Jo-Yu Chen – Pianist & Composer
New York-based pianist and composer Jo-Yu Chen thrives at the crossroads of classical refinement and jazz improvisation. A Juilliard-trained pianist and oboist, she brings a deep, disciplined foundation to her music-only to break the rules with fearless creativity. As the first and only Taiwanese jazz artist signed to a major record label and a Steinway Artist, Jo-Yu has carved out a singular voice in contemporary jazz, blending timeless elegance with the unexpected.
After four jazz piano albums, Jo-Yu sought a new breakthrough—one that reconnected her with her classical roots. Both traditions had shaped her with equal intensity, and she was determined to fuse them in an organic way. Rather than simply juxtaposing these styles, she immersed herself in both worlds, crafting music that balances classical refinement with jazz spontaneity.
In 2023, she pushed further, dropping a String Quartet + Piano single Walking Through Fear that fused classical counterpoint with jazz’s fluid spontaneity. In 2024, she reimagined Schubert and Mozart through a jazz lens with the release of a new EP "Schubert & Mozart: Round Midnight", blending timeless classics with a modern harmonic edge, infused with unexpected echoes of the classic jazz piano trio sound. This process deepened her perspective on classical music, inspiring her next project—Rendezvous: Jazz Meets Beethoven, Tchaikovsky & More.
Among all classical composers, Beethoven stands alone as a true revolutionary—his music transcending generations. Inspired by his fearless spirit, Jo-Yu saw him as a guide for navigating today’s boundary-blurring, cross-disciplinary world. Through Rendezvous, she embraces Beethoven’s boldness, challenging herself to push beyond tradition and find new ways to bridge jazz and classical music in a world that thrives on diversity.”
The album kicks off with the release of the first single, The Nutcracker, on December 13, followed by Swan Lake on February 14. The full Rendezvous album will drop on vinyl in May 2025 on Sony Music, marking a new chapter in Jo-Yu's creative journey."
This bold reinvention follows a path Jo-Yu has been carving for years. Her 2019 Sony Music release, Savage Beauty, featuring Mark Turner, explored angular phrasing and intricate harmonies, challenging the conventions of jazz. Prior to that, her 2014 album Stranger (OKeh Records/Sony Music), with legendary guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel, garnered significant international press coverage, further solidifying her reputation in Jazz world.
Jo-Yu’s music has been spotlighted in DownBeat, Jazziz, All About Jazz, Jazz Japan, Jazzthing, Rolling Stone (France), Jazzman (France), JAZZTHETIK (Germany), Musica Jazz (Italy), and Dagbladet (Norway). She has been featured as “Star of the Month” in Jazz Japan and has received in-depth interviews in Jazz Critique (ジャズ批評) and other major international publications.
Her performances have captivated audiences at Blue Note New York, Blue Note Beijing, Steinway Hall New York, National Concert Hall Taipei, Taichung Opera House, Weiwuying Concert Hall, Bærum Kulturhus Norway, Muri Switzerland, and beyond. Known for her electrifying presence and boundary-defying artistry, her live shows are a testament to the raw energy and depth of her musical vision.
Jo-Yu’s evolution from a rigorously trained classical musician to an innovative jazz force began at The Juilliard School, where she honed her craft on both piano and oboe. Later, at The New School, she absorbed the influences of renowned artists like Jason Moran, Sam Yahel, and Kevin Hays, refining her unique voice—one that fearlessly merges tradition with the unexpected.
press quote:
Jo-Yu Chen, with her inspired pianism and her originality—as a tune-smith and an instrumentalist—is poised to rise above the dozens of very talented young players into the ranks of the elite group of piano trio artists.
- Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
柔らかい浮遊感のあるピアノ・タッチに心が癒される。 一度聴いたら虜になる不思議な魔力を持っている。
- Yasuhiro Fujioka, ジャズ 批評, Japan
Les 25 Meilleurs Disques de L'Année.
- L'Express, France
Les onze compositions personnelles formant cet album, le troisième, affirment une réelle inventivité….Une approche lunaire du clavier qui surprend pour finalement exercer la plus irrésistible des fascinations.
- Jean-Pierre Jackson, L'Express, France
Aventureux album…"Stranger" dessine en effet les contours d'un jazz conjuguant avec bonheur des influences très classiques, un zeste d'exotisme, et les improvisation les plus gonflées.
- Philippe Blanchet, Rolling Stone, France
Toucher irréprochable….qu'elle entretient des relations privilegiees avec sa section rhythmique (entre elle et son batteur, c'est quasiment télépathique.
