Miles Davis hooked me into jazz and then pushed me beyond jazz. Miles’s ever-changing direction disoriented me when I first learned about his music. At that time, I did not pay attention to the release date of his albums. I just listened to whatever records I could get my hands on. I loved Kind of Blue and admired the Spanish tone on Sketches of Spain. I liked the spacious sound on Bitches Brew even though I didn’t get it. Then the Indian flavor of On the Corner and the dated programming on Tutu lost me. As a hip-hop fan, I couldn’t take the lyrics on Doo-Bop seriously. At that point, Miles was all over the map for me, but I always loved the way he played no matter where he was heading. His choices of notes and phrasings were thoughtful and meaningful. He understood that the notes he left out were as essential as the notes he played.

My appreciation for Miles escalated after I bought The Complete Columbia Album Collection. The day the box set arrived on my front door, I ate, worked, drove, and slept with Miles’s music for two months straight. My goal was to get through at least one album a day. I even started Sketches of Miles, a project to experiment with web design techniques and to jot down my thoughts on the albums I loved. For each album I selected, I reused its cover art and played with typography to convey my message. Listened to his albums in chronological order allowed to me see both the progression he made as well as the road he took to refine and reinvent his music.

From the start, Miles was determined to take music on his own path. At eighteen, Miles had the opportunity to play with Charlie Parker, the father of bebop and the alto saxophone virtuoso, but the high and fast style of playing didn’t impress him. Burnt out by the hot temper of bebop, Miles Davis gave birth to the cool. By slowing down the tempo, Miles focused on the lyricism in his phrasings.

Miles made a breakthrough and signed onto the Columbia roster after the Prince of Darkness cast his haunted, muted spell ’Round About Midnight. At Columbia Miles met and collaborated with the master of orchestration, Gil Evans, on three classics: Miles Ahead, Porgy and Bess, and Sketches of Spain.

Milestones entered the world of modal jazz and prepared for the laid-back and relaxing Kind of Blue that eases its way into the heart and soul of millions. I could listen to Kind of Blue in whatever mood I was in. The power of the album was in its ability to blend itself into whatever state of mind I was in at the time. Kind of Blue also featured one of the finest sextets in the world with John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley on saxophones, Bill Evans on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums.

The group fell apart not too long after Kind of Blue. Miles missed Coltrane because the saxophonist’s sheets of sound was a perfect complement to Mile’s economical trumpet. Someday My Prince Will Come was a great illustration of their collaboration . In contrast to Mile’s slow-burning, trapped tone, Coltrane blazed lines of fire. In trying to rebuild his band with not much success, Miles went into depression. He expressed, “[T]he music wasn’t happening and that was fucking me up.”

Indeed Miles remained unproductive until he formed his new quintet. When the young drummers Tony Williams, bassist Ron Carter and pianist Herbie Hancock joined him in the studio to record Seven Steps to Heaven, Miles was excited again because he “knew right away that this was going to be a motherfucker of a group.” When Wayne Shorter came on board, Miles headed toward a new direction starting with E.S.P. Miles Smiles made a strong case for the post bop movement, but then Nefertiti marked the last great acoustic Miles.

Sixteen months, you’re at the age of learning and discovering. You learn to do things by watching us, like you know that before you brush your teeth, you have to water the toothbrush and put on the toothpaste. You also learn to be very passionate. I showed you how to kiss once and you picked it up. If I ask you to give me a kiss, you would put your lips on mine, then you turn to mommy and give her one as well. You also know how to blow a kiss when I blow one at you.

When I take you out, you would wave to anyone you see. You gave people a cute smile when they waved back at you. You look at bit disappointed when you waved at people and they don’t wave back at you, not because they are ignoring you, but they simply just don’t see you. Life will be like that when you grow older. You don’t always get what you want, but don’t let that get you down my dear. Things don’t always go your way, but don’t give up.

Keep on head up and keep your hands high. Be kind and be friendly. Keep your spirit up and you’ll live a much happier life. You’re a very charming boy and we’re very proud of you.

Yesterday my wife asked to get some fried tofu from Thanh Son so I took Cu Dao with me. I put him in the car and gave him a bottle. We listened to some Miles Davis and drove about twenty-five minutes to Eden. By the time we got there, Duke was already fell asleep. I didn’t want to wake him up nor did I want to leave him in the car to go buy some tofu. So my other option was to ask for help.

I pulled up into an empty space a few cars away from Thanh Son. I asked an elder woman standing outside if she could go in and buy me $10 tofu as I pulled out $20 from my wallet. She told me to go in and get it and she would keep an eye out for me, but I couldn’t leave my boy with a stranger. I spotted another woman coming into Thanh Son, but before I could even asked her she already shrugged as if I was begging money or something. I thought it was kind of hilarious. I was being dissed in my own community.

I didn’t give up though. I knew someone would kind enough to help me out. So another woman walked by, I stopped her and showed her where Duke was sleeping. She was a bit hesitated, but I handed her a $20 bill anyway. She smiled and went in to get me some fried tofu.

