Helen Sung showcases her newest project, ‘Sung’ With Words

Pianist/composer Helen Sung hails from Houston, TX, where she attended the High School for the Performing & Visual Arts.  Now based in New York City, Sung has worked with a “Who’s Who” in Jazz, including the late Clark Terry, Ron Carter, Wayne Shorter, Wynton Marsalis, and MacArthur Fellow Regina Carter.

Like many of New York’s top jazz pianists today (including Jason Moran, Robert Glasper, and James Francies), Helen Sung grew up in Houston, Texas and attended the Houston High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSVPA).

Sung’s latest project is a collaboration with the poet and former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, Dana Gioia. Sung With Words (released 9/14 on Stricker Street Records) is the pianist’s first recording to feature all original music. There are tracks for which Gioia’s poems serve as lyrics, as well as instrumental compositions inspired by words. Supported by a “New Jazz Works” grant from Chamber Music American and the Doris Duke Foundation, Sung and her group will premiere this work at The Jazz Gallery on Thursday, December 17th.

Check out the interview with Helen on Blow , where she discussed with host Matt in more detail about the process of Sung With Words, and shared a bit of her background and journey with us (from going from her classical roots to her new found sound of jazz).

Helen Sung on piano