Huong Thanh & Nguyên Lê: Fragile Beauty

This is an album I picked up at the library in town and I was quite surprised at what I heard. Huong Thanh is one of the most prominent Vietnamese vocalists and started singing with her family at an early age in Vietnam. However, it was when her family moved to France when she was a teenager that Thanh started to discover and develop who she was an artist outside of her traditional training. Jazz had a huge influence on Thanh and she began a career fusing it with her traditional background. 

Musician and composer Nguyên Lê, coming from a similar background, helped Thanh develop this sound as a producer and with her third release, the two came together to create this album. While the album has a more New Age/World Music feeling, it's the jazzy accents that are added to each song that give the entire album a rich and unique sound. I highly recommend everyone to give this album a listen! Enjoy!


Fragile Beauty (2007)

1. Drifting On The Water
2. Weaving & Awaiting
3. Faithfulness
4. Plantation Song*
5. The Five Calls Of The Night
6. Fragile Beauty
7. Rowing The Sampan
8. The Pavillon Of Crystallized Azure
9. At Dusk, From The West Balcony
10. Go Cong Blues
11. The Swallow's Bridge*
12. Tales Of The Mountain

Keiko Matsui - Collection

While I haven't had much time for the blog as I would like, I couldn't turn down the chance to post this album! Strangely enough I found it at a library in town and was very happy to do so. Keiko Matsui is a fantastic Jazz/New Age pianist who has had a long career in both Japan and the States. Some of you may be familiar her work as "Keiko Doi" in the all female fusion group, "Cosmos". I love her work with Cosmos and thats all thanks to WAX MASK posting up 4 of their albums. This post consists of a best of album featuring songs from her solo efforts in the 80s and early 90s.  I strongly urge everyone to check out both her projects, and if I am lucky, I will be able to track down more albums from her!

As a side note, I will be receiving a much sought after album within a few weeks that I am sure many of you will be interested in as well! Look out for it and I will try to get back to posting once my life decides to cut me some slack haha!

Collection (1997)

1. Mountain Shakedown
2. The Wind And The Wolf
3. Under Northern Lights
4. Light In The Rain
5. The Morning Moon
6. Believer
7. Walls Of The Cave
8. Kappa (Water Elf)
9. Secret Forest
10. In The Mist
11. Souvenir
12. The Gate

Full album stream

Ken Muramatsu: カレンダ ～ぶどう畑のぶどう作り～

Here's a little something for JJ's crowd. Not quite what I was expecting after hearing "STILL LIFE DONUTS" & "Blue+" but this album does have a charm to it. The entire album is completely stripped, just Muramatsu and his Steinway, and features 12 jazzy/new age tracks with all but two featuring vocal accompaniment that harmonizes with the piano. The two without vocals are my personal favorites particularly track 12. Fans and those alike give it a listen but if you are expecting his jazz fusion sound you may be caught off guard a little like I was. Enjoy! By the way google....still hating the update!

カレンダー ～ぶどう畑のぶどう作り～ (1987)
 

1. ぶどう色のときめき～1月
2. 野こぶしの木～2月
3. れんげ草～3月
4. 花まつり～4月
5. 海につづく小径～5月
6. ジャコウアゲハの動揺～6月
7. 光のイリュージョン～7月
8. ひまわり～8月
9. 待宵草～9月
10. 柿の葉あつめ～10月
11. 大きなとちの木～11月
12. 喜びは悲しみとともに～12月

Jia Peng Fang: Erhu + 1

The Erhu is one coolest sounding instruments and Jia Peng Fang does it justice. Here is a best of of his and it comes highly recommended. Enjoy!

Erhu (2004)

1. Tenrosei

2. Silent Moon

3. Sweet Dreams

4. Suiren

5. Rainbow

6. Seishu

7. Boyko

8. Xinglin Hupan

9. Shichahai In The Morning

10. Mirage Of The Fall

11. Memory Of Childhood

12. Silent Oon

BONUS

Night Of Beijing (from 癒 -HEALING COLLECTION-)

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