I picked up Jazz: A Century of Change for my plane rides, and it turns out to be an invaluable reading on jazz criticism. From defining the word jazz to the analysis of early jazz, swing era, and bebop to the drug and race issues, jazz scholar Lewis Porter pulls together informative essays and incorporates them into specific topics to illustrate his presentation. One of my favorite pieces is “The Technique of the Jazz Singer” by Richard Rodney Bennett, in which the author uses Billie Holiday to demonstrate what it takes to be a true jazz vocalist. Bennett writes, “I feel simply that a singer who is at his best with jazz accompaniment and who naturally sings freely and ‘swing’ is singing jazz.” In addition to positive articles, Porter also includes negative excerpts to give readers both sides of the controversies, including a letter from Wynton Marsalis responses to the Voice’s jazz critic Kevin Whitehead. A Century of Change is highly recommended for those who are interested in the discussions of jazz beyond the music and the history.

I spend many quiet nights alone with Thelonious Monk’s Himself and Bill Evans’s Conversation With Myself. For the holidays, however, I’ll be hanging out with Pham Hong Hanh—a fine pianist with a master degree in solo piano performance and pedagogy from McGill University—and her inspirational Give Thanks album for a spiritual, semi-classic experience.

When it comes to church music, I must confess that I am not too familiar with religious compositions. In fact, the only recognizable tune for me on the album is “O Holy Night,” and her rendition is a glorious one. She begins with a choppy intro, which reminds me of Monk’s angular style, but her virtuosity reveals once she glides into the harmony, and gives a fresh and lively delivery.

Give Thanks is an ingenious solo piano album that is filled with divine power. From the opening “I Sing Praises” to the ending “Give Thanks,” she expresses her love to Christ through music, and she connects with music through her piano. While “Glory to His Name” and “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” are relax, calm with breathless ease, “Praise Him! Praise Him!” and “Awesome God” are spontaneous with sonorous details. And the recitals that keep me coming back again and again are “As the Deer” and “Angels We Have Heard on High.” Her nimble style, in which she sprinkles the high keys to produce a cascading sound, is irresistable.

Thank goodness, the album was shipped on time for the holiday season. I was expecting it to be in my office a couple of days ago; therefore, I kept on checking my work mailbox, and nothing showed up. As I shut down my computer, and ready to hit the road, something prompted me to check it one more time before I leave, and there it was. As a result, my four-hour trip from Poughkeepsie, New York to Lancaster, Pennsylvania was a smooth ride with nothing else in my car stereo but soul-soothing solo piano presentation from Pham Hong Hanh. I left at 2:30 in the afternoon, and by the time I arrived, which was around 6:30 in the evening, the album’s spellbounds, aesthetic beauties, and ethereal chords had already crept up on me, especially when the darkness of the night took over.

The dynamic-duo Thanh Lam and Le Minh Son are back rousing up the heat with Em & Dem, their forth studio collaboration effort. Musically, these two are a match made in heaven. One is a soul-stirring crooner; the other is a soul-mixing producer. Together they generate not just hits but soulful albums after albums. Em & Dem is no exception. They continue stretching the limits, experimenting with new sounds, and creating original music.

The album featured eight tracks written and composed by Le Minh Son, a brilliant musician who is obsessed with fusion. The good thing is that he blends the genres together without a glitch. The best illustration is “Hat Mot Ngay Moi.” The piece starts off with an electric funk guitar intro, then glides into pop-rock rhythm section. Thanh Lam’s voice enters with a playful half-singing and half-reading folk style. The song eventually builds into a hard-rock chorus where her vocals become dense and solid, but the trumpet, which gives the break a jazz flavor, calms things down with a gorgeous, riveting solo.

No matter what kind of arrangements Le Minh Son comes up with, Thanh Lam could maneuver her way into the songs naturally with her flexible vocal range. Whether the production is a mash-up of classic, pop, r & b, and hip-hop (“Ngay Anh”) or the r & b’s trunk-rattling basskick builds into rock riff (“Em & Dem”) or the soothing semi-classic piano (“Nhin Em De Thay”), she matches them with her virtuous flow, and at the same time pours her soul into the lyrics. Even when the beats aren’t stimulating—like the mid-tempo pop on “Ngay Em Ra Doi” and the pop-rock “Toc Thoi Tay Ho”—her deliveries are still exhilarating. It has to be the flow and the attention to the words. On “Nguoi Dan Ba,” she then gives an impressive performance with her whispery timbre roaring over the breathtaking classical orchestration.

“Suong Giang Cau Hat” closes out the album with yet another flavorful fusion. This time Le Minh Son incorporates a marvelous Latin groove into the rhythm section, and his strumming guitar solo is like Santana was in the house. The beat is energetic, but Thanh Lam knows how to wrap her voice around it. Compare to Nang Len, this album is much easier to listen. The tunes are softer and mellower, which are attractive to younger crowds, but might disappoint those who expected the belter signature from Thanh Lam and jazz-folk standards from Le Minh Son. Nevertheless, Em & Dem still maintains, if not escalates, her queen-of-pop stature.

How do you like Visual-gui Santa (see logo above)? Thanks Chris, my fellow designer, for the Lego dude. You probably wondering why there is no cable connected to the lights. It was left out intentionally because I prefer wireless.

So what are your plans for the holidays? As for me, I’ll be hanging out in Lancaster, PA with family and friends. Then fly off to Austin, Texas for my cousin’s wedding on New Year. Anyway, wish you all a holiday season fills with joy and happiness.

