Editor’s note: A previous version of the online article stated that the music of good luck rabbits combines English with Cantonese, but we have corrected it to reflect that the music is in English and Mandarin.
Josh Hou is a local Seattle accordionist, pianist, and composer. His music is a reflection of his multicultural background, growing up in The United States, China, and Malaysia. Hou creates music solo, with the Josh Hou Trio, and most recently, has collaborated with Shuxuan Zhou, on a project called 雙兔吉祥 good luck rabbits.Their first single, “炎熱的天 Hot Day,” is available on Bandcamp; the rest of the self-titled three-track EP was released on November 18th.
Mixing English and Mandarin, Josh Hou explores themes of nostalgia, history, diaspora, and language. When asked about how these themes show up in his music, Josh described his song “Bilingualism,” from his 2019 album of the same title.
The song “begins with Chinese-inspired sequences, which are slowly taken over by a more western jazz style,” said Hou. “The two play with each other throughout, until the end, when the western influence is much more pronounced.”
This is a clear metaphor for Hou’s life and experience: he was born in the US, spent his childhood in China and Malaysia, and later returned to the US. By drawing on personal experiences, he creates something that reverberates widely. Some of his songs are very directly exploring home and diaspora, but “every song is different,” he said.
When asked about the collaboration process, Hou explained that it depends on the song. “Sometimes they will write something, and I will be inspired to compose behind it, or I will write something and they will write the lyrics,” he shared.
He also emphasized that “poetry in English is difficult, I am so impressed by anyone who can write a poem in one language, let alone in two.”
Others of his songs invoke powerful images. His song “Too bad it’s all a Sea of fog”, for example, was inspired while on a hike with his wife.
“We reached the top and were met with just a sea of white, and my wife turned to me and said, ‘可惜都係一片霧海’, or, ‘Too bad it’s all a sea of fog,’ in Cantonese,” shared Hou. “I just had to put it in a song; I thought it was so poetic.”
This song starts with an ostinato—a repeating riff—to elicit the feeling of seeing something just beyond your reach.
“The mountains were there, and we could see them just barely poking out in the distance, but the dense fog made it look like just a sea of white, and it was beautiful anyways,” shared Hou.
History of jazz and Asian Americans
Jazz music emerged from Black communities as a tool of social change—a language to explore and discuss ideas of racial segregation, spirituality, and civil rights. This history is apparent in modern jazz, as it addresses new sets of issues, and continues to break boundaries to reflect a modern America.
The Josh Hou Trio performs at the Zig Zag Cafe every other Monday. Hou shared, “I found after many of my gigs folks would come up and say things like, ‘My grandma used to play that song,’ but they were usually white and very rarely Asian, and I wanted that for Asian people… where is our stuff?”
A huge part of Hou’s career has been arranging nostalgic Chinese pieces and bringing them to Seattle audiences. His work toys with current events, ideas, and ephemeral human emotions, feelings of home, and the longing that comes with the experience of calling a place home, but being reminded often that even “home” may not be where you are fully welcome.
Hou’s work exemplifies the next generation of the Seattle music scene, which emphasizes the importance of music and art to engage and explore difficult discussions, comes out of immigrant communities, and is filled with love and culture.
Dani Madan is a storyteller, painter, writer, and aspiring journalist from Seattle,Washington. She believes strongly in connecting, exploring truths through narrative, and the role of writing in shaping the world. She loves to write, get creative, and spend time outside when not doing the other two things.