Another colleague of mine had passed away. I didn’t realize that I hadn’t talk to him for weeks. Ever since we launched the new design, I basically lock myself in my office and focus on migrating the all contents to the new design. The news stopped me cold. The last time we were on the phone Fred asked me to help him set up some Macs for some faculty members. I agreed.

Fred was an IT for the School of Business, but he is a PC guy. Although I am not an expert, Fred was my go-to guy regarding to Mac. In return, Fred always responded to my requests as quickly as he could. In the School of Business, Fred was the PC and I am the Mac. On a more personally level, Fred was a jazz aficionado and like me Fred was also a Miles’s fan. I just found out that from another colleague that Fred had gone “In a Silent Way” a few weeks ago. Rest in peace, my man.

In just six months I had lost three people I had the pleasure working with. Witnessing the people around you just leave makes me think about life and death. It could just happen to anyone. It’s a sad reality, but it teaches me to not to worry too much about death. When it is time for me to go. I’ll go. While I am still here I want to make the best of it for the people around me, especially my lil Duke. He gives me the reason to live.

“The girls come up with the nicest outfit
 / The guys come up with the nicest haircut
 / And me come up with this microphone.” Suboi claims on “Ticki Ticki Toc,” an opening track off her debut Walk released under Duc Tri’s Music Faces label. Suboi’s first breakthrough was when she rapped on Ho Ngoc Ha’s “Girls’ Night.” When I first heard that track, I envisioned a MILF taking her daughter to a club. Although she is twenty years old, she sounds like twelve on the record.

Lyrically speaking, her rhymes are straight elementary. What amazes me though is that she could combine three languages in just two bars: “Mi casa es su casa, I just say blah blah / 
If you don’t understand, forget it, cho qua.” Who could have thought of rhyming “blah blah” with “cho qua?” On the title track, Suboi mimics the southern flow to go with the big, dirty southern beat supplies by Duong Khac Kinh, producer of the album. Unfortunately, Blak Ray slaughters the tune with his annoying chorus-singing.

In some ways, Suboi is like M.I.A. minus the lyrical substance. They both rap like kids over big beats and they both are tone deaf, but M.I.A. knows how to work within her limitation and her punchlines are brilliant. Suboi’s lines are just silly: “Hola, Me llamo S – U – B – O – I
 / Ima dance like there’s an ant in my pants.” Maybe Suboi doesn’t have the freedom to express herself the way M.I.A. does. Not that I expect Suboi to drop some deep thoughts, but hip-hop can’t live if she’s not free. Walk is nothing more than a baby rap album.

While in San Antonio, we wanted to check out some steakhouses. My brother-in-law looked up Chama Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse and read some raved reviews so off we went. Chama Gaucha is an all-you-can-eat joint, but the design is quite upscale. Five of us (including Cu Dao) arrived first at noon and expected four of our cousins and two kids to join us. Since this is a buffet place we could just hand out and wait for them.

I kicked off lunch with fresh, delightful salad and a glass of Caipirinha. The servers then came out with fresh-off-the-grill meats on their hands. I just had to tell them how cooked I wanted and they would slide me a juicy piece. My favorites were ribeye, sirloin and beef rib. I didn’t like the lamb too much because of the strong scent and didn’t even have room for the chicken.

Dana and I took turn to eat and look after Duke. After about fifteen minutes, Duke didn’t want to stay in his high chair anymore. He got up and roamed free around the restaurant. I couldn’t take him outside because it was too damn hot. We ate and waited for two hours and none of my cousins showed up. One couple who came from California were lost and they didn’t have a GPS in hand. The other couple with two kids just copped out without even letting us know. I checked on them and thought they were on their way, but later found out that they never made it out of the hotel because the kids were sleeping. Saying no seemed to be the hardest word.

The restaurant closed out lunch at 2pm and we were still in there. Finally the couple who were lost found their way in around 2:45. The servers continued to served us. Luckily there were other tables filled with patrons so I didn’t feel so bad. My point was that the service was exceptional. If they were to kick us out at 2pm, I would still think service was decent. They were patience with us and even offered to give directions to the folks who were lost. They didn’t make us feel like we need to hurry up and get the fuck out. So we basically sat there from 12pm to 4pm. I had Flan and a Brazilian coffee for dessert. The coffee liquor was strong and I loved it. What I enjoyed the most still was the service they gave us.

If you’re in San Antonio, you have to check out Chama Gaucha. The food is great; the service is superb. For $22 a pop, I can come back again and again if I live near by San Antonio. Big props to the servers for such a wonderful dining experience.

We took a short vacation to San Antonio for Dana’s annual family gathering. We flew out last Saturday and returned last night. Cu Dao’s first flying experience was great. He walked around the airport prior boarding; therefore, he napped on our arms as soon as we took off. He woke up two hours later and just hang out until we landed. He didn’t cry at all when we were landing. He was probably fascinated by the scene outside the window and didn’t realize that we were going down.

