An ethnomusicology graduate from ucla, vocalist
alice tong can sing a song
straight ahead, meld it with instruments from
various cultures around the world, or transform it
through improvisation. one of her previous shows @
the balcony included an indian percussive
instrument, the tabla, adding
a twist to jazz standards. she has had the pleasure
of sharing the stage with a roster of extremely
talented musicians during her performances at the
balcony: jazz guitarist isaac
darsche, jazz pianist grant
peters, bassists miguel
sawaya and selena traylor,
saxaphonist billie harris,
drummer mark san fillipo,
percussionist miles shrewsbery,
trumpeter ben adamson, and
many more. you never know who might show up to bring
an interesting mix to the evening!
(Profile obtained from
http://www.cafebalcony.com/music/alicetong.htm)
INTERVIEW ::
PA: Hi Alice and
thank you so much for accepting to do this interview
with us. Can you please briefly describe yourself
and the world you are living in?
Alice: Sure, thanks to you and PlaneteAsiat/Jizo-Entertainment
for all the great work you are doing for the Asian
American arts community as well. I am a singer,
songwriter, activist, and social worker. I choose to
take on all these roles because I believe we are
living in a world
where injustices and oppression are taking place
every day, and I feel alive when I am helping
society and individuals using my musical, academic,
and physical abilities. I feel truly blessed to have
been given the many privileges I hold as a 2nd
generation Chinese-American woman having lived in
California, New York, Arizona, Missouri, and Taiwan.
Currently, I just graduated from Columbia University
with my Masters in Social Work, and am planning to
move to San Francisco
to continue both social justice work and music.
PA: When did you discover that you had a
talent for singing?
Alice: My mother says that she saw it before
I even went to preschool, when I used to stand on
the balcony and sing to the neighbors in Missouri.
However, I was quite shy as I grew up in Arizona and
Taiwan, and feel like I was a closet singer until
high school, when I joined a rock band with a few
friends and began to feel less inhibited about using
my voice without limitations.
PA: Why did you choose Jazz music as your
music genre and not pop, R&B and etc?
Alice: I chose Jazz music for my last album
because I felt that it offered melodic freedom
within interesting chordal structures. Specifically,
I fell in love with Jazz ballads because I felt that
they were able to reach a certain depth of emotion
without being over-produced, which unfortunately a
lot of pop/rock music seems to be these days.
Listening to some of my favorite "neo-soul" singers,
such as Eryka Badu and Jill Scott also inspired me
to go back to the roots of pop/rock music, which
also led me to blues and jazz. Academically, I
majored in Ethnomusicology (World
Music) at UCLA for my BA, so Jazz was a free enough
musical form that I felt could combine with other
genres and cultures of music.
PA: What is Jazz music to you?
Alice An art-form that incorporates
improvisation within a structure that can serve as
another language in itself. There really are many
different types of Jazz and fans of Jazz for that
matter. The kind of Jazz I like is sincere, earthy,
creative, and melodically and/or chordally
interesting. The kind I don't like is cheesy,
pretentious, and/or meant to show off rather than to
express oneself or connect with people.
PA: You have mentioned in another article
that you use singing as a therapy to help you fight
your emotional problems and daily troubles. Does it
still hold true today?
Alice: It does still hold true today, but now
more so in terms of writing my own lyrics and music.
Having a creative outlet to process and express
personal, societal, and political issues is very
therapeutic and I believe the personal feelings that
musicians put in their music is often what leads to
a meaningful connection with the listener.
PA: Who are your foremost musical influences?
Alice: I think I have a range of them, but
here are some. For Jazz: Cassandra Wilson, Billie
Holiday, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis,
Bill Evans. For songwriting and jamming out: Tracy
Chapman, Jack Johnson, Sarah McLachlan, Rachael
Yamagata, Coldplay, Aimee Mann, Erykah Badu, Jill
Scott, Angie Stone, and Lauryn Hill.
PA: I am going to be honest: I had never
heard of Alice Tong until I randomly landed on an
article on you. You have such a tremendous talent
and such a soulful voice? Why haven't we heard more
of you?
Alice: Well, as you could tell from the
answer to your first question, I have a passion for
learning and using all my facilities as a human
being to have a positive effect on society and the
community. Focusing only on the music scene was
feeling too limiting to me as a singer and
songwriter, so I took 2 years to go to Columbia
University in New York and ground myself in what is
going on in our world, our government, our policies,
our communities, and the multiple ways we not only
as artists, but as individuals can make an impact on
improving humanity and broadening our perspective of
the world.
PA: It looks like there has been a revived
interest in Jazz music and a good example of this
would be Michael Buble phenomenal succes? What is
your opinion on it?
Alice: I think the music industry comes and
goes in waves when it comes to different genres of
music. Current events, artist timing, image, and
connections all play a part as well in determining
an artist's success. I am not that familiar with
Michael Buble, so I am not sure what specific
reasons may have led to his success. Overall, I hope
that the public embraces music that touches them in
some way rather than limiting themselves to only
certain genres of music or what the media deems
popular at the time.
PA: Would you consider yourself as being part
of the so called "asian american Jazz movement"?
Alice: In some ways I guess I could be
considered part of this movement, but these days it
seems like it mostly depends on what song I happen
to be singing. I am cautious about being labeled as
a "Jazz singer" because that is just one of the many
genres of music that I have connected with, rather
than the only one. For example, when I was in a rock
band, people compared me to Alanis Morrisette; and
when I was in a hip-hop band, people compared me to
Eryka Badu. I like
to remain flexible as an artist, and as I grow
musically as a singer/songwriter, I hope to be able
to
incorporate multiple genres into my music.
PA: Do you have any certain theories on
improvising and music in general?
Alice: For me, improvising is about taking
risks by going off the beaten path. I think it is
easiest when you are working with people you like
and trust. This seems to hold true in music, work,
and in life. I think musical improvising should be
like playing around with friends- a free and
supportive environment where you can let your
creativity out without feeling judged. Of course, as
an artist you may always be being judged, so one
needs to have a certain confidence in themselves and
their skills, which comes from the inside as well as
having been reinforced with experience. Improvising
is also about being flexible with whatever you're
working with. I remember Louis
Armstrong saying if he played the wrong note once,
he would just play it again, and it would become a
pattern. Essentially, when improvising I think one
needs to not be afraid of making mistakes and have
trust in their instincts to lead them somewhere new
and exciting.
PA: What is the most memorable day of your
life?
Alice: Wow, this is a huge question. I am
usually horrible at answering questions about
something being my favorite or "the most" of
anything, so I will just say that one of the most
enjoyable parts of my day today was lying down next
to my dog and watching him sleep.
PA: Are you working on any kind of specific
project? Maybe a future tour or a movie soundtrack?
Alice: My most recent musical project was
writing a few songs for a movie called "American
Fusion," an Asian American film that has been in the
independent film circuit. I was very busy with
school in NY, but now that I am done, I hope to
continue writing more original songs and hopefully
record them in the near future.
PA: Thank you Alice. Good luck to you and
your beautiful music.
Alice: Thank you as well Jay. Readers can
feel free to go to
blacklava.net
to listen to music samples and purchase my last CD
if they would like as well.
