Matt Stewart - Guitar, Amanda Pond - Flute, Chin Fei Chan - Flute & Piano, Tom Paynter - Piano & Keyboards, Jeff Magby - Drums,
Influences
"Life is input, music is output."
Sounds Like
A Chinese Itzhak Perlman (stringed instrument virtuoso) meets Bela Fleck & the Flecktones (as an old bassist, Ying likes to bring the bass out front in her own jazzy/world fusion compositions).
Here is a video of Yang Ying & band performing her composition "Uninhibited" at the 2008 Arlington World Music Festival:
Check out this video to see why a fan called Ying "Jimmi Hendrix of the Erhu" after a October 17, 2007 appearance on Chicago PBS channel WTTW11:
Yang Ying (last name first, in keeping with Chinese custom) is the former longtime erhu soloist for the premier traditional song and dance ensemble in China and the founder, bass player, and lead singer for COBRA, the first all-female rock band in China.
As an erhu soloist Ying routinely played in concert halls throughout Asia, often for Heads of State. Now in America, Ying is pursuing a dual path in music composition. Her CD Blurring Boundaries - Erhu Excursions contains her own compositions that are a fusion of many different styles of Chinese and western music, her own arrangements of traditional, signature pieces for the erhu, and a cover of the jazz classic 'Round Midnight that is exceptionally beautiful on the erhu. She is also interested in meditation and healing qualities of music, the subject of her CD Elixir - Music for Moving and Still Meditation.
Here's an appearance on Chicago PBS channel WTTW11 Centerstage show, after which the show's producer said: "Ying's virtuosity goes beyond impressive technical achievement . . . the expressive power of her playing truly transcends any challenges that might exist for an audience to experience an unfamiliar instrument . . . the audience was deeply moved by her performance." Don't miss the powerful ending of this amazing performance:
Thank you, Yang Ying, for opening the door to me :o) I like your style, very much! It will always remain a miracle to me how two strings provide such a variety of sound and can be played so virtuously... And concerning that first female Chinese rock band, COBRA - cool & courageous! Hope you don't mind if I post the footage here, so others see as well... X
Wishing you a Happy New Year. Let the future be a good year for musicians and poets, artists and all of us who can bring motion and higher spirits into our cultures. Bless You, Ray.
Yang Ying is a wonderful Erhu player and a very friendly person. Her music is full of passion.A brilliant mix of modern jazz and traditional chinese music.It's a new dimension of music.Great!!!
