Thu Phuong has quite an ambition. She wants to gain young and new fans without losing her dedicated followers. Instead of releasing an album with various tunes, which is what most young pop stars including Dam Vinh Hung, Nguyen Khang, and Ho Quynh Huong have done, to cover a wide range of demographics, Thu Phuong drops three records simultaneously with each pushing for a specific audience. It’s a much smarter tactic then trying to cramp everything into one. She knows damn well that Doan Chuan and Tu Linh’s “Thu Quyen Ru” and Duy Manh’s “Kiep Do Den” won’t sound right on the same album. As long as she separates the short-lived from timeless tunes, I don’t care how much she wants to entertain the young crowds.

Em Ra Di Mua Thu, which targets the experienced listeners, is the finest out of the three albums. The record is played off on a thematic approach—similar to the classic Doan Khuc Mua Thu Ha Noi in which Hong Nhung gives us a tour of the romantic and picturesque details of the Viet Nam’s capitol. From the opening of Pham Trong Cau’s “Em Ra Di Mua Thu” to the closing of Pham Duy’s “Mua Thu Chet,” Thu Phuong performs with all of her heart to paint eleven gorgeous musical landscapes based around the theme of fall. Each track is carefully chosen and attentively arranged to give listeners the aesthetic beauty of changing leafs season.

The album starts off with the title track produced by Le Sy Du (who is responsible for nine tracks on the album). His arrangement is simple but pushes Thu Phuong’s performance. On the break, the smooth saxophone solo adds rich and sensuous harmonies to her unequivocal delivery. After the break, the sax joins along side with Thu Phuong to create exotic details. On Pham Manh Cuong’s “Thu Ca,” she pours out her soul on the marvelous Latin rhythm section arranged by Trung Nghia. Another fabulous contribution from Trung Nghia is his production on Pham Duy’s “Mua Thu Chet.” His intoxicating jazz groove allows Thu Phuong to reinvigorates the old tune. Teaming up with Ho Kim Hieu (who is an unknown vocalist to me, but she does has a mesmerizing voice), Thu Phuong gives Ngo Thuy Mien’s “Mua Thu Cho Em” a sensational rendition. She also provides Phu Quang’s “Dau Phai Mua Thu” an exhilarating presentation with her genuine interpretation.

Em Ra Di Mua Thu is a great follow up from her previous triumphant Nhu Mot Loi Chia Tay (a Trinh Cong Son’s songbook); however, her only weakness is the breath issue. I let it slid on the last album because she was using Trinh’s music to express her emotion. Breath management does make a huge difference, at least for me. Take the duet with Le Thu on Pham Duy’s “Nuoc Mat Mua Thu” for example. It’s definitely a savory collaboration between the two generations, but we can decipher why Le Thu is still superior. Her technical skill is flawless despite of her age. Nevertheless, I have to give it to Thu Phuong. She has crafted another priceless record. Of course, the sugary albums she released to win the young hearts don’t count. Let’s hope she will improve her breath control and won’t record any more syrupy albums.

Robert Brownjohn was a graphic designer, but he lived his life like a jazz musician. To be specific, his lifestyle was more like Charlie Parker’s. Was Bj also under Bird’s influence? According to Robert Brownjohn: Sex and Typography—a book written by Emily King on the life and work of a bold, brilliant graphic designer as well as an addictive, heavy drug-user—he did hang out with Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday and Miles “Prince of Darkness” Davis.

In the “Life” part of Sex and Typography, Brownjohn’s story—from Chicago to New York to London—is pieced together through the voices of his family, friends, colleagues and associates. Even though King has done a marvelous job of placing the interviews in a chronological order, the transition from one dialogue to the next is still choppy. Nonetheless, the individual accounts provide different perspectives of Bj’s personality, and how his behaviors shaped his design.

The “Work” section featured distinctive, innovative and provocative pieces of design including Pepsi-Cola World magazine covers, Obsession and Fantasy poster, Goldfinger title sequence and Rolling Stone’s Let it Bleed album cover. My personal favorite is the Watching Words Move experimental typography booklet. For instance, the playfulness of words, such as “addding,” “subtrcting,” “multimultiplying” and “div id ing,” is clever. One of the most striking pieces is Bj’s Peace poster. The design is minimal, but the message speaks loud. The poster is consisted of two handwritten letters PE laid next to the centered Ace of Spades followed by a scribbled question mark. Despite the controversial issues behind the work, the design concept is ingenious.

