Ever since the Buc Tuong disbanded, the hard rock scene in Viet Nam seemed to dismantle as well. Worry no more. Winner of 2006 Sao Mai Diem Hen (Morning Star-Rendezvous) Pham Anh Khoa has teamed up with the multitalented Duc Tri to bring back the noise. Like Buc Tuong, PAK knows how to combine Vietnamese folks with rock. His big, raspy voice and the loud production give “Ly Qua Keu” and “Ngua O Thuong Nho” a bizarre twist. I used to sing these tunes when I was a kid, now I am banging my head to them. This album also represents another creative angle of Duc Tri after his triumphant semi-classical orchestration for Duc Tuan. His rambunctious arrangements push PAK’s powerful vocals to the edge.

Together with his brothers Percy (bass) and Jimmy (saxophone), bop drummer Albert Heath recorded the flavorful Kwanza. While jump-off “Tafadhali” showcases Health’s rhythmic propulsive, “Dunia” demonstrates his ingenious improvisation on the trap set. This rare LP is a must experience for the aficionados.

“Swing ’77” displays an astonishing bond between violinist Don Harper and guitarist Denny Wright. While the violin saws away like a hillbilly, the guitar picks up the Latin vibe over the plucking acoustic bass that swings like a motherfucker. Yet whether Harper and Wright perform as a duo, trio, quartet or sextet, Combo featured some of the most exotic sounds in jazz including the cover of Ellington’s “Mood Indigo” and Rodgers-Hammnerstein II’s “My Favorite Things” made popular by John Coltrane in the 60s. With each track clocking in no longer than four minutes, this LP serves as a delightful appetizer to jazz.

Perhaps the highlights of Iron Man aren’t just the humanized arpeggios from Eric Dolphy’s saxophone on the groovy title track, “Mandrake” and “Burning Spear,” but the funereal tempo on “Come Sunday” and “Ode to C.P.” Dolphy’s flute floats like a soaring eagle over Richard Davis’ pizzicato bass in a tribute to Charlie Parker. Unlike Bird, Dolphy was not a junkie. Like Bird, his death, which caused by diabetes attack, at a young age (36) shocked the world of jazz.

Asia 55: Hat Voi Than Tuong opened with an impressive performance from Don Ho and Da Nhat Yen. Somehow his raspy vocals and her sleek steps swing together. The show, however, slumped into a big mess with the digital mash-up between the dead idols and their living idolizers (Hung Cuong/Mai Le Huyen and Sy Phu/Quoc Khanh), laughable Michael Jackson’s chorography and Asia’s rotten two-generation pairings. The latest bizarre duo was Mai Le Huyen and Doan Phi. Her act was so ridiculous that she made his silly moves entertaining (gotta love that Condor-Heroes style). As for clones of Che Linh, how many do we have now? I lost count. Of course, not every coupling was awful. Beside Don Ho/Lam Thuy Van and Y Phuong/ Nguyen Khang, the best duet on the show was Lam Nhat Tien and Nguyen Hong Nhung. To elevate “Tinh Yeu & Tinh Nguoi,” no one on Asia could have done it better than the recovered drug addict and the victim of Internet porn. They seemed to share something in common. As always, Asia’s MCs (Viet Dzung and Nam Loc) never failed to take shots at the communist although the show was taped on Ho Chi Minh’s birthday. Even little Doanh Doanh was politicking. She will not return to Viet Nam until there’s freedom. Isn’t China her homeland?

This album shows off the variety of Giang Son’s compositional styles ranging from pop jazz, bluesy jazz, semi-classical, pop ballad, contemporary folks, R&B to electronica. With four vocalists (Tung Duong, Khanh Linh, Nguyen Thao and My Le) and a bunch of producers including Phan Cuong, Vo Thien Thanh and Minh Dao, the recordings are slapped together like a goddam sandwich. Moving from one track to the next is like playing your whole music collection in the shuffle mode. The sound is all over the place, even within a song. “Nep Ngay” starts off with soft, seductive, Norah Jones-esque pop jazz, but then transforms into Mariah Carey’s belting out R&B ballad. Even without the closing “I Love Music,” we could tell that Giang Son loves her music…a bit too much actually.

Experiencing MMW’s Shack-man is like taking a trip to the groove planet. From the chill-out opening “Is There Anyone Here That Love My Jesus” to the building-up tempo “Bubblehouse” to the spacious closing “Kenny,” the trio Medekis (keyboards), Martin (drums) and Wood (bass) churn out intoxicating jazz riffs, hypnotizing funk rhythms, and electrifying fusion cuts after cuts.

Tenor saxophonist John Coltrane departed today forty years ago, yet his music and style continue to impact the world of jazz. Many players emulate his techniques, but no one has surpassed the legend. Trane was indeed a Fearless Leader, and the six-disc set from Prestige reflects it. The sessions recorded within a year and a half (between 1956 and 1957) testify Trane’s artistic vision and fearlessness of expansion. For this special occasion, Fearless Leader makes a perfect retrospection.

Nowadays singers in Viet Nam cut records to keep their name in the game more than to invest in the music. Duc Tuan is the exception. By hiring Duc Tri, one of today’s hottest and priciest producers, Tuan delivered what he promised: a Pham Duy songbook with first-class orchestration. Even though Tri has been known for his laziness, Tuan managed to pull some of the most creative works out of him. “Tinh Cam,” “Tinh Hoai Huong” and “Tinh Ca” find the perfect blend between Tuan’s soulful falsetto and Tri’s illustrious arrangements, but more impressive is the consistency of the album as a whole.

Ella’s glossy and Louis’ grainy vocals shouldn’t be compatible, yet they made one of the finest duets of the century. With an album called The Best of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, all that it needed to say is: “Let’s [Swing] the Whole Thing Off.”