Words about Mina

     Album Review, Jazz People, South Korea (July 2016)
     "What is interesting about Mina Cho's album is that there is no particular genre dominant in each track but various genres merge into a new, innovative, and evolving creation"

     Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC) Concert Review, South Korea (May 2016)
http://www.penews.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=2139

     CJ Culture Foundation Interview (May 2016)
     "A Bright Jazz Story of Mina Cho"
http://blog.naver.com/PostView.nhn?blogId=cjculture_azit&logNo=220729680305&redirect=Dlog&widgetTypeCall=true

      The Montclair Times (May, 2014)
      "For Cho, playing music that underscores the connection to the audience is a natural progression from what happens when people come up to her after the show and tell her how her music reminds them of their own lives."

      Fred Hersch, World Renown Pianist and Composer (November, 2013)
      "Her philosophical / spiritual emphasis in her music places her in a very special category, and I think she has the potential to be a unique musical voice."

      The Montclair Times (June, 2013)
      "There is something profound about what she does. The religious experience is not unlike a musical experience. The way Cho says so much with a few words and notes is very Asian. Her music is purifying."

      The New Yorker (March, 2013) 
      "The song she played, tentatively, but with determination, was called Simply Love You."

      DownBeat, Best CDs of the Year of 2011 (January, 2012)

      DownBeat (January, 2011)
      "She is a musician of the first order and can already take her place as a significant player."

      Vintage Guitar Magazine (December, 2010)
      "I like a Turtle, from her Blink Music debut, Originality, is a spirited marriage of jazz and gospel."

      Jazz Times (October, 2010)
      "Mina Cho blends stunning technique and harmonic sophistication on her distinctive debut as a leader. Cho stirs up a rich musical gumbo."

      Boston Globe (September 28th, 2010)
      "It was a pair of musical revelations that exposed the young woman, who as a child in Korea had the ambition to become a world-famous classical pianist, first to the emotional force of gospel, and then to the beauty and improvisational potential of South American folk music"

       Boston Phoenix (September, 2010)
       "Mina Cho's Originality, in which the young pianist shows on unselfconscious hunger for a mix of forms and formats."

      IAE Magazine (June-August, 2010)
      "After watching and listening to Mina Cho play live via her website it became very clear that she is by far one of the most gifted pianists to touch the black and whites. One listen and you’ll see exactly why this Seoul, South Korea native and Berklee College of Music grad deserves your attention.”

       Boston Herald (April 12th, 2010)
       “From the time she sat down at a keyboard at 3, Mina Cho’s path in life was directed by a gift that became the desire of her heart.”

        All About Jazz (July, 2010)
        “A 2009 Summa Cum Laude graduate of Berklee, with a degree in Film Scoring and Jazz Composition, Mina assembled an international cast of collaborators for the new album, all of whom she met while at Berklee: the young saxophonist Andrew Halchak, guitarist Shu Odamura, South Korean bassist Sam J.C. Lee, and the Venezuelan-born drummer Mario Rodriguez, who shares her reverence for Leo Blanco.”

      The Urban Music Scene (July, 2010)
      “Pianist Mina Cho was on track for a dazzling classical career when she first encountered gospel music as a university student in her native Seoul. She sought private study of her new passion, which led her to jazz, a scholarship at Berklee College of Music, and the recording of her first CD. The aptly-titled disc, "Originality," reflects Cho’s distinctive pan-American perspective and singular voice as pianist and composer. It will be released on Blink Music on September 7.”

      Midwest Record Entertainment (August, 2010)
      “Cho is the latest to step up, and rather than give us her interpretation of the Blue Note/Verve sound, she checks in with post civil rights/pre-jazz/rock Impulse jazz, and she knows the territory well.  Bringing the vibe forward in fine fashion, Cho is a first class piano cooker that more than capably brings it all home.  A super find for progressive jazz tastes that don’t mind some of the rougher edges of the original sanded down to make it more palatable but no less challenging.”

