Interview: Owen Chen & Andrew Cheng Blend Pop, Jazz & Anime at Red Pavilion

Owen Chen's "Eternal Wind" Quintet blends jazz, pop, and anime into a genre-defying sound. They’re known for combining cinematic elements, anime film music, and modern groove-based jazz. Rooted in the language of modern and traditional jazz, these ensembles blend arrangement styles across genres, whether it's straight ahead swing, Latin, R&B, funk, or pop-inspired styles. You can catch the group at the Red Pavillion in Queens. We spoke with Chen about the band’s origins, their upcoming album, and more.

How does it feel to be releasing your upcoming album?

Owen Chen: It feels like I'm growing into my own skin. "Eternal Wind" is a culmination of years of my diverse musical exploration, as both a musician and a storyteller.

It was created from the fusion of the sounds circulating in my head throughout my life through music that speaks to me on an emotional level. The project extends the vision of my first EP of original compositions titled, "Eternal", which fused the tradition of jazz with the cinematic film scores and the nostalgic pull of the music I grew up loving. Partnering with Andrew Cheng on this project has amplified that vision. Applying it to the timeless soundtracks of Studio Ghibli, anime, and video game music makes it a great improvisational vessel for our unique styles rooted in the sounds of our childhoods, and it feels more authentically me.

Andrew Cheng: It has been a fun and rewarding process, getting to play with Owen throughout the years and having it culminate in releasing our first project where we can so openly throw around ideas on arrangements of the music of our childhood. Though we grew up halfway across the world from each other, we found a deep connection through that music and we’re excited to share it through the album and also our live performances with the band.

Where did the concept for your new album come from?

OC: The concept grew out of my original compositions on "Eternal", and my residency series at Red Pavilion's Studio Ghibli and Anime Jazz nights. The ensemble sound draws from jazz, anime film scores, emo punk-rock influences, and even melodic EDM. Partnering with Andrew Cheng, our dual-guitar led ensemble makes the storytelling go beyond the films and into our own shared inspirations, with the diverse palette of sounds that an electric guitar can offer. We wanted to create entire arcs and feelings, with a stylistically diverse approach to each arrangement. The vision wouldn't really exist without this phenomenal group of musicians I met at NYU: Cole Palensky (tenor saxophone), Cy Leo (Harmonica), Carlin Lee (Piano), Sean Hannon (upright bass), and Anton Kot (drums).

AC: Having come up playing in church/gospel settings, I found the improvisational and community based nature of that music would lend lend itself the anime film soundtracks that have touched so many, us included. Live, we interpret and iterate upon these beloved tracks in way that is very symbiotic with the audience in the moment. Conceptually, I hope that the album gets to be a vehicle for people to experience those melodies in a new way.

Can you tell us a little about the process of arranging the songs and putting the album together?

OC: Andrew and I have known each other for seven years in New York. We've spent countless hours playing together at home - shedding jazz standards, experimenting with guitar FX, and noodling on the guitar. The arranging process comes from that natural iteration and refinement process, as we bring melodic ideas and concepts on paper to the rest of the ensemble. Each individual musician contributes to help the arrangements grow. After performing this music at the Red Pavilion for the past year, we've blended a lot of our personalities into the arrangements, rooted in the rich traditions of the jazz language, but continuously evolving by incorporating the other sounds in our heads.

AC: As Owen said, the arrangement process came naturally, hanging out as well as playing regularly as an ensemble, with each member ensemble offering input and great ideas. Owen and I were also drawn to the sonic and textural capabilities that  two guitars offer. Inspired by modern sound wizards like Flanafi, Tim Watson and Emmanuel Michael, who almost transcend the guitar sonically, we hope to open up that approach of the music to a new audience.

What draws you to this style of music?

OC: This blend across genres and cultural traditions has allowed me to embrace my uniqueness of my Asian American experience into this music. I often felt that universal sense of not quite fitting in anywhere. This musical concept is a step in reconciling that - to being comfortable with embracing my identity of blending all the influences that shaped me.

The improvisational nature of this ensemble makes every performance wordless conversation among friends. Through the vessel of well-known themes in the Studio Ghibli, anime, and video game universe, we aim to amplify the nostalgia that these themes can evoke on a listener and offer the audience a fresh way to revisit the musical memories they already love. One of my undergraduate majors was Cognitive Science, and I was fascinated by the neuroscience of music - especially how nostalgic sounds impacts memory and emotion. That's the heart of "Eternal Wind," and we try to lean into the way familiar sounds in new interpretations can open emotional doors. Many audience members have told us they were unexpectedly moved to tears by hearing the sounds of their younger years. Kingdom Hearts and Pokémon have always been crowd favorites.

AC: As an Asian immigrant to this country, this music helps me bridge gaps between my own formative childhood experience and the improvisational nature of Black American music, which I am honored to learn from. The beauty of these cultures coming together and touching so many different groups of people, as Owen said, is amazing to behold and I am grateful to play a part in helping people experience that. Watching anime and having the music touch me on a deep level was a huge reason why I started playing in the first place, and it’s surreal to have both worlds collide with this project.

Watch a demo reel from Eternal Wind's latest show here:

Header photo credit: Mikhail Lipyanskiy

Learn more about the band on their website at eternalwindmusic.com and on Instagram @eternalwindmusic