Jen Shyu (Chinese: 徐秋雁; pinyin: Xúqiūyàn; born March 28, 1978) is an American experimental jazz vocalist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, dancer, and producer.[1][2][3]
Shyu's seven albums as leader or co-leader include 2011's Synastry, the first woman-led record released by Pi Recordings, and Sounds and Cries of the World (Pi 2015), reviewed favorably by The New York Times[4] and The Wall Street Journal[5] and included in annual best-of lists in both The New York Times[6] and The Nation.[7] The latter album featured Shyu's band Jade Tongue, comprising trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, violist Mat Maneri, bassist Thomas Morgan, and drummer Dan Weiss.
Shyu studied traditional music and dance in Cuba, Taiwan, Brazil, China, South Korea, and East Timor.[1] In 2013, Shyu was awarded an Asian Cultural Council Fellowship to conduct music research in Indonesia; this work culminated in 2014's Solo Rites: Seven Breaths, directed by Garin Nugroho.[8] In March 2016, Shyu premiered the multilingual music drama Song of Silver Geese.[9] A duo with MacArthur Genius Fellow Tyshawn Sorey was included in The New York Times as one of the "Best Live Jazz Performances of 2017".[10]
Recognition
Shyu has been a recipient of multiple Doris Duke Performing Artist Awards[11] and Bronx Recognizes Its Own (BRIO) Awards. Commissions have come from the MAP Fund, Jerome Foundation, Chamber Music America’s New Jazz Works,[12] and New Music USA, and Shyu has received fellowships from the Asian Cultural Council,[13] Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. In 2019, she was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship for Music Composition.[14] In 2024 Shyu was awarded the Rome Prize in Musical Composition at the American Academy in Rome.[15]