Ka Dao Yin

 

Ka Dao Yin is a world music improvisation ensemble from Taipei/London. With its singular combination of piano, C-saxophones, sheng (Chinese Mouth Organ), and Guzheng (Chinese Zither), the music of Ka Dao Yin stands at the crossroads of Contemporary Classical music, Chinese Folk Music, Free Improvisation, and Jazz. The unmistakable, and 100% acoustic sound of Ka Dao Yin fits equally well into a concert hall, a jazz festival, a world music event, an art gallery, a museum, or an experimental music venue.

 

The name Ka Dao Yin 卡到音 (pronounced Kǎ Dào Īn) is a transliteration of a Taiwanese wordplay which means 'getting caught up in something', --- in Ka Dao Yin's case loosely structured, but deeply felt, expressive improvisations with almost magic interplay between the group members.

 

Founded in 2009, and led by Taiwanese Pianist Shih-Yang Lee and German C-saxophonist Klaus Bru, Ka Dao Yin has performed in clubs and concert halls in Taiwan, was twice invited to the Taichung Jazz Festival (2012, 2013), and to the"Semaine des cultures étrangères" Festival (2013) in Paris. Ka Dao Yin has scored film music, and collaborated with choreographers, sound artists, and musicians from Japan, Germany, Italy, France, and Taiwan.

 

Ka Dao Yin's 2 CDs have both won prestigious awards in Taiwan: 'Four Characters' received the 'Taiwan Golden Indie Music Award 2012' for Best Jazz Album and Best Jazz Track, and 'Slow' received the 'Taiwan Golden Melody Award  for Traditional Arts 2014' (Taiwan Grammy) for Best Album in the category Crossover, with the group performing a special showcase at the award ceremony.

 

Both of Ka Dao Yin's releases are concept albums: On 'Four Characters' the title of the pieces are so-called ʻcheng yuʼ, sets of four characters that are popular idioms in Mandarin. These ʻcheng yuʼ depict the essence of a life situation in a poetic or funny way, and thus give an ideal framework for Ka Dao Yin's improvisations. The second CD 'Slow' is inspired by the Chinese character 慢 (pronounced 'màn'), which can often be seen on Taiwanese roads. 'Slow', with its mix of written pieces and improvisations in meditative pace goes beyond mere music, as it was conceived to help people quiet down from their hectic lives. 

The leaders of the group, Shih-Yang Lee and Klaus Bru, are two prominent figures on the improvisation music circuit, with Lee more rooted in the Classical Music tradition, and Bru more in Jazz.