Dana’s family rented out two houses by the river. One of the houses was alway packed with more than 20 people. It was great to meet and hang out with the everyone ranging from 15 months (that’s Cu Dao) to 80 something. We rented our own hotel right downtown so we could escape all the craziness inside the houses.

Because of the heat and the changing temperature from inside air conditioner and the outside fire, Duke got a fever for two days, yet he was no less active. One of our cousins was a pediatrician so we had him monitored. He was doing fine when we flew back. We got back home a bit late last night and he was already asleep. He didn’t want to get up but we had to drag him to daycare. I dropped him off and he cried a little.

I don’t know about the old Thao Trang, but the new Thao Trang comes straight out of Rihanna, noticeably the style and the boy haircut. The New Me is also heading toward pop-r&b direction. The album switches from English to Vietnamese and from dance to slow ballad. The changes of language and tempo from track to track is quite a distraction. Why not just stick to one, preferably English?

Thao Trang’s English is very impressive for a girl living in Viet Nam. Unlike 99% of singers in Viet Nam who sings with heavy Vietlish accent, Thao Trang doesn’t have that issue. In fact, her English is even stronger than her Vietnamese. The lyrics on the title track are mediocre, but you could understand what she’s singing about and the beat is incredibly bouncy. “Superstar Girl” is another cut exclusively for the dance floor. The attitude here is definitely a Rihanna’s influence minus the curses. Yet the strongest connection is on Bollywood-inflected “I am Not Easy,” which sounds like a collaboration between Rihanna and Lil Wayne. Antoneus is unknown to me, but the singing style is coming from Weezy.

Strangely enough, Thao Trang’s Vietnamese tracks fall flat on both production and vocal delivery. She sounds less confidence “Trai Ngang” than “I am Free.” When she combines both languages into one song and the result is a disaster. “Sick of This Love” is a proof: “I am sick of this love / sick of this life / Sau bao cay dang bong nhu nghe long nhu da phai.”

I felt in love with Bitches Brew even before I started getting into Miles Davis’s electric music. Something about the double album that pulls me in every time I listen to it. I still struggle to define what that is despite the countless number of time I had spent with it. When it comes to experiencing the music, all I can do is letting the “Bitches Brew” me and Miles mind-fucks me. Miles knows damn well how to fuck with your mind because he doesn’t just give it straight to your ears. On Bitches Brew in particular, you have to wait patiently to hear Miles. He only plays when he has something to say and when he does he blows your fucking mind. There is no escape route when “Miles Runs the Voodoo Down.”

In celebrating the 40th anniversary of its release, I would like to share my favorite passage from Greg Tate’s “The Electric Miles Part 1” discussing Bitches Brew. Tate writes:

On musical terms though, Bitches Brew is an orchestral marvel because it fuses James Brown’s antiphonal riffing against a metaphoric bass drone with Sly’s minimalist polyrhythmic melodies and electronic sounds. Bitches Brew can also be heard as a devilishly Milesish takeoff on John Coltrane’s spiritual energy music and that music’s saxaphone, percussion, and bass batteries, modal improvs, tone clusters, and yearnings, thus making the double-set rank as an act of comic blasphemy with Richard Pryor’s Preacher routines or with certain African genesis myths in playing prankster with God’s tongue by dragging the heavens back into the province of the vernacular—namely the streets—and the language of the streets, the dozens, sermons made scatologies which find their musical parallel in what funk did to gospel. The streets though aren’t just a funky run of avenues where mom-and-pop stores front for numbers runners and storefront churches pimp for jackleg preachers. They’re also a place of mystery and romance, and given that Miles knows them and their music inside out, it’s not surprising that the melodies on Bitches Brew croon, sway, and reveal themselves like those of such balladeers as Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, and Stevie Wonder—all of those gorgeous melodies and harmonies have yet to overcome the precious corn of Tin Pan Alley in the ears of other improvising composers—excepting Zawinul, Cecil Taylor, and Bennie Maupin, whose overlooked The Jewel in the Lotus ranks beside Miles’s Great Expectations, Weather Report’s Mysterious Traveller, and Cecil’s Solo in channeling the charm of exotic musics into forms which are as tightly knit, free-flowing, and fetchsome as Stevie’s, Smokey’s, Curtis’s, and Marvin’s vocal arrangements.

Although we only knew each other for a short period of time, you left a deep impression in me the very first time we met. You mesmerized me not only with your fantastic designs, but also your deep thoughts behind them. You drawn me in with your soft-spoken words, knowledge of the web and intelligent views on design.

Your purpose to become a designer is something I will never forget: “Life is depressing so I try to make things beautiful.” Your work speaks for itself. For me personally, what inspires me the most was your ability to strike the balance between simplicity and attention to details. I always refer back to your work when I need some design solutions.

Work aside, you were a very private, humble individual. I had learned a great deal from you: only talk when you have something to contribute. Thank you for your wonderful recommendation on LinkedIn. Come to think about it, I have a feeling it was your way of saying goodbye without letting me know what you were going through. I thank you whole-heartedly and may your soul rest in peace. You’re in a better place now and I am sure you’ll make things even more beautiful up there.