The musical life story of Choi Sun-bae, the first generation trumpet player in Korean jazz

This paper examines Choi Sun-bae’s musical philosophy and influence on later generations based on his oral records. Choi Sun-bae (崔善培) is a first-generation trumpet player of Korean jazz, and his musical life had a profound influence on the formation and development of Korean jazz history. He encountered jazz through AFKN radio broadcasting in the 1950s, acquired it in his own unique way, and left important traces on Korean jazz culture. In particular, through his various performance experiences in the music scene, including the US 8th Army stage where he was active, we confirmed traces of his life of learning and humility in a wide range of human relationships as well as musical skills. Researching and recording Choi Sun-bae’s musical life is important for understanding the process of jazz acceptance in Korean popular music history, and is an important academic work that explains how jazz, a Western music genre, permeated Korean popular music. Therefore, this paper examines Choi Sun-bae’s life, musical philosophy, and influence on later generations to contribute to recording his influence on the Korean jazz scene as well as popular music in general. Awards, album releases, performance records, press releases, etc. were organized, but materials prior to the 2000s and especially materials related to Japanese performances need to be supplemented. His musical life was a process of creative expression that transcended personal hardships, and he contributed to shaping the future of Korean jazz by passing on the essence of jazz to his juniors. This study analyzed Choi Sun-bae’s life through an oral history approach, categorizing and naming it into four categories: sound (音), Suffering/Enjoying (惡/樂), human (人), and connection (連). Through Choi Sun-bae’s life history, the upper concepts of his life values and musical philosophy were derived: ‘challenge,’ ‘freedom,’ and ‘humility.’ Choi Sun-bae’s musical life, which is currently in progress, deserves to be recorded, preserved, disseminated, and inherited, and continuous support for oral history research by other senior musicians is needed.