Although Bj lived ten years longer than his musician friend Parker, he, too, died young from excessive drugs abuse. Also like Parker, Bj’s had left behind invaluable works that guarantee to inspire the new generation. Mad kudos to King for sharing the life and work of a remarkable contemporary designer.

Viet Nam News has written an article called “Forget Hip-hop, War Songs Are Da Bomb.” I know the author tries to be down, but the slang being used here is inappropriate. War songs aren’t “da bomb.” They contain serious contents.

The young Le Quyen has a captivating timbre —powerful and perspicuous—with no breathe or pitch issues. While her technical skill is promising, her music selection is disappointing. The materials on her debut Giac Mo Co That do not bring out the aesthetics of her marvelous vocals. She is wasting her talent with the translated ballads (“Ve Ben Em” and “Phut Giay Hanh Phuc”) and saccharine pop tunes (Le Quang’s “Quen Mot Cuoc Tinh” and Vo Thien Thanh’s “Trang Chieu”). As much as I enjoy Tuan Nghia’s “Hay Tra Loi Em,” the performance doesn’t leave a lasting impact. With that strong and slightly raspy voice, she can do better to elevate her stature. I am looking forward to a wiser decision-making (musical choices) in her next work.

Big shout out to Diem Thuyen Ngoc Tran for her active involvement in the Vietnamese community. She will be participating in the Arizona Ao Dai Pageant 2006 and Miss Vietnamese USA 2007. Based on her extensive interests (thankfully not just sleeping and shopping) and insightful comments on this site, Miss Diem Thuyen is a well-rounded individual who not only strives to excel herself, but also is passionate in helping others. Yet, the most important characteristic of Miss Diem Thuyen is that she cherishes the beauty of our Vietnamese culture, especially in music. We’re proud of her, and we’re rooting for her.

“Blue Rondo A La Turk” (Love the odd timing, the polyrhythms, and the switching of tempos at the bridge)

“Three to Get Ready” (Dig Joe Morrello’s marvelous brushwork here)

“The Duke” (An invigorating tribute to Ellington)

“The Crossing” (An amazing piece that is filled with polytonality)

For more comprehensive experience of Brubeck’s unorthodox jazz style, Time Signatures: A Career Retrospective is highly recommended. The box set featured fifty-nine tracks selected by Brubeck himself including Time Out masterpieces, a Charles Mingus-collaborated “Non-Sectarian Blues,” and the silky-smooth “Summer Song” with Louis Armstrong on vocal.

I am not kidding. If Dinh Tien Dat’s D. is considered a hip-hop album, we’re in trouble. I hate to be so hard on someone who tries his hardest to bring hip-hop into the Vietnamese pop culture, but he does it all wrong. His hip-hop debut is straight artless. Even before listening to the album, I could predict the outcome, yet I still give it a shot to see if I could pick out something interesting. Apparently, I walk away with nothing but frustration.

One of hip-hop’s essential elements is the art of storytelling. Hip-hop is a canvas that allows artists to paint their personal stories, and Mr. Dee has none. He is not a lyricist, and the only tale he could tell is the bittersweet love of Romeo and Juliet, not even his own. Do we really need Mr. Dee to remind us Shakespeare’s classic romance? Come on Dee, give us something original, something that moves us, something that means deeper than the banal relationship you’ve penned on “Roi Xa,” which sounds like you’re trying to flip a romantic ballad. Nonetheless, I sympathize Dee’s limited subject choices. The true form of hip-hop is self-expression; however, that true form will never make its way to Viet Nam. I am not saying that we don’t have talented artists to do so, but it will never happen until there is such thing as Freedom of Speech in Viet Nam. If Dee or any other rapper expresses his political view, something like what Eminem did with “Mosh” before the election, he would be spitting behind bars instead of on stage.

