Huong Thanh & Nguyen Le - Fragile Beauty (Dig)
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CD Details
Artist: Huong Thanh & Nguyen LeEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
Format: Import
CD Release Date: 2008-02-12
Music Label: Act Music + Vision
Soundtracks:
- Drifting On the Water
- Weaving & Awaiting
- Faithfulness
- Plantation Song
- The Five Calls Of the Night
- Fragile Beauty
- Rowing the Sampan
- The Pavilion Of Crystallized Azure
- At Dusk, From the West Balcony
- Go Cong Blues
- The Swallows' Bridge
- Tales Of the Mountain
Music reviews of Fragile Beauty (Dig)
Music Review: Aptly Titled Album
Rating: 5 Stars
This is Nguyen Le and Huong Thanh's fifth CD as a team, starting out with the classic jazz fusion CD, Tales From Vietnam. While 'Tales' was an ambitious larger ensemble work with extensive writing and horn arrangements that took traditional vietnamese folk songs in a decidedly jazz direction, the subsequent four albums have a more intimate, studio feel that retains a delicate connection to the natural world from which these songs have their origin. These are after all, folk songs, the sort of things one imagines a woman might sing to herself while washing clothes in a stream or croon to a sleepy infant in a cozy hut at evening time. Having admitted to running short on appropriate traditional tunes by this release, Le decided to include a few original compositions, but without looking at the liner notes, the listener would be hard pressed to tell them apart from the old folk songs.
For those fan's of Le's harder edged music, be forewarned: On these projects Le plays a more restrained part, and like the cover photo implies, his presence is felt ,but in the background, letting these vocal performances and the tunes themselves remain the primary focus. It is interesting to note that his name didn't even appear of the covers of the three Huong Tranh releases prior to this one. What a self effacing guy!
Le manages to stay true to the roots of this music by utilizing a number of traditional vietnamese instruments, but peppers the mix with tasty bits of electronica, contributions from fellow jazz instrumentalists such as Paolo Fresu on trumpet and Reneaud Fons Garcia on bass and of course, his own inimitable electric guitar, itself influenced by his studies of the traditional vietnamese monochord, the danbau.
This is a very spacious soundscape. Le had total artistic control, being producer arranger, engineer, mixing engineer and of course player. His visions are pristine landscapes-one can see the rivers, the jagged hills, hear the bubbling waters of a stream, the quietude of a mountain top, smell the burning rice fields after harvest. This is an exotic painting for the ear.
Apparently, these traditional tunes are dying out in their native land. Le speaks of a fascination with western pop music all but extinguishing traditional music in the country of his roots (Le was born in Paris, where he lives today). We are extremely lucky to have his massive talents to help revive an interest in this ancient tradition. Huong Thanh herself is a rare talent, possessing a beautiful instrument and the musicality to use it to full advantage. She is one of the few people alive who sings several distinct styles of this music. In a recent interview, both artists expressed a desire to rekindle an interest in traditional vietnamese music in younger people through their efforts. With such a masterful, original and utterly modern adaptation such as this, that wish should be fulfilled.
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Description of Fragile Beauty (Dig)
In world music circles, Huong Thanh is one of the most prominent vocalists of Vietnamese origin. She has released three solo albums and two albums with Nguyên Lê, all of which have been highly acclaimed by the critics.Fragile Beauty is a beautiful mix of traditional Vietnamese music with ambient, trance, and world music.
"This is deeply spiritual, highly sensual, and very intelligent music that communicates perfectly across the borders." -- Birmingham Post
"This woman has a voice that might melt glaciers and make deserts bloom with roses ... some of the best music being made in today's shrinking world: absolutely rooted, modern as it gets. Killer album!" -- Folk Roots
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