I am going to leave you with Bill Evans’s rendition of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” Enjoy!

“Christmas in the Ghetto” by The Real Untouchables.

With his latest release, Nhung Giai Dieu Du Duong, Quach Thanh Danh goes straight sentimental, no dance-beat pops or rap-inspired hits, which is good. His warm baritone is perfect for crooning romantic ballads, and his northern accentuations added an exotic flavor to his deliveries. He pays attention to the diacritics, and enunciates each tone-mark clearly, something I find lacking in many young singers.

Although Quach Thanh Danh doesn’t take us to the dance floor, he ushers us back to the ballroom with a stella tango from Nguyen Dinh Nguyen’s “Chieu Thu.” His unforced flow and clean delivery are a reminiscent of Vu Khanh, but when he punctuates the period on the word dieu (“Thu gieo giai dieu chieu tho”), his style is unmistakable. Unfortunately, this song along with Nguyen Minh Anh’s “Tinh Vo Danh” have been released not too long ago on Trai Tim Lanh Gia, his volume 3.

Nhung Giai Dieu Du Duong is almost like Quach Thanh Danh ‘s ballads selection. At least half of the tracks (that I know of) are re-issued from his previous albums. The indelible “Xin Ru Muon Mang” (Doan Quang Anh Khanh) is from his debut Toi La Toi. Thu Khuc’s “Don Phuong Mot Cuoc Tinh” and Nguyen Nhat Huy’s “Nguoi Tinh Lai Loi” comes from his second volume Tinh Chia Doi. But, the album doesn’t tell us that. We have to figure it out.

I am not sure if he has released Trinh Cong Son’s “Thanh Pho Mua Xuan” and Thai Thinh “Gui Gam” elsewhere already, but both of them are excellent. He gives a genuine performance on Trinh’s piece. Weakest is Thai Hung’s “Anh Van Cho Em,” in which he overemphasized the lyrics, and his delivery is banal and breathy on Vu Quoc Binh’s “Lang Le Tinh Buon.”

Finally founded a full version of “Giot Mua Thu” performed by Thanh Thuy. Too bad the quality is incredibility low.

Anh Tuyet’s rendition is also breathtaking. The quality is much better here.

I also come across an English translation of the lyrics by Jason Gibbs, a composer, performer, and researcher of music. His essay on Vietnamese popular music is worth reading.

Outside on the veranda, the
autumn rain is gently falling.

The somber sky is quieting,
suspended clouds are
scattering.

Amidst the muffled wind
blowing past in the autumn
rain, who’s crying? who’s
grieving?

A couple of young birds chirp
from the branch as if
auguring blue skies:

“Stop wind, why bring sad
rain to a plaintive heart?”

Autumn’s spirit arrives,
announcing the sadness it
brings along

Feelings empty on all sides,
for there’s no screen to block
the returning wind

Who’s sobbing, lamenting
life, teardrops rush down?
The world’s immeasurably
sad.

We hope the clouds will
scatter bringing sweet gentle
breezes. The clouds open up
to blue sky

Could such happiness be?
The rain continues to fall,
how many more incarnations
until this melancholy
subsides?

The distant wind still returns,
the unyielding rain spreads
its gloom

Oh sky, for how many more
years will tears pour from the
sky because of autumn?

Jazz, poetries, and illustrations, don’t they make a great combination? From Armstrong to DiZ, Jazz ABZ is a collection of jazz portrait paintings by Paul Rogers, and each piece is complemented by Wynton Marsalis’s words. Roger is a fine artist, and his artworks are rich, vibrant, and expressive. Furthermore, his typography skill—bold, playful, and captivating—provides his visuals with jazz characteristics. Although studying Rogers’s type treatment alone is worth the price of the book, the witty (sporadically silly) wordplays trumpeter Marsalis enhance the aesthetic of the graphics, or vice versa. And for those who aren’t familiar with jazz history, Phil Schaap’s brief biographies of the twenty-six featured musicians are both informative and helpful. Jazz ABZ is a children book; however, jazz enthusiasts and graphic designers of any age will also appreciate this little precious work of art.

Pedro Almodovar’s Bad Education is one rough, raw, and wicked motion picture. Priest molests boy; boy ejaculates boy; queer blows man; man fucks man. As provocative as it sounds, the film is breathtaking because of the imaginative storyline, lurid cinematography, and ingenious performances, noticeably Gael García Bernal whose acting is superb in both gay and queer roles. Furthermore, the soundtrack and musical score added tremendous enhancements to the work. The way the plot reveals itself is both clever and original while the script, which involves sex, lust, crack, revenge, and murder, keeps us engaging from beginning to end.

The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White is a book that I read every now and then to refresh my mind on writing. With Maira Kalman’s gorgeous visuals complementing the texts, the illustrated edition is an invaluable gift for anyone who wishes to write clearly and concisely. It’s a classic material.

Gentlemen, if you still don’t know what to get your significant others anything this Christmas, you might want to think about The Cosmo Kama Sutra : 77 Mind-Blowing Sex Positions. It’s an ideal gift because you will guarantee to get something special in return. With clear illustrations and simple language, your girls will show you how to rock in bed with kinky positions including “Rock-a-Bye Baby,” “Head Over Heels,” “The Passion Pretzel,” “G-Spot Jiggy,” “Row His Boat,” “Lusty Lean,” “Sofa Spread-Eagle,” “Electric Slide,” and “Standing Tiger/Crouching Dragon.” My only complain is no tips on blowing.