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Huong Thanh
The Vietnamese singer is best known for her jazz
fusions, but Jon Lusk catches her exploring tradition.
T
hat said, the album doesn’t quite
prepare you for the beauty of her
voice on stage, nor the sounds of
the many exquisite instruments
accompanying her. There’s the elegant
‘moon lute’, and ‘lotus lute’, the violin-
like dan nhi and the dan tranh, a 16-
stringed zither. But the most unique is the
dan bau, a Vietnamese monochord that
the player manipulates with a buffalo
horn tremolo arm to produce unearthly
overtones that almost suggest a theremin.
On four of the album tracks, you can
also hear Huong Thanh’s sister Huong Lan,
though confusingly, both these are stage
names (‘Thanh’ means ‘blue’ and ‘Huong’ is
‘perfume’ – her original name is Tran Ngoc
Thanh). Huong Lan decided to pursue her
career in the US (with frequent trips to
Vietnam) and move further from her roots.
“I’m more purely traditional,” explains
Huong Thanh. “My sister is closer to pop. In
Vietnam, the people like more how my sis-
ter sings. Being a jazz singer has allowed
me to make a name for myself in France
and Europe and then to move on and intro-
duce all this traditional folklore. If I sang my
music mixed up with a pop version, I would
Photo: Jon Lusk be richer! But I do what I love doing.”
In 2002 (see fR227) Nguyên Lê told
journalist Paul Fisher that traditional Viet-
namese music was in danger of dying out,
so I ask if the situation has improved since.
“Most young people sing in a western
style, but now they have a movement to
revive it. The traditional music of cai luong
F
ifteen years ago, the Paris-based 1996, and then released four solo albums
is still fragile. But I go back often now to
Vietnamese singer Huong Thanh under his direction, most recently Fragile
Vietnam and… it is increasing now.”
began collaborating with electric Beauty in 2007. She was halfway through
guitarist and producer Nguyên Lê recording this when a performance that
Huong Thanh attributes this revival to
on a series of world/ jazz/ fusion she had given earned her the Prix France
the country’s growing economic strength,
recordings for the German label ACT. Musique Des Musiques Du Monde.
and the fact that travelling abroad has
Although these showcased the beauty of
given Vietnamese people new perspec-
“For this prize, Radio France offered
her extraordinary voice, often in
tives. “Now that Vietnam is becoming
to sponsor the making of a CD of tradi-
ravishing arrangements, they also raised
more wealthy, so the old culture is return-
tional song,” Huong explained in French,
questions about how she might sound in
ing. I think that all countries that have a
translated by her husband and band mem-
a more traditional setting. But it wasn’t
war, in general, we don’t think about tra-
ber Hông Nguyên, backstage before her
until 2008, with Cai Luong Music (Ocora)
ditional music… the first thing is to eat.
concert presenting the music on Cai Luong
that we really got to hear what she grew
And after that we think about culture…
Music at London’s Purcell Room in May last
up singing with her sister in Saigon,
so now, with the economy improving…
year. “With this disc, I wanted to show
before their father Huu Phuoc took the
the music is, too. Also, many Vietnamese
where I was born, my family and where my
family into exile to France in 1977.
people left the country, and they see now
father sang when he was in Vietnam. It’s a
that traditional music is very important
As François Bensignor’s sleeve notes
return to the source, to show my roots.
for our country. But when you live in the
explain, he was a major star of the ‘reno-
The other CDs are also traditional, but
country you don’t see this.”
vated theatre’, a neo-traditional type of
mixed in a jazz fusion… and now I’ve
musical theatre, which fell into decline
taken a road in the opposite direction.”
Just before she goes on stage, we spy
after the Vietnam war. After becoming a The whole team of Radio France trav-
Dr Lucy Duran, who comes over to renew
professional singer in France, Huong elled to Vietnam to record with local
her acquaintance with the 49-year-old
Thanh couldn’t make a living from this musicians. “I’m very happy with this,
singer.
alone, and so was forced to sing ‘variety’ because it was a live-in-the-studio record-
“Ask her what her secret is – she has
spots – bolero, cha-cha-cha, etc. – in the ing. In France, for a CD we have to pre-
fewer and fewer wrinkles every time I see
restaurants and cabarets of Paris, until she pare for six months, but this was just one
her!” observes Lucy.
began working with Nguyên Lê. She con- week’s preparation, and we recorded the “It’s the music that keeps me young,”
tributed to his Tales Of Vietnam album in CD in only two days.” Huong Thanh murmurs. F
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