Improvising on the Pipa
The pipa—a four-stringed, lute-like instrument—has a history in Chinese traditional music stretching back nearly 2,000 years, at least to the Han Dynasty. The instrument’s legacy in jazz, however, is considerably shorter. Since her arrival in the United States almost 30 years ago, Min Xiao-Fen has been a pioneer in integrating her ancient instrument with modern jazz and improvised music.
Bridging Eastern and Western sound worlds does come with challenges, but at this stage in her career Min largely shrugs them off. “If you asked me 10 years ago I might feel it was a struggle,” she said over the
