While many other musicians have picked up the guitar as a way of playing music, Sung-Eun Kim was picking it up to create his own style of jazz. It was the musical style of jazz that gave Sung-Eun (SE) Kim the musical outlet he was looking for when the musician was interested in creating his own music. Soon, he was not only playing the guitar, he was classically trained on it.

After receiving the training on the instrument, (SE) Kim was quickly putting together the (SE) Kim Trio. The (SE) Kim Trio consists of Sung-Eun (SE) Kim on guitar, Woo-Young Kim on bass and Nick Anderson on drums. It is this trio of musicians that just released the album entitled “Moment”.

As the leader of the ensemble, (SE) Kim allows the listener to hear just a little bit of his talent, as he plays the songs he has written with the passion of an artist. It is Kim’s talent that makes songs like “You Are Free To Go” definite nominees for repeat listening.

“Moment” from the (SE) Kim Trio is a jazz release that allows all three of the musicians in the group to shine. Although it is the (SE) Kim Trio and Sung-Eun leads the songs with his guitar playing, both Woo-Young Kim and Nick Anderson get their turns at taking solos in the songs: as on the songs “150,” (SE) quiets his guitar to a whisper as he allows his band mates to take a few minutes to show off their abilities. This makes the band’s release of “Moment” a real “band” effort. While the three-man ensemble of guitar, bass and drums is rarely used today as the makeup for a group that plays jazz, the (SE) Kim Trio has just that makeup. With the (SE) Kim Trio, it’s only Sung-Eun, Woo-Young and Nick creating the music. For that reason alone, the sound of the group is fresh in today’s musical climate where a jazz ensemble usually has not only the guitar, bass and drums, but also keyboards and horns.

As “Moment” by the (SE) Kim Trio is a jazz release, part of the magic for jazz is to allow the band to create the music as they are recording. No overdubs are usually used. The songs on this release were recorded in only two days, which allowed the musicians to produce a CD that feels as if the band was live in concert.

Sung-Eun Kim and the rest of the (SE) Kim Trio feel as if they have been performing together for many years. The music on the band’s release of “Moment” gives the impression that the musicians are very comfortable with each other…..almost “relaxed”. It is this “relaxed” feeling amongst the three musicians that contributed to the band creating songs that went over the five-minute mark.

When Sung-Eun Kim put the (SE) Kim Trio together, he made the right decision with Woo-Young Kim and Nick Anderson as band mates And lengthy songs aside, the Trio’s playing and improvising on “Moment” have created music that is sure to please any fan of guitar-driven jazz music. When you get the chance, take some time and check out “Moment” from the (SE) Kim Trio.

Reviewed By Matheson Kamin

Matheson Kamin, Reviews Fade, SeKim Trio

SE, Kim is a graduate of The Berklee School Music with a Masters in Jazz Performance from NYU’s Tisch School.  He is a regular performer on the greater Metropolitan New York Jazz scene, performing at venues such as The Blue Note, the Plaza Hotel and The Desmond Tutu Center.  Kim has played or worked with the likes of John Scofield, Joe Lovano, Kenny Werner and George Garzone.  His style of play is mellow jazz, with guitar tendencies not too distant from folks like Scofield, Pat Metheny and occasionally even Bill Frisell.  His band, the Se Kim Trio, recently released their debut CD, Moment.  Let’s check it out!

Moment opens with 150, a mellow jazz guitar journey nearly eight minutes in length.  Se Kim plays with mild distortion and a congenial demeanor that shines through his music.  Listeners might almost divine that Kim isn’t so much as writing or playing on 150 as he is channeling some vital musical communication from the universe.  Kim crosses over from his mellow, almost supper-club jazz stylings during longer compositions to try out experimental and acid jazz detours, but generally returns to the more genteel styles before closing out each song.  Hope You Know sticks a bit closer to a classic mellow jazz sound.

Night Light has a very active melody line for this tempo.  Listeners who’ve yet to notice might realize here how ever-present Kim’s guitar is on his trio’s recordings.  The guitar is always the primary voice in each phrase of each song, with drums and bass relegated to providing a framework for Kim’s noodling.  While Kim is very accomplished as a jazz guitarist, it would be nice to hear the other instruments take center stage once in a while, even if it’s just to change things up a bit.  Maybe It’s Better This Way returns to the supper-club sound with a Latin Jazz twist in one of the most melodically pleasant songs on the disc. 

West 4th captures the spirit of Greenwich Village perfectly in song.  There’s a funky “different drummer” feel to this composition that’s distinctive compared to the rest of the album.  You Are Free To Go ranges a bit more towards a pop sound, with Kim sounding a bit like Eric Johnson stylistically (if Johnson played Jazz).  Direction sounds like a song that was perhaps written with a vocal in mind.  It’s more of a musical frame than a full composition where the melody is implied rather than expressed.  The Se Kim Trio closes out with Jam, a musical daydream that noodles along at unexpected and unpredictable lengths.

