My OperaShanghai Jazz
Saturday, November 11, 2006 1:54:42 PM
I love music, and I love jazz music. I can’t quite remember when I fell in love with jazz. What I remember was early summer, a breezy dusk, a CD, and “The Look of Love”. It was Diana Krall’s newly released song collected in a mixed album. I was lying in the couch enjoying the music of my new CD. Then, the soft and gentle rhythm slightly glided out. I was so impressed by the music, by the song “The Look of Love”. And I replayed it again and again, tried to find out what kind of music it was, but it was totally different from the music, which what I used to listen. While I kept replaying to the song, my father came in and said: “So you are fond of jazz music? You are just like your grandpa.”
Then I found out what kind of music it was and what kind of music I like. After that summer dusk, I seek out for jazz music album on purpose, to appreciate the music and to collect the album. Now I have some jazz CDs, which are all my favorites, and also I have some tapes, which are antiques from the 30s of 20th century that I inherited from my grandfather.
In my CD collection, I have one favourite I want to introduce to everybody for a long time. That is “Shanghai Jazz, Musical Seductions from China’s Age of Decadence”, which is published by EMI Hong Kong. The album was a collection of the jazz music played in the early 20th century Shanghai. That time was the golden age of Shanghai, also the golden age of jazz music in China. Shanghai was the “the Paris of the East”, Shanghai was one of the stage in the world, jazz music was flourishing with all those parties and balls. The jazz music of that era was the representatives of Chinese jazz, and also the essence.
John Huei, a musician hailing from Sydney, Australia, reproduced the songs for his deep love of Shanghai jazz. The most famous and well-known songs were collected in the album; all of them were refreshed and reinvented. Some of the songs were of the typical style of Shanghai jazz while some them were of the new styles such as bossa nova.
It was so great that I discovered this album on the corner of a CD shop. It seemed that it had been on the shelf for a long time and no one even saw it. I took it home immediately. And I found a new world. I didn’t realize that China jazz music could be so wonderful and adorable until I heard the album; also it is so unique because it had composed with the Chinese traditional music element. The song “The Love You Can’t Get”, “It’s not Too Late” are of typical Shanghai jazz style, you will think of the girl on the cigarette poster while you are listening to it. “Jasmine Flower” is of the bossa nova, the rhythm reminds you the aroma of jasmine flower and the summer breeze in a tropical island.
I recommended this album to you, for you to feel the essence of “the Paris of the East".
Then I found out what kind of music it was and what kind of music I like. After that summer dusk, I seek out for jazz music album on purpose, to appreciate the music and to collect the album. Now I have some jazz CDs, which are all my favorites, and also I have some tapes, which are antiques from the 30s of 20th century that I inherited from my grandfather.
In my CD collection, I have one favourite I want to introduce to everybody for a long time. That is “Shanghai Jazz, Musical Seductions from China’s Age of Decadence”, which is published by EMI Hong Kong. The album was a collection of the jazz music played in the early 20th century Shanghai. That time was the golden age of Shanghai, also the golden age of jazz music in China. Shanghai was the “the Paris of the East”, Shanghai was one of the stage in the world, jazz music was flourishing with all those parties and balls. The jazz music of that era was the representatives of Chinese jazz, and also the essence.
John Huei, a musician hailing from Sydney, Australia, reproduced the songs for his deep love of Shanghai jazz. The most famous and well-known songs were collected in the album; all of them were refreshed and reinvented. Some of the songs were of the typical style of Shanghai jazz while some them were of the new styles such as bossa nova.
It was so great that I discovered this album on the corner of a CD shop. It seemed that it had been on the shelf for a long time and no one even saw it. I took it home immediately. And I found a new world. I didn’t realize that China jazz music could be so wonderful and adorable until I heard the album; also it is so unique because it had composed with the Chinese traditional music element. The song “The Love You Can’t Get”, “It’s not Too Late” are of typical Shanghai jazz style, you will think of the girl on the cigarette poster while you are listening to it. “Jasmine Flower” is of the bossa nova, the rhythm reminds you the aroma of jasmine flower and the summer breeze in a tropical island.
I recommended this album to you, for you to feel the essence of “the Paris of the East".
fitchwars # Sunday, November 12, 2006 8:26:47 AM
Travellerlaughing buddha # Wednesday, November 15, 2006 3:38:26 PM