'Godfather of Korean Jazz Music' Ipangeun Lee Passes Away

Lee Pan-geun, known as a pioneer of Korean jazz music, passed away on the 3rd at the age of 89.

First-generation jazz musician the late Lee Pan-geun. (Source: Korean Popular Music Awards website)

Lee Pan-geun gained performance experience mainly on the US 8th Army stages from the late 1950s. After forming a jazz band, he began producing jazz albums in earnest from the 1970s. In particular, he is recognized for arranging and releasing Korean folk songs and popular songs as jazz, thereby expanding the horizons of domestic jazz.

From 1985, he focused on composing and nurturing the next generation instead of performing. He taught jazz music to musicians such as Jung Won-young, Kim Kwang-min, Bom Yeoreum Gaeul Gyeoul, Lee Jeong-sik, and Yoon Hee-jung. The number of musicians who studied under Lee Pan-geun amounts to over 3,000. In recognition of these contributions, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 9th Korean Popular Music Awards.

The funeral hall is set up at Room 1 of the National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital Funeral Hall in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi Province. The funeral procession will be held at 11:30 a.m. on the 5th. The burial site is Seoul Municipal Crematorium.