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

Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir: Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares

I first came upon this beautiful music in an episode of the HBO series "Carnivale". The choral music from Bulgaria and unlike anything you've ever heard and although I've heard many of the songs numerous times, I still get chills with each listening. These other worldly tunes come highly recommended and you'd be denying yourself greatly if you didn't take a listen!

Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares (1975)

1. Pilentze Pee

2. Svatba

3. Kalimankou Denkou

4. Strati Na Angelaki Doumasche

5. Polegnala E Pschenitza

6. Messetschinko Lio Greïlivko

7. Breï Yvane

8. Erghen Diado

9. Sableyalo Mi Agontze

10. Prïtourïtze Planinata

11. Mir Stanke Le

12. Schopska Pesen

13. Polegnala E Todora

Khaled: Sahra

Khaled, the unofficially dubbed "King of Raï" is an influential Algerian pop singer-songwriter and instrumentalist who specializes in raï music. Raï originated in Algeria and holds its roots in folk music but incorporates many other genres. Its comparable to the Enka or Trot music of Asia, except with an Arab vibe. Also due to Algeria's history and its proximity to many varying nations, raï singers typically incorporate different languages into their songs and many songs are politically charged. However, what I find remarkable is how upbeat and danceable the music typically is, contrasting with most other protest songs. This album was named after Khaled's daughter and the album is dedicated to her. The track "Aïcha" was a popular international pop hit, particularly because it was sung in both Arabic and French. Funny enough I first found out Khaled through the infamous internet video, Gellieman, back in the early 2000's. While I'm assuming this isn't for everyone, I always like posting varying music options. With around 40,000 songs currently in my computer, I'm hardly covering the large variance of genres I listen to. Check it out, enjoy and "Pfffffffffffffff..."!

Sahra (1996)

1. Sahra

2. Oran Marseille (Oran Mix)

3. Aïcha

4. Lillah

5. Ouelli El Darek (with the I Threes)

6. Detni Essekra

7. Wallou Wallou

8. Ki Kounti (with Saúl Hernández)

9. Wahrane Wahrane

10. Haya Haya

11. Mektoubi

12. Hey Ouedi

13. Oran Marseille (with Akhenaton and Shurik'n of IAM)

14. Sratli

15. Le jour viendra

Hideo Shiraki: In Fiesta (祭りの幻想) & さくら さくら

Fantastic Jazz albums from the legendary drummer, Hideo Shiraki. Brought to you by the now defunct "The Vault", these two works are both phenomenal and a great treat for fans of jazz, japanese classical and those who love it all. His early death robbed the genre of a great talent but that's what makes the internet great, his memory can live on. Highly recommended. Enjoy!

In Fiesta (祭りの幻想) (1961)

1. In Fiesta (祭りの幻想)

2. Five Spot After Dark

3. Just One Or Eight

4. Cherokee

5. Blue Romeo

6. Etude No.1

7. You Dont Know What Love Is

さくら さくら (1965)

1. さくら さくら

2. よさこい節

3. 山中節

4. 祭りの幻想

5. アローン、アローン・アンド・アローン

6. 諏訪

Music From the Films of Akira Kurosawa

Akira Kurosawa is one of the most prolific directors to ever grace the world of cinema. In fact he was named "one of five people who contributed most to the betterment of Asia in the past 100 years". His films were diverse, experimental, enigmatic and highly influential. Classic Westerns like the "Magnificent Seven" and "A Fist Full of Dollars" are undeclared remakes of his films and even George Lucas admits that he when he re-wrote the original Star Wars, he modeled Kurosawa's 1958 film "The Hidden Fortress". Kurosawa was a master at what he did but he also relied on the talents of his casts and crew to carry the films and he often built long lasting working relationships. The scores to his films were no exception and the two albums in this post feature the works of five composer over the span of Kurosawa's last 18 films. KUROSAWA~THE FILM MUSIC OF AKIRA KUROSAWA~, begins with his epic 14th film "Seven Samurai" (although his 13th is in there on track 2) and continues chronologically to 1990's "Dreams" (my personal favorite). Each track is a compilation of memorable pieces from each film and serves as a fantastic musical retrospective. The second soundtrack covers Kurosawa's last 3 films (all composed by Shinichiro Ikebe) and contains the complete soundtrack of "Dreams" and selections from the the others. Highly recommended! Enjoy!

