Kyungyoon John Nam is one of the leading jazz pianists in South Korea and Associate Professor of Music Production Department at Keimyung University. He has studied jazz piano at Cornell University, University of Michigan and Manhattan School of Music with Garry Dial, Ellen Rowe, Tad Weed, Molly MacMillan and has also taken lessons with Hank Jones, Mulgrew Miller, Renee Rosnes and Helen Sung. 

 

His performance credits include concerts or recordings with world-renown artists such as Jimmy Heath, Joe Chambers, Chris Potter, Vincent Herring, Rodney Whitaker, Gregory Hutchinson, Ari Hoenig, Ben Williams to name a few.  He has released 4 recordings as a leader (EMI Korea, Warner Music Korea) and has performed in various countries including Korea, U.S.A., Canada, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Malaysia, Japan and Taiwan. His latest album <Trio> [Warner Music Korea] (2010) features legendary drummer Gregory Hutchinson (Ray Brown,  Joshua Redman) and Grammy Award winning bassist Ben Williams (Pat Metheny Unity Band)

 

"Pianist John Nam​ has a great tonal sense, smart phrasing and emotional urgency in his playing"

- Marc S. Taras (Current Magazine, Michigan)

 

He has also won the Detroit Music Awards in the U.S. for Outstanding Jazz Album for his playing on Jeremy Kittel Quintet album, and he has won 2011 Korean Music Award for Best Jazz & Crossover Performance for his playing on Pangeun Lee Project “A Rhapsody in Cold Age”. (Pangeun Lee is one of the most respected jazz composers in Korean jazz history.)  

 

<Performing Experience> 

2003 San Jose Jazz Society Conference (U.S.A.)

2003 Lansing Jazz Festival (U.S.A.)

2004, 2006 Summer Solstice Jazz Festival (U.S.A.)

2005 Detroit International Jazz Festival (U.S.A.)

2005 International Society of Bassists Convention (U.S.A.)

2005 Flint Jazz Festival (U.S.A.)

2005 River Raisin Jazz Festival (U.S.A.)

2006 Birmingham Jazz Festival (U.S.A.)

2006 World Percussion Festival (Korea)

2007 Ulsan Jazz Festival (Korea)

2008, 2010, 2016 Jarasum International Jazz Festival (South Korea)

2009, 2011, 2014, 2016 Daegu Jazz Festival (Korea)

2009 Martin Zenker Quartet Tour (Germany and Belgium)

2010 World Economic Forum (Switzerland)

2011 Takatsuki Jazz Festival (Japan)

2012 Patrick Terbrack Quartet Tour (Malaysia)

2013 Sumida Jazz Festival (Japan)

2014 Mischka Seo CD Release Tour (U.S.A. and Korea)

2014, 2015 Chilpo Jazz Festival (Korea)

2015 Jazz Korea Festival (Germany, Spain)

2015, 2016 Taewha River Jazz Festival (Korea)

2016 Yongin Global Jazz Festival (Korea)

2015, 2016, 2017 One Month Festival (Korea)