This performance will feature a newly commissioned piece by Jon Jang along with a selection of his previous work. The new composition, titled Talk With My Hands, explores Jang’s musical and personal development during his college years in the 1970s, highlighting the influence that martial arts and Bruce Lee had on him while navigating Oberlin Conservatory as one of its only Asian American students.

The performance is part of a retrospective series of Jang’s life and music that will occur throughout 2026, including the recording and release of a studio album and a digital archive of previously unreleased live recordings.

Program: Gym Activities from Talk with My Hands (world premiere) The Ballad or the Bullet? Jasmine Among the Magnolias (dedicated to Frederick Douglass and Blanche Kelso Bruce) Eleanor Bumpurs (dedicated to Greg Morozumi) Butterfly Lovers Song (traditional Chinese, arr. Jang)

Featured Musicians: Francis Wong (tenor and soprano saxophone) Erika Oba (piano, flute) Chris Trinidad (electric bass, synth) Ryan Ancheta (trumpet) (CMC Alumni) Kevin Amos (drums, percussion, wok) Jon Jang (narrator)