Se Kim is a highly talented musician with a great ear for melody.  I think he tries to do too much on Moment.  Kim’s guitar is always front and center, turning the trio into a soloist with two backup musicians.  The guitar and bass here are more than competent, and with a bit more range in their roles could add significant creative tension and release into the process for SE Kim.  Kim is good enough to avoid this most of the time, but there is a tendency to drone on at times for the need to fill space with sound.  The interplay of equal roles between musical voices can turn a good album into a great one; a great one into a legend.  From a writing standpoint Kim certainly has a gift, and he didn’t get through Berklee and NYU as a performer without a certain level of talent, but the ability to share the spotlight will turn Kim into a great songwriter and performer.  For now, Moment is a great listen.

Reviewed By Wildy Haskell

Reviews, Wildy Haskell Moment, SeKim Trio

When I listen to instrumental music, I’m often drawn to the title of the piece – then after listening to the piece I ask how close it felt to the given title.  I will admit I’m not sure what the first track titled “150” means, a nice bluesy trio piece, but whether I can match the title with the song, this piece surely works.  “Maybe It’s Better This Way”, is a sweet samba with acoustic guitar falling in & out of the arrangement during the lead melody, which comps the electric lead.  The distorted sound style of Sung-Eun’s lead with the contrast of acoustic guitar comping is nice – the Yin & the Yang if you will – it works for me.

The cd is full of nice originals, and I will admit my favorite is a piece titled, “3 AM”- a lovely guitar intro which develops into a duet between Sung-Eun on Guitar and Anderson on Drums.  Both players are in the moment in a lovely way.

My intuition tells me this recording was pretty much done in a “studio live” way, with very little over-dubbing.  The energy is nice and the project was nicely recorded and mixed.

Reviewed By Steve Barta

Reviews, Steve Barta Moment, SeKim Trio

Jazz and jam fans, may I introduce you to the profoundly talented SE Kim and the SE Kim Trio. This is one jazz guitarist who will be soon crowding jazz greats such as John Scofield and rock guitarists such as Keller Williams from their well-earned pedestals. A graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston where he studied jazz and the New York University where he earned a Masters in jazz performance, Kim is a bright new talent on the East Coast. 

Like many young guitarists, Kim was first influenced by rock and blues, which coaxed him to pick up the guitar at 15. Today, those stylings still creep into his work. But it is his deep devotion to jazz that has allowed him to expand his musical palette with restrain but with some emotional daring.

On his debut CD, Moment, Kim’s exceptional guitar work is supported by two equally talented musicians. Creative bass work is handled by Woo-Young Kim, and inventive drumming is produced by Nick Anderson. The seven tracks, all Kim’s compositions, are definitely not ego-driven guitar exercises that leave his bandmates in his shadow. There is a very definite sense of equality in the performance as if Kim built in places where the other members of the band could shine—or, in the custom of jazz, he allowed his bandmates a bit of latitude in fleshing out his work. That call can’t be made from listening to the CD, but would have to come from Kim himself.

“Night Light,” in particular, has some very tasty drum work. But even it is thoughtful and added as beautiful enhancements instead of Gene Krupa grandstanding. For that reason, Anderson is really a drummer’s drummer because he listens well.

Many tracks, including “Maybe It’s Better This Way,” also let Woo-Young Kim’s bass resonate. It is not just as another rhythm instrument to keep the band on track, but adds a distinctive voice, almost as another guitar voice, filling in areas in between what Kim does on electric guitar.

The track, “You Are Free to Go,” is more about ambient guitar with counterpointal touches of drums and cymbals. This time the bass is a drone in the background allowing this conversation to occur between Anderson and Kim. That’s quite usual because many times guitarists will “talk” back and forth with their bassists or a horn player, but not with a drummer. During part of this conversation, the bass steps back and let’s all of this take place. Frankly, I’ve never heard anything quite like this in jazz circles or in jam circles, where just about any kind of musical conversation is permitted.

Moment is definitely not a CD to showcase Kim’s guitar, just allowing the bass and drums to support his noodling. This is most assuredly a well-crafted album of complete compositions for a trio. And, it is executed by three young talents who will soon become jazz and jam masters. The next step is to get this trio on the road, playing at festivals and other venues where fans listen as closely as this trio does to each other and who will be eager to groove with their inventiveness. 

Reviewed By Janie Franz

Janie Franz, Reviews Moment, SeKim Trio