- Jazzman, France
Souverän reiht sich Chen in die Riege junger Jazzpianisten ein, die weltweit die Grenzen zwischen klassischer Ausbildungsherkunft, regionalen Folklorismen und den Spielformen aktueller Musik aufheben.
- Josef Engels, Jazz thing, Germany
Jo-Yu Chen Stranger, 4 stars.
- Franz XA Zipperer, Jazzthetik, Germany
Il tocco di Chen e sicuro, bruno, ricco di cromatismi e di influenze diverse, compresa la classica contemporanea piu ardita (Fragments).
- Alceste Ayroldi, Musica Jazz, Italy
Da er det tydeligere at hun er velutdannet komponist. Hun klarer å lage originale smittende melodier i et melankolsk, litt mørkt sound. Som pianist er Chen både sikker, leken og temperamentsfull. Og ikke så redd for å bryte med det vakre med små og store utbrudd.
- Per Risnes, Dagens Nageringsliv, Norway
son jeu fait confiance au silence, se soucie de profondeur.
- Michel Barbey, Le Temps, Switzerland
2014 년 주목해야할, 재즈 피아니스트! 조유첸! 5 stars.
- Mnet, Korea從紐約茱莉亞音樂學院一路古典音樂科班出身到哥倫比亞大學音樂博士的高學歷，陳若玗決心打破框架，走入另一端的爵士自由世界，他可以是橫走古典音樂到爵士樂的超完美結合。
她是首位、也是唯一一位與國際大廠牌 Sony Music 簽約的台灣爵士音樂家，同時亦是 Steinway Artist。她的作品融合古典的精緻與爵士的自由，擅長運用對位語法與獨特和聲，在兩者交匯處開拓新的音樂可能性。
在發行四張爵士鋼琴專輯後，她開始重新連結自己的古典根源。2023 年，她與台灣頂尖弦樂家們合作，特邀小提琴家林品任（Richard Lin）共同錄製 Walking Through Fear，作品結合古典對位與爵士即興。2024 年，她透過爵士視角改編舒伯特與莫札特，發行全新 EP "Schubert & Mozart: Round Midnight"，在經典旋律中融入現代和聲與即興，並展現令人耳目一新的爵士鋼琴三重奏聲響。
她的最新專輯 Rendezvous: Jazz Meets Beethoven, Tchaikovsky & More 將於 2025 年 5 月由 Sony Music 黑膠發行。專輯首波單曲 胡桃鉗 於 2024 年 12 月 13 日推出，天鵝湖隨後於 2025 年 2 月 14 日發行。 在所有古典作曲家之中，貝多芬堪稱最具革命性的音樂家，他的作品跨越世代，影響深遠。受到貝多芬無畏精神的啟發，陳若玗視他為引路人，幫助自己在當今這個邊界日漸模糊、跨領域融合的時代中找到方向。透過 《Rendezvous》，她承襲貝多芬的果敢精神，挑戰自身極限，尋找在這個多元共存的世界中 連結爵士與古典的全新可能性。
她的音樂不斷挑戰傳統框架。2019 年，她發行 Sony Music 專輯 Savage Beauty，與 Mark Turner 攜手合作，以鮮明的線條感與錯綜複雜的和聲突破爵士樂的邊界。2014 年，她與傳奇吉他手 Kurt Rosenwinkel 合作推出 Stranger（OKeh Records / Sony Music），該專輯獲得國際樂評高度評價，奠定她在爵士樂壇的獨特地位。
她的音樂曾登上 DownBeat、Jazziz、All About Jazz、Jazz Japan、Jazzthing、Rolling Stone（法國）、Jazzman（法國）、JAZZTHETIK（德國）、Musica Jazz（義大利）、Dagbladet（挪威）等國際重要音樂媒體，並獲選為 Jazz Japan「Star of the Month」，接受 Jazz Critique（ジャズ批評） 等雜誌深度專訪。
她曾在 Blue Note New York、Blue Note Beijing、Steinway Hall New York、台北國家音樂廳、台中歌劇院、衛武營音樂廳、挪威 Bærum Kulturhus、瑞士 Muri 等國際舞台演出，以震撼力與不受拘束的藝術風格征服觀眾。
陳若玗，從 Juilliard古典訓練 到 The New School 受 Jason Moran、Sam Yahel、Kevin Hays 指導，她逐步形塑出融合意想不到元素的獨特音樂語彙，在當代音樂中開闢新的可能性。她不再希望被框架在古典音樂家或爵士音樂家，而是期許自己成為當代音樂家，打破疆界，創造屬於這個時代的音樂語言。
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