The White House web site gets a beautiful new look as Barack Obama sworn in as the 44th president of the United States. Nice first change.

Nguyen Hong Nhung’s new album, Mo Ve Anh, is a return to the intimate-setting style she had abandoned since her debut. Working only with producer Vu Quang Trung on nine tracks, the record feels closed and personal.

Nguyen Hong Nhung’s big, gorgeous voice floats like songbird on the semi-classical “Bai Ca Cho Anh” (written by Vu Quang Trung and Bang Kieu). Her version of Kim Tuan’s “Bien Can” is surprisingly pleasing thanks to the intoxicating bossa-nova arrangement. She also gave a soulful cover of Vu Thanh An’s “Bai Khong Ten So 8” accompanied by an elegant, solo piano; however, the smooth saxophone should have been left off the break.

The only bad interpretation is Y Van’s “60 Nam.” The beat is too slow for this joyful track and it causes her flow to be stilted. It would have been a great cut with a swing-up rhythm. Technically, Nguyen Hong Nhung still needs to work on her breath control. It’s all over the place and bringing down her delivery a notch.

Stride requires mastery of piano. A stride player does it all: beat, melody and bass. James P. Johnson’s “Caroline Shout” is a prove if one can actually stride. Stephanie Trick proves that she could despite her small fingers. Check out Willie the Lion Smith’s masterful version as well. Another favorite version of mine is from Fats Waller. He was amazing on the high keys.

“A young lady who has experienced spontaneous romanticism is unlikely to fall in love with someone of grudging manners.” –Miss Manners.

It’s official that I now own a house as well as thirty years of debt. The settlement went fine. We took the day off and went back to the house for minor fixes. The roof estimate turned out to be much lower than what I had expected. It’s such a relief. Actually the house doesn’t need as much work as I had anticipated. With my brothers in-law and father in-law help tomorrow and Sunday, I am sure we could get all the things inside the house fixed. It’s been a cold-ass winter day and I am exhausted. Peace!

Spotted a discussion over at MsNguyen castigating Hien Thuc’s not-so-traditional presentation of our traditional ao dai. Hien Thuc is not the first to adapt this style. Cyndi Tran has gone even further with just a panty. (Some folks didn’t seem to get my sarcasm behind that post.)

It seems like the ladies in MsNguyen’s discussion aren’t so welcoming this trend. What about the fellows? Is it time to take ao dai up a notch? What else we can do to ao dai to make a change? Or do we even need to make a change? Should ao dai be left the way she has always been?

One of the interesting comments is the compliment on Hien Thuc’s gorgeous legs. Could that be a reason for her to show off her legs? I am not sure about other guys, but legs aren’t the first thing I look at.

Old house comes with tons of work is more like it. Going into a foreclosure we knew that we would need to do some fixings. The problem is I am clueless when it comes to home improvement. My dad and his side of family in Viet Nam are all in the construction business, yet I am the only exception. I have been renting all my life up to this point.

Friday will be the official day that I’ll own a house and will take the advantage of the long week, including Martin Luther King on Monday and Inauguration day on Tuesday, to try to fix the place like reversing the hot-and-cold faucet in master bathroom and change a gasket in the toilet tank to stop the water leaking. That’s right, even when Barack Obama moves into the White House, I’ll be working on my house.

My man HmL will swing by on Saturday to take a look at the landscaping and give us suggestions on how to prevent the soil compaction and erosion around the house. A friend will always drop by to check out the heat pump unit. That thing looks old and quite dusty. The only real concern we have is the roof. Several shingles were damaged from the tree branches and a small leak from inside the attic. The previous owner attached the Satellite Dish on the roof and left the holes open after he removed it. So if you know any roofer who could take on a small repairing in Virginia, please holler at me. We also need an electrician if you know anyone.

Other than that we just need to repaint and move in. I can’t wait.

In his new book, The Jazz Ear: Conversations Over Music, New York Times’ jazz journalist Ben Ratliff recounts his intimate listening experience with jazz musicians including Ornette Coleman, Sonny Rollins, Wanye Shorter and Pat Metheny. By allowing the musicians to pick their own favorites (as long as they were not involved in the making of the music), he gets to see what kind of things they look for and their reactions to a particular piece.

The conversations are fascinating because Ratliff’s questions focus the musicians more on the emotional sense rather than theory. Joshua Redman’s response to Sonny Rollins’s “St. Thomas” is a perfect example. “Listening to an improvisation like this,” Redman referred to Rollins’s solo, “I’m stuck by the mastery and the seriousness of it, as this perfectly constructed, spontaneous narrative. And at the same time, there’s this quality in Sonny: he cautions you against taking anything too serious.”

In the conversation with Dianne Reeves, she made him lunch and explained to him the resemblances of her approach in both cooking and singing: “I work with my ear and try to make it feel right, or I just keep changing it until I like the way it tastes.”

I read The Jazz Ear during my train rides to work and it sure makes my commute much faster and more pleasant. The series is not only informative, but also enjoyable to read. Highly recommended it.

The sperm is going strong, real strong until… well, see it for yourself.

GW’s Gelman Library has launched a new site. It looks cleaner and much more organized. I wish it features a list of new books on the homepage just like a new section it has in the library.