Ensemble Mik Nawooj Explained

Ensemble Mik Nawooj is a San Francisco Bay Area-based musical group that merges classical, jazz, and hip hop styles. They are best known for The Great Integration, their "chamber hip hop opera."^{[1] [2]}

Members

Classically trained composer and pianist JooWan Kim founded Ensemble Mik Nawooj in 2005. In 2010, after 5 years of hiatus, Kim co-founded Golden Fetus Records to push the group independently.^[3]

Current members include:

• Sandman - MC
• Anne Hepburn Smith - Soprano
• Joyce Lee - Flute
• Andrew Friedman - Clarinet
• Clare Armenante - Violin
• Evan Kahn/Bridget Pasker - Cello
• Eugene Theriault - Bass
• LJ Alexander - Drums

Acclaim

The Great Integration was voted the #1 R&B/Hip-Hop album of February 2010 by Pirate Cat Radio, and the group has received acclaim from jazz artist Ahmad Jamal.^[4]

Notes and References

1. Straus, Tamera. "Heads up at Yoshi's." San Francisco Chronicle. July 22, 2010. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2010%2F07%2F22%2FDDH01EFHJP.DTL
2. Alburger, Mark. "JooWan Kim's Integration." 21st Century Music. Volume 17, Number 10. October 2010.http://21st-centurymusic.com/
3. Holt, Devin. "Composer JooWan Kim Explains Ensemble Mik Nawooj, Oakland's Hip-Hop Orchestra" SF Weekly. Sep. 6 2013. http://blogs.sfweekly.com/shookdown/2013/09/joowan_kim_waits_for_his.php
4. Malone, Rik. "A "Great Integration" of Musical Genres." KQED Arts. Aug 17, 2010. http://www.kqed.org/arts/music/article.jsp?essid=31833