Just Folk: The Sajik International Folk Music Festival Introduces New Sounds

In a dimly lit backstage tent, rising country star Jeffrey Charles and international “conga dynamo” Henry Brun sat down with Gwangju News to discuss their take on music in Korea. The musicians played alongside some of the country’s most notable folk singers at the 2014 Sajik International Folk Music Festival on Saturday, August 23.

Gwangju News (GN): First of all, thanks for meeting with me, and welcome to Korea. How long have you been here and how do you like it so far?

Henry (H): We’ve only been here a couple of days but I feel like I’m back home. I was here 31 years ago, playing with the Air Force. I think the biggest difference is space. There’s so much space in Texas but Korea has only so much land.

Jeffrey (J): I love it here. I’ve gotten the full royal treatment. Really, it’s been a wonderful stay the short time we’ve had.

GN: Some of our audience may not be familiar with you as musicians. Could you talk about your background; when you started playing, what got you into music, and maybe some of your influences?

H: I started playing very young, gravitated to jazz after starting out with Latin American salsa. The moment that changed my life and my music was when I played with Bob Hope. I toured all over the world after that for some time before developing the Latin Playerz in the late 80’s. [My] influences are across the board, from Miles Davis and Charlie Parker to Barbara Mandrell and Campbell.

J: I grew up in a musical family. My dad was a drummer and my mom was a piano player. They always played Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, and Buck Owens around the house. So a lot of my influence came straight from the family and singing in church. But it wasn’t until 2000, in the Air Force, that I started playing guitar. I wanted to pick up a hobby so I just picked up the guitar and I was hooked.

The song that, I guess you could call it my breakthrough, was called “Ali Ali Al Salaam.” It’s about a soldier that goes to the [Persian] Gulf because he hears there’s a girl on every tree, but when he gets there he realizes there are no trees. The song became the base anthem and that gave me the initial push to pursue music.

GN: How did you hear about the folk festival?

H: I’m the chairman of the cultural advisory board in San Antonio, which happens to be sister cities with Gwangju. Everything that has to do with art or culture goes through my hands.

They told me Gwangju was putting together an international festival and were looking for something very specific. They wanted a country set and Jeffrey was the first name that came to mind. I got a call 24 hours after sending his stuff and they said ‘we love him.’ And uh… here we are.

Do you know why they were interested in a country singer?

H: A rep from Gwangju came to San Antonio and loved hearing country music during his stay.

GN: The fact that we have both country and jazz musicians here in one venue is kind of a big deal. Both of these genres receive relatively little exposure here, especially so for country, so this is a case of a new cultural experience. What do you think about that?

J: We were saying earlier that music bridges friendships. So I think if you go out and say, “Here I am, I want to introduce you to this music,” and are sincere about it, people will recognize that. We have a very international set, because Latin jazz is his home base, and country is mine. When you put the two together it brings an international flavor, which is what this festival is kind of about. I think people will enjoy it.

H: I look forward to these opportunities. We have to go for what hasn’t been done and see how far we go, that’s the whole point of our collaboration.

GN: For an audience that has possibly never heard the kind of sounds you are bringing, what would you like them to take from it?

H: I want them to take an experience away from it all. Something they can look back on later.

J: I hope people enjoy the music and feel something, whatever it is, after the time we’re on the stage.

GN: Do you know much about Korean music? Do you like K-Pop?

H: I do like K-Pop. While I do respect their integrity, I don’t see it as something that I would call a musician’s music. I learned to recognize this only years after doing music. But, you have to keep an open mind with all music. A musician is someone who needs to get on the stage and play whatever it is, right there and then. K-Pop artists do this very well.

J: It’s fun – good energy and good beat. Actually, I’m a big fan of PSY. What I love most about him are the visuals he brings. His videos are full of color and movement. It’s very entertaining and reminds me of American pop.

GN: Do you see yourselves returning to Korea or East Asia anytime soon?

H: I’d love to get something bigger over here, particularly in Gwangju. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for any opportunities that might get us back here.

J: I’d be thrilled to play in South Korea anytime they’re willing to have us.

You can find their work and tour information here:

http://www.jeffreycharlesmusic.com/

http://www.henrybrun.com/