The quirky duo Winterplay has returned with its upbeat fusion sound of groovy bossa nova beats and retro jazz pop.

After nearly 2 1/2 years, Lee Ju-han on trumpet and Haewon on vocals have finally released the duo’s newest studio album, “Two Fabulous Fools.”

“We are two fabulous fools,” said Lee at the Winterplay showcase held at Olleh Square on the day of the album’s release on Wednesday.

“We want to show both the exciting and humorous sides of jazz while also conveying the message that ‘You and I are no different.’” 

The duo’s third studio album features 10 tracks including the album’s lead single “Yeoboseyo Baby.” The track is no doubt a modern day tribute to the funky ’70s music scene with a new wave sound reminiscent of The B52s. The jazzy salsa feel of “Shake it Up and Down” is another track from Winterplay’s new album in which the two artists take on their signature sound of old school pop intermingled with jazz trumpet solo interludes.

“We actually struggled with the decision of whether or not to select ‘Yeoboseyo Baby’ or ‘Shake it Up and Down’ as our main track,” said Haewon. “But in the end we decided to go with ‘Yeoboseyo Baby’ because we felt that it was hip and fresh and showed a bit of a different side to us.”

Winterplay first came together in 2007, with Lee as the producer, song writer and trumpet player and with Haewon as main vocalist. A year after its debut, the group was signed by Universal Music Japan. Since then Winterplay has released albums in more than 25 countries including Japan, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Austria and India.

Clive Davis, a music critic for The Sunday Times in the U.K., gave Winterplay’s international album release “Songs of Colored Love” in 2010 a rave review, saying that it “showed innovative music that demolished the separation between jazz, pop and lounge.”

Editor-in-chief of the Monocle Tyler Brule also praised the duo’s retro twist on jazz music and listed Winterplay as among the “10 cultural phenomena to watch” from Korea.

“We wanted to create songs that are consciously pop-like in nature, but also still include that fundamental jazz flavor,” said Lee. He went on to state that one of the main goals with their music is to have people listen to the songs and momentarily ask themselves, “Is this really jazz music?”

“I hope that when people listen to ‘Two Fabulous Fools’ they hear our thoughts behind the music,” said Haewon. “We plan to continue to make our kind of music and hope that others will appreciate and enjoy it.”

The two members of Winterplay have also announced their plans to release another international album sometime in the fall.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)