I am plowing my way into Visions of Jazz: The First Century. The 690-page text featured 79 essays on jazz musicians and their works written by Gary Giddins, one of the finest jazz critics. Although I am only up to the eleventh piece, “Louis Armstrong (The Once and Future King),” I like what I have read so far. Giddins’s passion for the music and knowledge of the history make his writings personal and informational. In the introduction, he states, “Everyone has his or her vision of jazz, and this is mine.” His vision is an inspiring if not an important one.

Cao Thai Son is yet another new kid on the block who tries to recover matured music with his recordings, Le Da. Unfortunately, his baby voice—small, sugary, shallow—does not make the standards, such as Trinh Cong Son’s “Roi Doi Di Nhe,” Ngo Thuy Mien’s “Ao Lua Ha Dong” and Pham Dinh Chuong’s “Mong Duoi Hoa,” stand out. Even though he has pushed his delivery on the title track, his restricted vocal ability doesn’t allow him to reach deep into the sentimental ballad. The worse performance is when he switches up his flow on Tu Vu’s “Gai Xuan.” The syrupy phrasing combined with the emphatic singing is simply infuriating. Nice try, Son.

The good part about young pop stars recovering golden music is that they make us appreciate the older generation. After watching Asia’s 75 Nam Am Nhac Viet Nam and listening to Thanh Thao’s Bay Ngay Doi Mong, I was inspired to seek out recordings that were made prior to 1975, and Thanh Thuy’s affectionate and passionate vocals hypnotize me. She sang with tremendous attention to the lyrics, and her phrasings were amazing. I love the way Asia’s producers reinvigorate Dang The Phong’s “Giot Mua Thu” for the younger singers, but they could not replace Thanh Thuy’s irreplaceable vocals. Despite the low quality of the recordings, her voice was always captivating. Listening to Thanh Thuy’s interpretation of Vietnamese patriotic music is like Bessie Smith sings the blues. Although she has been able to maintain god-sent voice till this day, I find her early works to be astonishing. If anyone has a collection of her songs and willing to share, your generosity is greatly appreciate it.

Hell yeah, back dem thangs up. I am feeling the Asian vibes, baby. The weekend is here, so party like it’s hot!

Thanh Thao flips her image as fast as her mood. From a Thai’s Barbie to a rock gal to a street chick, and now she is back as a traditional Vietnamese lady with her latest effort Bay Ngay Doi Mong. I am not ashamed to say that fun tracks like Y Van’s “Hai Muoi Bon Muoi” and Van Khoi and Van Phung’s “Trang Son Cuoc” groove me. Unfortunately, romantic ballads such as Tran Thien Thanh’s “Bay Ngay Doi Mong” and Le Huu Ha’s “Nho Nhau Lam Gi” suffer from her limited vocal range. Yet, the most heartfelt performance on the record is Nguyen Vu’s “Loi Cuoi Cho Em” with the aid of Quang Dung. He sings as if he tries to communicate his last words to his lover (especially on the chorus, “Neu ngay mai lo chung minh xa nhau, anh xin muon kiep yeu em ma thoi.”) before she walks down the isle with that rich old fart. Damn, we’re feeling you, QD.

On November 29, 1957, two jazz giants—Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane—joined forces at the Carnegie Hall for a concert recording that made history. Stylistically, Monk’s angularity and Trane’s virtuosity did not seem to fit, but the two were hand in glove when they gigged together. Monk’s disruptive chops made Trane’s flows more fluid. In reverse, Trane’s smooth tones added sensual details to Monk’s fractured sounds. Together the two geniuses had created an opposite attraction with their irresistible harmonies.

At the Carnegie Hall featured both shows from the Thanksgiving Jazz event in 1957, and eight out of nine performances were Monk’s signature compositions including “Monk’s Mood,” “Evidence” and “Epistrophy.” Monk was a man of his own world in both music and life. His music was too different and too hard to understand. Yet, Trane, an eccentric man himself, was able to tap into Monk’s mind. As a result, they were speaking the same language. “Blue Monk” is a perfect illustration that shows the two communicated to each other in an astonishing level. The tenor and the piano were brilliantly completing each other’s sentences on the first chorus before Trane immerged himself into his tireless, rapid-fire improvisation. After Trane, Monk gave a mind-blowing solo with his downward-scale technique, staccato style, and exquisite alter chord.

If I have to pick a title track for this album, it would be “Sweet and Lovely,” which appropriately describes the prosperous collaboration between Monk and Trane, and their performance was exactly what the title had suggested. Monk kicked off the standard ballad with his idiosyncratic solo in a mild rhythm section provided by Shadow Wilson’s soft brushstrokes and Ahmed Abdul-Malik’s thumping pizzicatos. Trane took over the bridge and his restless phrasing entered as the tempo picked up. Trane blew like he could go on forever without needing to take a breath while Monk dropped exotic keys in the background to complement his man. Not only this particular piece, but also every performance was filled with vivid colors, splendid textures and endless imaginations.

Although the recording was made almost fifty years ago, the sound is clear and the music is still fresh. Big up to Larry Appelbaum, the recording lab supervisor at Library of Congress, for discovering this rare gem. It is definitely a timeless work of art, especially for the jazz cognoscenti.