KUROSAWA~THE FILM MUSIC OF AKIRA KUROSAWA~ (1998)

Composed by:

Tracks 1-3 Fumio Hayasaka

Tracks 4-11 Masaru Sato

Tracks 12,15 Toru Takemitsu

Track 13 Isaac Schwartz

Tracks 14, 16 Shinichiro Ikebe

1. 七人の侍

2. 生きる

3. 生きものの記録

4. 蜘蛛巣城

5. どん底

6. 隠し砦の三悪人

7. 悪い奴ほどよく眠る

8. 用心棒

9. 椿三十郎

10. 天国と地獄

11. 赤ひげ

12. どですかでん

13. デルス・ウザーラ

14. 影武者

15. 乱

16. 夢

17. VOICE OF KUROSAWA

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『夢』『八月の狂詩曲』『まあだだよ』(2002)

夢 (1990)

1. タイトル

2. 日照り雨

3. 虹

4. 宴

5. 桃畑

6. 桃の精

7. 雪女

8. 雲間より

9. 鎮魂ラッパ

10. 雨だれ1

11. 雨だれ2

12. 雨だれ3

13. 赤富士1

14. 赤富士2

15. 放射能

16. 廃墟の町

17. 鬼哭

18. 葬列

19. エンディング

八月の狂詩曲 (1991)

20. その心は嘆き（「スターバト・マーテル」より)

21. 野ばら1

22. 野ばら2

23. 悲しみの母は立っていた (「スターバト・マーテル」より)

まあだだよ (1993)

24. ヴィヴァルディ協奏曲集「調和の霊感」より

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Indian Film Music: Prabhu Deva & A.R. Rahman

While I am searching for a few of the originals to add to the next of Akina's "歌姫" series, I thought I would post something drastically different. I have been listening to this a lot recently so I thought I would share it! A.R. Rahman and Prabhu Deva are two of the biggest stars in India's film industry. Before his work with Danny Boyle on the soundtracks of Slumdog Millionaire & 127Hours, Rahman was and is a tremendous force in Indian film music. His soundtracks have been extremely popular and made him one of the most in demand composers in the world. While, Rahman only composed two of the soundtracks in this post, all four are films featuring Prabhu Deva. Deva is commonly referred to as the "Michael Jackson" of Southern India and his footwork does give him the credibility for that title. Typically, most of the actors do not sing for the films, Deva included, so the best of the best are chosen to compliment the film and the actors lip sing. India is one of the few countries that has done this and I think it gives the works a different feel. I get a completely different feeling when I listen to the songs versus watching the movie clip. I have yet to see a film in its entirety but I am a definite fan of the music. It may be different for some of you, but it comes highly recommended. Enjoy!

