he has continued to build his own musical world, earningrecognition for transforming the seemingly simple harmonica into a major solo instrument.
Jazz harmonica p Jeon Je-duk taught himself to play the instrument solely byear, without the help of a teacher or sheet music.
Jeon Je-duk caught a fever 15 days after he was born andlost his sight. Since then he has experienced the world solelythrough sound. Similarly, he communicates with the worldthrough a small, hand-sized harmonica. When he puts it to his lips,the stars brighten and the flowers bloom, and he flies through thesky unawares. He has turned that ecstasy into a song and put it onhis album.
When I put the harmonica to my lips,
The stars rise in my heart,
And the flowers bloom over the lonely sound;
Following the strains of my harmonica,
Should I become a lonely cloud in the sky?
– From “My Harmonica” on Jeon’s first album
In November 2016, exactly 20 years after first picking up theinstrument, Jeon Je-duk became the first Korean “Hohner Artist.”Hohner, headquartered in Germany, is the world's leading harmonicabrand. The jazz harmonica p Toots Thielemans, the legendaryclassical harmonica p Tommy Reilly, folk singer Bob Dylan,and John Lennon of the Beatles are all Hohner artists. At a café inSeoul, I met with Jeon Je-duk, who now ranks among these worldfamous musicians.
Success and Failure
Surh Jung-min Congratulations for being selected as a HohnerArtist!
Jeon Je-duk Thank you. The recognition is a good thing. Yet, Ifeel a bit sad. It would have been better if it had come earlier, backwhen my albums drew more attention and had more listeners.
Recognition is a wonderful thing and surely rewarding, but Jeondid not seem overly thrilled at being selected a Hohner Artist. Infact, he seemed a little unhappy, as if wondering why the recognitioncame now and not 10 years ago when he was in the spotlight.I became aware of him through his first album, released in 2004.I recall listening in awe and asking myself, “Is this really the harmonica?Can the harmonica make such a funky sound?” Even moresurprising was the fact that a visually impaired man had overcomehis disability toan album of such high quality.
Surh I remember that your first album in 2004 drew a lot ofattention.
Jeon In those days, no other album featured the harmonica, andmy blindness also aroused people’s curiosity. I had 13 interviewswith daily newspapers and received a prize in the jazz crossoversection at the Korean Popular Music Awards. I was so happy that Icould almost fly. I even heard that a lot of harmonicas were sold. Itwas a good time.
Surh After the first album’s success, your second album twoyears later showed a great transformation. You introduced electronicsound, and included rappers and musicians performing Blackmusic. It was trendy and experimental, but the public and the mediawere not so responsive. The sophomore jinx . . . .
Jeon Why must the harmonica be played only with the pianoand bass? Wouldn’t it be interesting to introduce electronic sound? Iacted on these ideas. But the change was probably too great. I wassatisfied, but the audience was not so receptive. I think music islike that. Keeping to one style is more advantageous in appealing tothe public, but as a musician I don’t want to fall into mannerism. Iattempted a change, but unfortunately it didn’t turn out very well.
From Samulnori to the Harmonica
Jeon is an artist who constantly dreams of transforming himselfand his music, even between albums, regardless of successor failure. In fact, his life and music have always been subject toconstant changes. Before coming across the harmonica, he firstencountered music through samulnori, traditional Korean percussionmusic for four instruments. At a special school for people withdisabilities, one of the teachers played samulnori for him and suggestedthat he learn to play it, too.
Surh You received some recognition as a samulnori p,didn’t you?
Jeon Despite my blindness, I could play the double-headeddrum, the janggu, while sitting. I trained myself hard and even wona prize in a competition. But playing in a sitting position was my limitation.In the first part of the performance, I can remain sitting, butin the second part, I’m supposed to get up and dance around and belively, twirling the streamer on my hat. I couldn’t do it. That was whyI eventually stopped playing.
Surh Were you interested in other music genres while playingsamulnori?
Jeon When I first heard Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” as a teenager,I couldn’t sleep for several days. I can hardly describe how I felt.The music was just fantastic. It was music from a different world. Iwondered if I could play such music if I stuck with samulnori.
Surh The Jeon Je-duk I know is an artist with a lot of enthusiasm.You like rhythmical, rollicking music. I think that inclinationled you from the samulnori drum to the harmonica. Even with theharmonica, when you play you can hardly contain your exuberanceand want to make people dance — I can feel it in your music. Sincewe’re on the subject, could you explain how you got interested inplaying the harmonica?
