Los Altos Town Crier 9/10/03 ~ ANOTHER PIANO PRODIGY IN OUR MIDST
Talent at 14 years old

Mercury News 2002 ~ A MIND FOR MUSIC
Young jazz performer, composer inspired by mentors - Article by Michael Cronk

The Jazz Buff Newsletter October/November 2003 ~ YOUNG YUMA PLAYS FOR PAJA

A MIND FOR MUSIC
Young jazz performer, composer inspired by mentors

by Michael Cronk
Mercury News 2002

Thirteen-year-old Yuma Sung daydreams a lot. And when he's at the movies, he doesn't watch as much as he listens to the music.

"I'm always thinking melodies, and I just can't get them out of my head," said the young jazz pianist and composer from Los Altos. "What inspires me to write songs is a bit difficutl to say. Sometimes an idea just pops into my head. Sometimes I develop it. Sometimes I listen. Sometimes it depends on feelings."

Yuma's mourning over the deaths of two beloved teachers - Don Haas and well-known Bay Area jazz pianist Smith Dobson - inspired him to compose "Looking Up." The piece recently won for "best original song" in the junior high school division of Downbeat Magazine's 25th annual Student Music Award program.

"They were the best teachers I ever had. Taking lessons from them was both inspiring and fun," Yuma said. "They taught me some of the very important things in music, such as musicianship."

Yuma began playing the piano at age 6 and composed his first piece, "Walking on the Cool Side," as a fifth-grader. He has become a seasoned concert performer, winning outstanding soloist and music awards from the San Jose Jazz Society and playing with jazz pianist David Benoit, one of his idols.

Yuma has won a scholarship to the organization's Jazz Goes to College summer program at San Jose State University, which offers youngsters a glimpse of college life as well as a chance to learn about jazz and improvisation. He will be performing on the Youth Stage during the AT&T San Jose Jazz Festival in downtown San Jose in August.

"Many of our kids have never been on a university campus and neither have their families," said Rob Roman, director of education and outreach for the San Jose Jazz Society. "It opens a whole new world of possibilties to them that they had not considered before."

Roman first met Yuma at a jazz camp three years ago. he said he recognized in the young man a combination of attitude and talent that would take him far.

"He really plays the piano beyond his years," said Roman. "I'm sure he's going to have a great career ahead of him."

Yuma's looking forward to making a compact disc of his songs. "I've been using tape for a long time for recording," he said.

His plans include becoming a profession pianist and sound engineer.

"My long-term goal is to compose music for the movies," he said. "Of course, I still have a long way to go, but that is what excites me."