Review: Stephanie Chou's AAPI HERITAGE MONTH SHOWCASE SHOW Dazzles at Joe's Pub

Composer, singer, and saxophonist Stephanie Chou returned to Joe’s Pub on May 1st, with songs in the variety of styles that Chou has made a trademark of blending together. The setlist, containing her original work as well as that of others, includes jazz, Chinese classical music, and more.

 Chou leans on her classical repertoire for the opening of the show, with "General’s Command" and "Manchurian Girl." Both are older traditional songs that Chou arranges with saxophone, a particularly inspired choice that works so naturally one would think they were originally written with the instrument in mind, speaking to her skill both as a saxophonist and a composer. Kangding Love Song, a famous and oft-reworked piece from the 1940s (and itself based on a traditional folk song of the titular region). Chou’s rendition is quite minimalistic, focusing attention on her excellent vocal performance on the tune.

Around halfway through, Chou cedes the stage for a bit to Interwoven, a string quartet with similar musical sensibilities. Their work is a mix of western and Chinese classical music, featuring Andy Lin on erhu, Keiko Tokunaga on violin, Andrew Gonzalez on viola, and Hikaru Tamaki on cello. One of their songs, written by Chou and entitled "Dragon," is an excellent blending of influences into something wholly original. Andy Lin, doing double duty as a member of this quartet as well as Chou’s band, is a particular highlight on the erhu.

Several of the more lighthearted numbers in the setlist are about food, including "Eating Grapes," a song consisting of percussion and Chou’s hypnotic chanting of a Chinese tongue twister that gets faster and more frenzied as it goes. It’s a unique and memorable number, one that stands out for its minimalistic instrumentation. By contrast, "Making Tofu" is a jazzier number about the laborious process of stirring the soybeans, one that sees Chou take a smooth sax solo partway through. "Tamale Dumplings" is another original song, one inspired by musical theater and the story of a multicultural Thanksgiving. There’s even an audience singalong portion, one that the crowd participated in enthusiastically.

"Sukiyaki" is another track named after food, although the song is from the 1960s and not about food. It’s a Japanese song made popular by the girl group Taste of Honey, who rewrote the lyrics to be about a lost love turned sour. Chou keeps the song’s downtempo nature, making it a beautifully delivered song about regret.

One of the more intense moments in the setlist is an excerpt from Chou’s larger composition entitled Comfort Girl, about the women who were systemically abused during World War II by the Japanese military. It’s a harrowing subject, one that Chou handles with delicacy, posing interesting questions of the common narrative and the historical place of the women victimized.

Chou’s work is often described as a mix of influences (east and west, old and new, etc.), but such a description misses something. Her body of work is far more than its diverse inspirations. Chou as an artist is wholly original, forging a distinct and innovative style at the confluence of her predecessors. Out of these distinct threads, Chou has woven something all her own.

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Hear some of Stephanie Chou's music and learn more about her on her website at www.stephaniechoumusic.com

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