Sun-Mi Hong Builds a Nest of Belonging Through Jazz

Leading her quintet, drummer and composer Sun-Mi Hong creates music that moves from solemn introspection to unexpected moments of joy. "For a long time, I believed I couldn't compose something bright. Most of my songs tended to be on the sadder side," she explains in a recent interview.

Hong formed her quintet officially in 2017 after several years of informal collaboration. "What I wanted most was to create a group where each member had a strong, individual identity while still having the freedom to fully express their own musical language."

This interplay between structure and freedom runs through Hong's work. Her compositions provide frameworks rather than rigid blueprints, allowing her musicians room to breathe and explore. She counts Wayne Shorter and Miles Davis among her key influences, particularly admiring how Shorter's quartet could create powerful music with minimal material.

Hong's upcoming fourth album, Fourth Page: Meaning of a Nest, springs from her experience as a foreigner putting down roots in a new country. The Edition Records release explores themes of displacement, belonging, and community building. "The meaning of the nest, to me, is about the importance of home and community," Hong explains. "It's about people who live outside their home country, trying to nest their network elsewhere, establishing roots within a new community."

What began as a challenge became a source of strength. "Moving more than 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles) away from where I come from to follow my dreams, I had to learn how to adapt to differences, unfairness, deal with struggles, and overcome language barriers," she says. "For a long time, I saw these challenges as weaknesses. But some years ago, I realized that these experiences are invaluable. They're things you can't buy with money."

Amsterdam proved fertile ground for Hong's music. The city's rich jazz history, international student population, and supportive venues created what Hong calls "a wonderful opportunity for jazz musicians to thrive, not just artistically, but also professionally, allowing them to make a living doing what they love."

Hong's quintet features Alistair Payne on trumpet, Nicolò Ricci on tenor saxophone, Chaerin Im on piano, and Alessandro Fongaro on bass. The group has developed their sound over years of playing together, characterized by tight ensemble passages that open into spacious improvisations.

Payne serves as trumpeter and co-producer, a dual role Hong values deeply. "Alistair has played a crucial role in helping me grow both musically and personally," she acknowledges. "He's been there for me every step of the way, guiding me through the small steps that have brought me to where I am now."

Despite the diverse backgrounds of the musicians, Hong emphasizes that nationality matters less than musical understanding. "What matters is not where we come from, but our ability to understand each other as individuals and as musicians," she says. "The key to our sound lies in our shared capacity to listen, respect, and collaborate."

Hong's compositions often begin with a single idea she exhausts through multiple variations. "When I compose, I focus on developing a single idea, experimenting with it, turning it upside down, inside out, trying inversions, and mirroring it," she explains. This method allows her to extract maximum variety from minimal materials.

Meaning of a Nest demonstrates her structural thinking, with "A Never-Wilting Petal," a suite of three connected parts, as its centerpiece. "While each part is unique, they all connect to each other," she says. "I'm drawn to compositions that feel like a lifetime journey, something I often hear in classical music."

Hong leaves strategic gaps in her scores, particularly for bassist Fongaro. "I leave out a lot of bass parts for Alessandro even though most of the time, the harmonies are dictating the bass notes. I trust his musical choice," she notes. This trust extends to all band members, who "help develop the composition and make it sound beautiful."

The track "Toddler's Eye" marked the shift toward brighter sounds in Hong's writing. Playing others' compositions expanded her palette. She specifically credits Fongaro's use of "harmonic, rhythmic ideas, and layering two melodies on top of each other" as influential. Hong also cites bassist Petter Eldh's ensemble project Kammar Koma as a key inspiration, particularly admiring "how he develops the music step by step, filling every corner with richness and detail. There's so much to explore in his writing."

Hong's albums follow a sequential naming pattern: First Page, Second Page, Third Page, and now Fourth Page. This isn't just clever marketing but reflects her view of her career as an unfolding story. "The 'Page' reference symbolizes an ongoing life journey, where each album is like a new page in a diary," she says. "Each page reflects a different chapter in my artistic and personal growth."

Fourth Page: Meaning of a Nest continues this narrative while venturing into new sonic territory. The deluxe vinyl edition, pressed in jade green, includes two bonus tracks drawn from a single improvisation that Hong describes as "gold."

"As a quintet, we don't usually improvise fully on stage," she explains, "but because we've been playing together for so many years, there's a deep level of trust and connection that makes this kind of free improvisation possible."

Hong finds inspiration in drummer-composers like Brian Blade and Paul Motian, who developed distinctive writing styles from behind the kit. "I like to challenge the typical expectations of what drummers can do in terms of composition," she states.

Despite her growth as a composer, drumming remains Hong's primary mode of expression. "Drumming is still the most powerful way for me to express myself without harming anyone," she says. After years of professional playing, she still finds excitement in the instrument, particularly its storytelling potential. "What excites me most is making the best choices in the moment, on the spot, and creating something meaningful through my playing."

To support Fourth Page, Hong and her quintet will tour Europe, with concerts scheduled at Amsterdam's Bimhuis, Glasgow's Glad Café, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, and Turner Sims Concert Hall in Southampton.

Beyond this album, Hong expresses a growing interest in free improvisation, solo drum performances, and potential collaborations with traditional Korean musicians that might connect her current work with her cultural roots. Music provides her purpose and perspective. "If life is so short, and we all face the reality of eventually passing," she reflects, "then I would focus on pursuing what I truly love. Life is too precious not to follow what deeply inspires you."

In Sun-Mi Hong's case, that inspiration manifests as music that crosses borders, builds communities, and documents an ongoing journey of discovery, one page at a time.

Visit Sun-Mi Hong at sunmihong.com. Purchase her album
Fourth Page: Meaning of a Nest from Bandcamp or Qobuz and listen on your streaming platform of choice.