Owen Chen / Eternal Wind — Press Kit
Press & Media

Owen Chen / Eternal Wind

New York City

Studio Ghibli music reimagined as cinematic jazz. The Ghibli Collection — out now on OA2 Records.

Owen Chen — bandleader, guitarist Label: OA2 Records (Origin Records) Released: March 20, 2026 Web: eternalwindmusic.com
Eternal Wind performing at Brooklyn's Red Pavilion — band shot under stage lights. Photo: Mikhail Lipyanskiy.

Listen / Watch

Live demo reel — Studio Ghibli / Anime / VGM program
Eternal Wind demo reel — Studio Ghibli, anime, and VGM jazz arrangements (live). Watch on YouTube

What critics are saying

His work possesses a cinematic quality, painting landscapes and characters through melody. Paris-Move · Thierry De Clemensat (JJA USA) · Mar 11, 2026
Owen Chen is, without a doubt, an artist who deserves to be discovered without delay. Paris-Move · Thierry De Clemensat · Mar 11, 2026
Pieces such as “One Summer's Day” and “My Neighbor Totoro” have a Pat Metheny-esque landscape to them, lyrical yet gently dance-like, with strings crying and sighing. Jazz Weekly · George W. Harris · Mar 16, 2026
Tender, almost aching arrangements… nostalgia that made the room go quiet. BroadwayWorld · Alex Del Cueto · Sep 4, 2025

Eternal Wind appears in Origin Records' April 2026 DownBeat spotlight.

About The Ghibli Collection

The performance was dramatic in the best way, pulling everyone into the raw, untamed world of the story. BroadwayWorld

Guitarist Owen Chen introduces Eternal Wind, a dual-guitar-led ensemble that reimagines the timeless stories of the Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli through the expressive lens of modern jazz. Developed over a year of performances at Brooklyn's Red Pavilion and shaped by Chen's long-standing collaboration with guitarist Andrew Cheng, the album channels the emotional gravity, tenderness, and wonder of Joe Hisaishi's iconic film scores into a deeply personal improvisational language.

Reviewers praised the performances for their dramatic weight and aching nostalgia, moments where the room seemed to hold its breath as familiar melodies resurfaced with renewed urgency and vulnerability. Anchored by the conversational interplay of two guitars and supported by a collective of rising New York jazz musicians, the arrangements move fluidly between lyricism and risk, honoring the source material while allowing space for spontaneity and discovery.

For Chen, the project reflects an Asian American experience of reconciling formative influences into a voice that feels wholly his own; for listeners, it offers a chance to reconnect with beloved stories in ways that feel both unexpected and profoundly familiar. The Ghibli Collection marks a compelling debut and the emergence of Eternal Wind's distinctive sound.

Live

Two-year residency at Brooklyn's Red Pavilion

Owen has led the residency at Brooklyn's Red Pavilion since December 2024, building on a year with the Victor Lin Quintet. Rebranded as Eternal Wind, August 2025. The band averages 2-6 shows per month, with frequent sellouts and 100+ at the door. The audience skews 24-35 and heavily AAPI; many are at a live jazz show for the first time, drawn in by Joe Hisaishi's catalog from Spirited Away, Castle in the Sky, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, and Kiki's Delivery Service. The Ghibli Collection itself was developed over one year of those performances — workshopped on the bandstand before being recorded.

Press tickets available with one week's notice — email music.owenchen@gmail.com.

Photos

Eternal Wind onstage at Brooklyn's Red Pavilion — saxophone and guitar in close interplay against the venue's red curtain. Owen Chen — portrait, electric guitar. Owen Chen — acoustic guitar.

Photos by Mikhail Lipyanskiy. View hi-res versions and full collection (Google Drive).

Other projects

The Lunar Frontier — straight-ahead jazz from New Orleans to Tokyo (live). Watch the Lunar Frontier demo reel

Contact

Press / Interviews

music.owenchen@gmail.com

Owen Chen, bandleader

Label / OA2 Records

info@originarts.com

(206) 781-2589 · Origin Records, Seattle

Booking

music.owenchen@gmail.com

Concerts, festivals, listening rooms, private & corporate events

Press Assets

Physical promo CDs available from OA2 on request. Additional materials: music.owenchen@gmail.com.