Jienan Yuan

1473.35 is Jienan Yuan’s (aka ME!) ‘Your Wave Persists’

“Your Wave Persists’ began an act of remembrance - to honor the memory of those I’ve lost that eventually emerged into a collection of sounds that I hope can help listeners process loss in their own lives. The older I get, the more I become aware that one of the key catalysts for connectivity between all people is loss - how it binds us but also, how we process it and eventually, hopefully, learn to keep moving on.

I kneejerk dismiss any artwork that professes to be a tool to help cope with life and yet, I hope this album can provide some kind of solace for someone. What can you do, the kind of purposeful art that makes me instantly cringe is exactly what I put out into the world. But it is what it is - working on these tracks helped me so I hope they can help you.

A few more thoughts:

Of the twelve, four tracks were commissioned for dance/performance pieces and as always, it was a thrill to develop them to support an artist’s creative vision and I thank Cheng, Aimee, and Okyoung and Caroline for honoring me with their request.

Two of the four short ‘Chant’ piano pieces were written for Winston, Sanford’s younger brother, and my dear Baby Bear, Biscuit, and Jibbees. Sometimes, when it’s late at night, when I’m coming up the stairs, that old magical thinking kicks in and I feel my heart skip hoping against hope that I’ll see him dreaming on his favorite sofa. I miss his ornery personality, I miss his warmth - most of all, I miss how much he loved Jaime. His world, he just adored her.

The final two songs ‘Zufumu’ and ‘Of This Light’ are dedicated to the memory of my grandparents - this life and all we carry, it was born of the light of my elders and ancestors.

Finally, thank you all for your support and taking the time to listen to ‘Your Wave Persists’. It really does mean the world to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Your Wave Persists, by Jienan Yuan 12 track album