      Indie-Music.com, “Top 25 Nominees” (Finalist, 2010)

      Indie-Music.com CD Review (July, 2010)
      “Berklee-trained Korean pianist may describe herself as shy, but that must be in realms other than her music. The words “articulate”, “forthright”, “confident” and “supremely imaginative” spring to mind when listening to her new album "Originality.” This music reassures us that it's still possible to have a vibrant spirit in a world where color and life seem at a premium. After listening to "Originality", one is inspired to not merely engage the world but explore it in all its delicious detail.”

      Ken Pullig, Jazz Composition Chair of Berklee College of Music
     "This is a listening treat!  These sonic inventions are intricate in their melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic development.  At times I am reminded of the beauty of Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond, as these unique and wonderful textures unfold to reveal the creative personalities of the musicians performing.  A joyful exuberance abounds as the diverse styles (Latin, Jazz, and Classical) are blended together to create a truly enjoyable musical journey."

      Tim Lukas, Producer of Blink Music
      "Mina's music is fresh.  Being grounded in a wide variety of jazz, her compositions are like journeys to different exotic places, each piece offering its own flavor, some wild fervor, some a hard hitting yet playful groove, others more melancholic but all emotionally rewarding.  As a pianist, Mina commands the piano with great skill.  Her playing exudes joy, playfulness and vitality while providing plenty of space for her sidemen to shine. " 

      Leo Blanco, World Renown Jazz Pianist/Composer/Professor
      “Mina's compositions and piano playing and soloing incorporate a level of sophistication, grace, and raw power while being totally unique. She has the heart of a true improviser and contemporary jazz musician, but has also mastered music from other styles, such as South American and Afro-Caribbean. This gives her a totally unique status in the contemporary music scene.”

      Dan Carlin, former Film Scoring Chair of Berklee College of Music
      “ Jazz musicians in particular exercise in a dialectical interaction that requires those performing simultaneously to speak the same language. And when the language is difficult, the challenge is both greater and more rewarding when realized. Mina Cho succeeds in this paradigm, and it is both a pleasure and a gift to have her with us.”

      Terri Hinte, Music Publicist
      “In my 35-plus years as a music publicist, I have had the privilege of working alongside and on behalf of many remarkable musicians. The roster of pianists alone, for example, has included Bill Evans, Tommy Flanagan, Hank Jones, Stanley Cowell, Patrice Rushen, George Cables, and McCoy Tyner. I believe that Mina Cho has the gifts and the capacity to establish her own unique place as a recording artist, a performer, and a composer in a very competitive field. There is no one quite like her.”

      Rebecca Cline, Jazz Pianist/Professor/Bandleader of “Obbini Tumbao” and “Enclave”
      “Mina Cho is an esteemed colleagueas a strong, collaborative and versatile pianist and composer in the Boston music community. I met Min through our similar stylistic preferences for jazz and Latin jazz, and our common instrument: the piano.  I take inspiration as a composer from the way she draws on diverse sources form throughout Latin America, North America, and beyond to create a personal style of music that is full of energy and finesse.”

      Rhiannon, World Re-known Vocalist
      “I felt immediately not only her extraordinary skill, but a refreshing commitment to each exercise and uniquely creative approach to the demanding tasks I was asking of her.”

      David Scott, Jazz Vocalist/Pianist/Professor/Leader of the Vocal Group “Syncopation”
      “Her technical facility on the piano is outstanding.  She is always the most prepared member of the group from week to week.  She is able to help me direct the group whenever I ask because of her deep musical understanding.  And she is highly expressive of the emotion of the pieces we perform.”

      Jazz Corner (July, 2010)

      Somerville Arts Council (June, 2010)

      The Medford Transcript, “City Bulletins” (February, 2010)

      Wicked Local Medford (February, 2010)

      The Medford Transcript, “City Bulletins” (February, 2009)

      The Arlington Connection (February, 2008)

      The Medford Transcript, “City Bulletins” (February, 2008)

      World New Info (July, 2010)

      Top Gospel (July, 2010)

      Shadoplay, “An Original Calgary Jazz/World Band” (July, 2010)

      StreetInsider.com (July, 2010)

      Urban Fun (April, 2010)

      AmericanTowns.com, “Somerville” (April, 2010)

      CD Baby (April, 2010)

      OutboundMusic.com, Internet Radio Station (July, 2010)

      Somerville Community Baptist Church Monthly Newspaper (April, 2010)