Even if we can look past the lyrical content, the technique, which Dee has yet to master, is not forgivable. No matter how many times he tries to switch it up, his stilted flow still shows. His delivery is emotionless and he can’t ride the beat. Even on the club joints, which are plenty on this album, he tries to catch up with the beat instead of floats with it. Although his singing is horrendous, it is not the most disappointed thing on the album. What gets to me is that D. featured not one but four Korean-robbed tunes (“Roi Xa,” “Con Tim Tinh Yeu,” “Nguoi Da Khong Con” and “Biet Em Da Ve”). With saccharine Korean grooves overcoating lame Vietnamese lyrics, I don’t know what kind of music it is, but certainly not hip-hop.

I have read somewhere that Dee is working on his next release. Please man, learn to love and respect the music. Be original, be innovative, or stop making artificial hip-hop records. It’s really a damn shame.

Music: a bluesy “Nghien” music by Pham Anh Dung, poem by Tho Tho, arrange by Quang Dat and perform by Quynh Lan.

Thy Vi interviews Jazzy Da Lam on RFA (Radio Free Asia) in Vietnamese. The best part is when Jazzy demonstrates how she incorporates the harmony of “Da Co Hoai Lan” into her own “Vong Dem.”

Nguyen Khang gets the polygamous rumor off his chest on VOA (Voice of America) in Vietnamese, produced by Truong Ky. Although his response comes off inappropriate, I understand how he feels when people accused him of having five wives and six kids.

Flash Sites: True to its brand, Fluid Web site navigation is fluidly attractive. One of the best use of Flash menus since Joshua Davis’s PS3. The only thing that turns me off is the use of frames.

Wash-Design‘s minimal approach is not too striking until you hit the “Studio” section.

Vietnamese Hotties: Merina Tram Vo (damn… is all I can say)

Thuy Le Hong Phan (sweet and elegance, the type moms and pops would approve)

Barbara Nguyen (the one that passed the mic on the question “What are the three advantages and disadvantages of being a Vietnamese-American woman?” during the Second Annual Miss Vietnam Usa 2005 contest.)

Read: In his critical column, “Deceptively Conceptual,” on Ned Drew and Paul Sternberger’s By Its Cover: Modern American Book Cover Design, John Updike concludes, “You can, possibly, tell a book by its cover, but the cover isn’t the contents. ”

Cameron Moll‘s article, “Good Designers Redesign, Great Designers Realign,” elaborates on my earlier post about refining Visualgui.com.

West Coast Jazz is another noteworthy reading on jazz written by Ted Gioia, author of the invaluable History of Jazz. Unlike hip-hop, there was no beef between east and west jazz. Gioia is not interested in defining the territory, but the music itself: the sound of the West and the musicians. He delves into the lives of major jazz phenomena, whose works flourished in the west, including Dave Brubeck, Chet Beker and Art Pepper. He also mentioned the avant-garde sounds of Charles Mingus and Ornette Coleman as important contributors not only to the west but the entire jazz world.

Ang Lee, a versatile director, is always up for new challenges. In his latest film, Brokeback Mountain, he struck a bisexual chord. Two cowboys, Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal), work together as sheepherders. While on the job they have anal sex after profound drinking and smoking during a cold night up in the mountain. The special bond between the two grows stronger even after they went off on their own ways. Despite being married with children, the two would arrange to go “fishing” several times a year, and their relationship gets deeper over the decades.

Even though the film is a complete turn from what Lee has directed before, one thing still remains the same, and that is his sensitivity for the beauty of nature. The landscapes are gorgeous thanks to cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto; however, the heart and soul of the film is the breathtaking performances from Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. The kisses are passionate; the tears are convincing; and the emotional expressions come through. These two guys deserve the recognition for their unbelievable work. I am not a homophobic, but it takes guts to kiss another man on screen.

Focus Features has created one of the most striking films of the year. The script, which is written by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana based on Annie Proulx’s short story, is tight. The acting is superb (Anne Hathaway added some visual aesthetics to the film while Michelle Williams is fantastic in her supporting role). The soundtrack is soul steaming (especially the finger-picking guitar of the folk songs). The story is heartrending. Brokeback Mountain makes a comeback for Lee after the flopping of Hulk.