Paper Son Paper Songs – Jon Jang

Composed by Jon Jang
Arranged and DIrected by Wayne Wallace
Performed by The Jon Jang Seven
 

Executive Producer: Tatsu Aoki
Creative Director: Francis Wong
Producer: Jon Jang
Administrative Director: Vinay Patel
Design: Lina Hoshino
Photos: Derek Chung, Jason Jem
Recorded by Gary Mankin on September 20-21, 2005 at Open Path Studio, San Jose California. Mixed and mastered by Gary Mankin during October-December 2005 in San Francisco.

Paper Son, Paper Songs #1-3 (17:52)*
1. Flower Drum Song (06:47)
2. Sweet Whisper of a Flower (05:22)
3. Eye of the Snake (05:43)
4. Jasmine Among the Magnolias (06:47)
5. Woman Shaman of Alishan (05:00)
6. Butterfly Lovers Song (06:44)
7. Two Flowers on a Stem (07:54)
8. Nu Beginnings (for Mengjiang Nu) (05:00)

*Paper Son, Paper Songs is a three movement work (tracks 1-3) commemorating the centennial anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake that destroyed Chinatown and almost all of the city's official birth records resulting in an increase of "paper sons." This work was commissioned by the Eastside Arts Alliance (Oakland, CA) supported by a grant from the Fund for Artists @ East Bay Community Foundation. 

Composed by Jon Jang
Arranged and directed by Wayne Wallace
Performed by the Jon Jang Seven

Jim Norton - soprano saxophone
Francis Wong - tenor saxophone and flute
John L.Worley Jr. - trumpet and fluegelhorn
Wayne Wallace - trombone
Jon Jang - piano
David Belove - electric bass
Deszon Claiborne - multiple percussion

Composed by Jon jang
Arranged and directed by Wayne Wallace
Performed by the Jon Jang Seven

During the Chinese exclusion era (1882-1943) in the United States, Chinese were the first ethic group denied admission into the United States. The Chinese created the paper son slot system where an illegal Chinese young man or boy could claim US citizenship by purchasing papers from a Chinese father who has US citizenship.
Paper Songs is Jon Jang’s concept of Americanizing Chinese folk songs: Transforming the melodies that are written on paper (music notation) into jazz.