Kadhalan (1994) Composed by A.R. Rahman

1. Ennavale Adi Ennavale Unnikrishnan

2. Mukkabla Mano, Swarnalatha

3. Erani Kuradhani S. P. Balasubramanyam, S. Janaki Kadhalan

4. Kadhalikum Pennin S. P. Balasubramanyam, Udit Narayan, Pallavi

5. Urvasi Urvasi A. R. Rahman, Suresh Peters, Shahul Hameed

6. Pettai Rap Suresh Peters, Theni Kunjarammal, Shahul Hameed

7. Kollayile Thennai P. Jayachandran

8. Kaatru Kuthirayile Sujatha

9. Indiraiyo Ival Sundariyo Sunandha, Kalyani Menon, Minmini

Minsara Kanavu (1997) Composed by A.R. Rahman

1. Vennilave Hariharan, Sadhana Sargam

2. Poo Pukkum Osai Sujatha, Malaysia Vasudevan

3. Manna Madurai ("Ooh La La La") Unni Menon, K. S. Chitra, Srinivas

4. Thanga Thamarai S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Malgudi Subha

5. Strawberry Kannae KK, Febi Mani

6. Anbendra Anuradha Sriram

Time (1999) Composed by: Ilaiyaraaja

1. Thavikiranae Hariharan, Pavatharani

2. Muthu Nilavae Muthu Karthik Raja & Pavatharani

3. Naan Thanga S. P. Balasubramaniam & Swarnalatha

4. Niram Prithu Sujatha

5. Ninaithapadi Unni Menon, Devan, Subha

6. Kadhal Needhana Unnikrishnan & Sujatha

Pennin Manathai Thottu (2000) Composed by: S. A. Rajkumar

1. Uthattukkum Devan

2. Kalluri Vaanil Devan & Anuradha Sriram

3. Naa Salt Kottai Sukhwinder Singh & Krishnaraj

4. Kanukkulle Unnai Unnikrishnan

5. Natarajan Unnikrishnan & Nithyashree Mahadevan

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Toshiyuki Honda: 茄子 アンダルシアの夏

Hey everyone! Hope you are all well. I am back and ready to post!

I came upon this by accident while looking through torrents. This is a Honda composed soundtrack for the 2003 anime feature "茄子 アンダルシアの夏". I unfortunately have never seen the film, but it is directed by prolific animator Kitarō Kōsaka who has worked on nearly every Studio Ghibli feature, Akira, Angel's Egg and two of my favorite anime/manga series, Naoki Urasawa's Monster and Master Keaton.

The film takes place in Spain, following a cyclist who is competing in the Vuelta a España. The music follows suit with a majority of the album having high energy tracks with a strong latin flare. Have no fear fans of Honda's however, for there are several tracks highlighting his fabulous saxophone playing as well. Highly recommended. Enjoy!

茄子 アンダルシアの夏 (2003)

1. Road - Opening Title

2. Bar de Hernandez

3. Memory

4. Fiesta

5. Paella

6. Road - Additional Saxophones Version

7. Sweat

8. Big Horn

9. Memory - Saxophones Version

10. Venga Pepe

11. Honor

12. Victory

13. Campo(エルナンデス)

14. Summer in Andalusia

15. Venga Pepe - Saxophones Version

16. End of Summer

17. 自転車ショー歌(忌野清志郎)

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Kosuke Atari: 絆歌

A fantastic Japanese folk/Okinawan singer-song writer who I became familiar with because of the anime 夏目友人帳, gotta love those Yokai...I still need to watch season 2! Anyway, the ending theme for the first season was "夏夕空" which is on this album and my favorite track of his! Enjoy!

絆歌 (2008)

1. 絆

2. 春

3. 風よ (feat. 宝美)

4. 夜明け前

5. 種をまく日々

6. 夏夕空

7. ラララ

8. この窓の向こう

9. 夜想曲～nocturne (album version)

10. 手紙

11. ありがとうという名の少年

12. 路の途中

13. あいのうた

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Shang Shang Typhoon: 上々颱風

A fantastic group that blends traditional Japanese Island music with contemporary pop. Shang Shang Typhoon is upbeat, unique and a fantastic listen. This is their debut album, Enjoy!

上々颱風 (1990)

1. 上々颱風のテーマ

2. 流れのままに

3. 海の道

4. 仏の顔もＩｔ’ｓ　Ａｌｌ　Ｒｉｇｈｔ

5. 踊りゃんせ

6. 舟を出そうよ

7. しぶ茶でＣｈａ　Ｃｈａ　Ｃｈａ

8. 春風は河を渡る

9. ハイ・ハイ・ハイ

10. エンド・テーマ

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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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