So it is dorky and cheesy to sing a love song to a computer, but hey she’s cute and she loves Mac, why not? “Mac Beautiful,” a special dedication that Apple should appreciate. You go, Mac mama, and make sure to wear your Happy Slip.
Sachiko McLean tells us that she doesn’t afraid to go to hell or afraid to show her naked boby in public. That’s right, Hell Hath No Fury.
Like the world would really need another book on Miles Davis, Richard Cook, editor of Jazz Review, cleverly stirred his It’s About That Time: Miles Davis On and Off Record away from being another hagiography. Begin with Birth of the Cool and end with posthumous Doo Bop, Cook’s ingenious assessment of Miles’s music and life is based on his albums. What makes this book rewarding is Cook’s meticulous evaluation of the recordings. It takes me longer to read because I have to pause and listen to the albums (only the ones that I own) to appreciate the level of details and the liveliness in his writing. Without being too technical, Cook’s vivid language will help readers understand the aesthetic qualities and beauties of Miles’s works of art.
“Hay Song Cho Toi Tre,” the first ballad that got me hooked on Don Ho. Can’t remember how many times I listened to that keyboard break.
Beside improving your skill, writing could provide you a decent copy of Trinh Cong Son’s Loi Cua Dong Song. Not so bad, huh?
Rồi mai đây đi trên đường đời
Đừng buông tay âm thầm tìm về cô đơn
Một khi trao áo hồng
Là khi trao tiếng cười
Luôn ghi kỷ niệm ban đầu yêu thương.
Even though the lyric in Lê Uyên Phương’s “Bài Ca Hạnh Ngộ” is a bit too cute, Thiên Phượng’s sweet but unsurgery, soft but unhorsey (my bad translation of “không có ngựa”) vocals make the song romantic in her own unruffled style.
This song goes out to the one that rocks my world.
Sorry baby, didn’t mean to hurt you. How could I when I haven’t even own you yet? I just lost my control and gave you a broken eye. But don’t you worry, I’ll get you fixed up again. Be patience, I will make you mine one day. Only two more years to go.
TTBlue hooked me up with Paul Desmond’s Quartet Live 1975 the other day and I have been addicted since. With his incandescent style, whole-range tone, melodic improvisation, and peculiar use of sequence, Desmond blows “cool” alto vibes into his infamous “Take Five” (the replacement of Dave Brubeck’s piano vamp with a guitar isn’t so bad) as well as ballads including “My Funny Valentine” and “Nancy.” The cover of “Manha de Carnaval” is a perfect demonstration of how to personalize a standard. Instead of a straight retelling of the original composition, Desmond and his sidemen (bassist Don Thompson, drummer Jerry Fuller, and guitarist Ed Bickert) restructured the tune with their own imaginative improvisations. Even though the mellowed rhythm section is perfect for late-night relaxation, these men won’t let you sleep until they are done.
Is Tran Manh Tuan the only saxophonist in Viet Nam? How he has been recognized as an eminent figure in (Vietnamese) jazz still puzzles me. It has to be that stamp from Berklee because he has not yet sounded convincible as a soloist. In fact, he still plays like a wimp, and his Bong Thoi Gian (The Shadow of Time) is a perfect illustration. His fuzak style of covering Vietnamese ballads is best suited in a root-canal treatment. They are so smooth and so anesthetic that would eventually ease up your pain. That’s actually pretty helpful, isn’t it? I am not saying that his music is totally artless. Comparing to other Vietnamese instrumental albums, especially those produced by Thuy Nga, his jazz-lite approach ain’t so bad. And if you like Kenny G, you might find Tran Manh Tuan enjoyable. Someone has to make some insomniac-worthy music.
(No hurt feelings, my friend. You have a good sportsmanship, and this is no way a personal attack. So don’t take it to the heart, bro. You know I got respect for you despite our differences in musical taste sometimes. One thing we can’t argue for sure is that Dieu’s still the best, and we can’t deny that she knows her Martini jazz. Cheers!)
I rather talk music than politic on this site, but the article on altering an image to promote a political campaign is sadly amusing, epsecially with a slogan stated “Honesty, Integrity and Leadership.” This is what happened when the Vietnamese community doesn’t take design seriously.