Jeon In 1996, I happened to hear on the radio the Belgian jazzartist and harmonica p Toots Thielemans playing warm, sweetballad music. It didn't have the sharp harmonica sound that I knew,and I wondered, “Does the harmonica really sound like that? If themusic is as slow as that, couldn’t I learn to play it?” So I bought aharmonica. I wouldn’t have dreamed of attempting something fast,but when I started to play, I discovered that even slow music wasn'teasy.
Surh But you didn’t give up.
Jeon I taught myself how to play it. My lips swelled up, and mytongue was rubbed raw. Except when I was performing samulnori, Ipracticed my harmonica all the time. At some point, I was unable togo any further in samulnori, and my passion moved entirely to theharmonica.
Jeon Je-dukperforms with hisband at the concert“Jeon Je-duk, MyHarmonica,” held atthe Incheon Culture& Arts Center onDecember 16, 2015.
Saying Farewell to Toots Thielemans
After Jeon’s samulnori group disbanded, he served as a harmonicasession p on drama soundtracks and other artists’albums. A couple of years passed, and he joined an album recordingof Malo, a jazz vocalist. That’s when someone suggested hemake an album of his own. He produced his first and second soloalbums, but then came a long period of silence. Putting aside hispersonal musical ambitions for a while, he broke the silence only tooffer an album of pop music remakes for wide audience appeal.
Surh How did you spend the long years until 2014, when youreleased your third album?
Jeon Writing music wasn’t easy, and I wondered if it was necessaryto make albums featuring all new pieces only. I found performingfun, so I focused on that. In doing so, I developed a strong desireto express my feelings for nature with a deeper sound. I put thisdesire into my third album. I also tried hard to attain the sound ofToots Thielemans. That warm sound, that’s what I wanted, and stillwant, and will always want.
Surh He’s the one who made you what you are now. Did you evermeet him?
Jeon When he visited Korea in 2004 for a concert, I met himbriefly backstage afterwards. As I was getting his signature, I toldhim that I also played the harmonica. He encouraged me, saying,“Are you? Give it your best. The harmonica is a good instrument.” Itwas a brief meeting, but great.
Surh After Thielemans passed away in August 2016, you held atribute concert for him on December 30, didn’t you?
Jeon The title of the concert was “Bye, Toots.” I wanted to sayfarewell to an admired artist in my own way. Regardless of whatothers might think, I felt I had sent the artist I cherished to heaventhrough my performance. I was sustained for 20 years through themusic of Toots Thielemans. Of course, he’ll remain an inspirationfor the future.
Surh What’s so special about the harmonica?
Jeon The harmonica has warmth and softness, and it even hasa “cute” image. That’s what Toots Thielemans taught me. When heplayed, I felt him whispering at my side. Blues harmonica ps are so powerful that they even outshine the electric guitar. By contrast,Toots Thielemans played as if he was having a friendly chatwith you. That’s the kind of music I aim for.
Surh What's your emotional state when performing?
Jeon While giving a concert, especially playing swing, I oftenrecall times when I went to a live music club and played as I pleasedwithout really knowing much. My skills weren't great, but I had thepassion. When I play ballads, I usually think of nature. I play as if I’moutside in the warm sunlight or under softly falling snow.
Surh If you had been able to see, do you think your musical would have been different?
Jeon If that had been the case, I would have received more information.But I've never thought that it would make my music better.My music expresses what my body feels, what my senses feel, andconveys through sound what I think.
Surh Do you have a lifelong dream as a harmonica p?
Jeon I want to make music where the sound tells stories. Evena piece just five minutes long but with a clear introduction, development,climax, and conclusion. I want people to hear a short story ora scene from a musical drama. For me, there are sounds that tellstories. For example, a car accident occurs, people run around, andan ambulance appears. A story can be made out of that. I want toexpress such things philosophically through music. I want to give aconcert full of that kind of music.
“I developed a strong desire to express my feelings for nature with a deeper sound … I also tried hardto attain the sound of Toots Thielemans. That warm sound, that’s what I wanted, and still want, andwill always want.”
Sounds that Tell Stories
At the beginning of our interview, Jeon had seemed somewhatsad, as if longing for his time in the spotlight, but as he talked abouthis dream, he became animated and his face lit up with joy. For thisman, who so elegantly expresses his emotions through his music,the harmonica seems to contain all his hopes and dreams. Onceagain, I recalled him singing that when he puts the harmonica tohis lips, the stars rise and the flowers bloom in his heart. Perhaps,I thought, he is flying in the sky right now. Next time you look up tothe sky and see a lonely cloud, I hope it will remind you of Jeon Jedukand his beautiful music.
한국국제교류재단
