Kang Yun-mi & John Stowell, A Timeless Place: A Dialogue of Timeless Jazz [Sejong]

[Performance Introduction] Kang Yun-mi & John Stowell DUO A Timeless Place A question regarding the essence of music created through improvisation, empathy, and breath, and a deep, quiet invitation that transcends genres and eras to welcome listeners to a place beyond time. 2026 23rd Korean Music Awards Nominee for Best Jazz Vocal Album Selected as one of the Top 10 Best Jazz Albums of 2025 by American jazz magazine Cadence A Timeless Place was recorded in Seoul in 2023 and released in 2025. It features jazz classics such as Skylark, I Thought About You, Prelude to a Kiss, and A Timeless Place (The Peacocks), which gain new vitality through the delicate and profound interpretations of the two artists. In this work, the two performers move beyond the traditional role division of "accompanist and soloist" to create music of improvisation and empathy, weaving melody and harmony together. The intersection of melodies inspired by Bach's counterpoint, combined with John Stowell's characteristic fluid harmony and Kang Yun-mi's calm yet authentic vocals, delivers a deep resonance. Influenced by legendary jazz vocalists such as Betty Carter and Jeanne Lee, Kang Yun-mi's vocals are rooted in improvisation and interpretive freedom rather than the standardized reproduction of notes, swimming through the music like an instrument itself through three-dimensional phrasing that utilizes long breaths and space. Notably, rather than taking the dominant position typically assumed by a vocalist, she approaches the music by listening and responding delicately on an equal footing with the guitar, standing out as an equal creator who makes music together rather than simply singing. The recording was conducted in a live-like manner through single takes, without re-recording or editing. The focus was placed on a living dialogue that captures the breath and emotion of the moment rather than refined perfection, and each track was naturally completed as music that exists only in that specific moment.