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American Anxiety
Zishi Liu
Label: Self Produced
Released: 2025
Duration: 00:24:45
Views: 810
Tracks
Breathe; American Anxiety; The Death of Yue Fei; Lotus.
Personnel
Zishi Liu
saxophone
Francisco Mela
drums
Eric Hofbauer
guitar
Harold Charon
pianoBen Koh
bassHui Weng
violinThe Gaia Strings
band / ensemble / orchestraAdditional Personnel / Information
Zishi Liu (Saxophone, Composer), Francisco Mela (Drums), Eric Hofbauer (Guitar), Hui Weng (Guzheng), Harold Charon (Piano), Ben Koh (Bass), Chris Klaxton (Trumpet), Gaia String Quartet (Strings)
Album Description
Acclaimed jazz saxophonist and composer Zishi Liu unveils his latest EP, American Anxiety, a deeply personal and politically charged avant-garde jazz statement. Blending ECM-inspired improvisation with traditional Chinese musical elements, Liu crafts a striking soundscape that reflects his evolving experience as a Chinese artist in the United States. The EP will be available on Spotify, Apple Music and all major platforms, starting June 1st, 2025. From his arrival as a foreigner to his transition into American life, Liu channels the tensions, complexities, and contradictions of his journey into a sonic experience that is both personal and universal. The EP’s title track, “American Anxiety,” serves as its emotional and conceptual core, capturing uncertainty, tension, and reinvention in modern America. Each composition functions as a sonic diary, offering intimate reflections on identity, history, and cultural fusion. Liu brings together a world-class ensemble to push the boundaries of jazz and improvisation. The recording features legendary drummer Francisco Mela, acclaimed jazz guitarist Eric Hofbauer, visionary pianist Harold Charon, and rising bassist Ben Koh. The addition of Hui Weng, a guzheng virtuoso, bridges ancient Chinese traditions with contemporary jazz, while the Gaia String Quartet introduces lush orchestral textures. Veteran trumpeter Chris Klaxton completes the ensemble, delivering bold melodic statements. The fusion of avant-garde jazz with the 3,000-year-old guzheng creates an unprecedented meeting of East and West, tradition and reinvention—a soundscape that is both timeless and urgent. “I connected the dots when I heard late Coltrane and the Guqin (古琴), an ancient Chinese instrument,” says Liu. “I realized both share a free, Zen-like quality. This EP is my way of exploring how those traditions can intersect in a world of globalization, uncertainty, and self-discovery.
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