* En anglais uniquement
Francis Wong has had a hand in guiding the San Francisco Bay Area Asian Improv label, along with such musicians as
Mark Izu,
Jon Jang, and the late
Glenn Horiuchi.
Wong has been a member of both
Izu and
Jang's groups. He also leads groups of his own, including the Great Wall, the eight-piece Asian Improv Arts Composers Workshop, and the trio Ming.
Wong has worked to integrate jazz and traditional Japanese and Chinese music, and is a founding member of the San Francisco Gagaku Society. As a saxophonist,
Wong acknowledges
John Coltrane,
Sonny Rollins, and
David Murray as models. He has recorded extensively for the Asian Improv label, both as a leader and sideman. ~ Chris Kelsey