The documentary section of Van Son in Philippines brings back so much memories, especially the reminiscing part of Bataan where I had lived for six and a half months. Fifteen years has passed, but that special place, which was filled with sorrow, joy and anxiety, has not once departed from my heart. Coincidentally, Van Son and I were in the same 136’s cycle, which means we arrived in Bataan about the same time; therefore, most of the things he said hit my recollecting chord: the bunk camp (two families jammed in one little crib), the stringed bridge (cau treo), the food-distributing arguments (mom was responsible for dividing up the foods), the “monkey house” (for misbehaviors), the monastery and the entertainment park. One thing Van Son didn’t mention that holds a personal memory for me was the ping-pong recreation. I used to make my own paddles from either a piece of flat wood or blackboard. They weren’t the best, not to mention that they were square shaped instead of round, but they gave me an opportunity to learn how to play. The net was made up of a stick placed on two bricks. It was the coolest game ever. Even though those days were not heaven, they were not so bad comparing to the unfortunate ones who still stuck there. It’s heartbreaking to see our people being alienated in a foreign country, and still struggling after fifteen years trying to find a better place to live. Let’s hope and pray for those who are still left behind to reach their final destination.

I have worked with some fine designers who graduated from Kutztown University; therefore, I am excited to see the redesign of the Communication Design Department reflects its excellent program with superb illustrations, gorgeous colors and spendid typography. Not only the layout is visually stunning, but the coding is also clean and validated.

Asia Entertainment tried to do the impossible, and that is to cover almost a century worth of music in a couple of hours. As a result, they only scratch the surface of the history of Vietnamese music. What I want to see is more details of how our music has changed and grown over the years, and how earlier important figures like Van Cao and Pham Duy have influenced the latter songwriters. Maybe that requires Asia to make more than one release, but they want to sell more DVDs, don’t they? Nevertheless, 75 Nam Am Nhac Viet Nam (75 Years of Vietnamese Music) is a fantastic show.

The best part about Asia is that they never recycle their arrangements, and with a handful of skillful producers like Truc Ho, Truc Sinh, Sy Dan, and Vu Tuan Duc, they always churn out great sounds. For instance, the earlier version of Dang The Phong’s “Giot Mua Thu,” which was produced years ago for Asia’s girls including Nini, Ha Vy, and Vina Uyen My, was gorgeous, but they refresh it again this time for Anh Minh and Thuy Duong.

Beside the breathtaking arrangements, Asia is doing something quite odd on this video by pairing up singers from the two different generations. Kieu Nga and Trish on “May Lang Thang” is a strange combination, but the production pulls them together in a creative way. Kieu Nga starts off “May Lang Thang” with a mid tempo so that her strong and clear vocals can dominate. When Trish enters the stage, the beat accelerates and she rides right inside it. Her voice is small, but not overshadowed by the pulsating club groove. This is one of Trish’s best performances I have heard in years. The same goes for Thanh Tung’s “Mua Ngau” with Thanh Lan and Da Nhat Yen on the same stage. The arrangement switches to fast tempo when Da Nhat Yen kicks in. She is actually the only younger generation that topped her older partner. I am not saying Thanh Lan is not good, but the song doesn’t seem to fit her well. Another indelible blend is Don Ho and Dieu Huong. Backed up by Don Ho’s whispery vocals (his special talent), Dieu Huong gives a remarkable performance of her own “Vi Do La Em.” Don Ho also delivers a heartfelt performance on her romantic ballad “Chi Co Mot Thoi.”

Asia 4 doesn’t impress me much with their dance version of Duc Huy’s “Va Toi Cung Yeu Em,” but homeboy Chosen got the flow. His delivery is fast, clear, and way more natural than Hearts to Exist. His rhymes are not that interesting except for the line, “Bun Bo Hue with a little bit of rice.” Now that is Vietnamese ghetto style.

On the weaker side, Lam Nhat Tien could not express Van Cao’s “Thien Thai” to the fullest. His performance is not dramatic enough. Nguyen Khang and Vu Tuan Duc don’t go well together on Doan Chuan and Tu Linh’s “Duong Ve Viet Bac.” Thien Kim does not bring anything to Trinh Cong Son’s “Tinh Nho.” Still, Asia has once again delivered a fine presentation from musical arrangement to stage design to song selection. We’re also feeling their new protégé, Dang The Luan who has tremendous potential in becoming Duy Khanh’s successor.

In Duong Xua Van Dam, Quoc Trung gives Vietnamese traditional music (cheo, quan ho and hat xam) an unorthodox makeover. His masterful arrangements not only revived the aesthetic experience, but also retained the original flavor. By cascading eastern instruments into world-music rhythm, he has crafted some of the most exotic and imaginative sounds. For instance, the keyboard and the sixteen-stringed zither play side by side on “Dong Song Mot Bo” creating a sensational east-joins-west harmony. Duong Xa Van Dam is rich, colorful and exquisite. Even though you can download high-quality MP3, I encourage you to get the original album when it is available. Quoc Trung deserves the support for his inventive work.