Sandra Lang 仙杜拉 ~ 啼笑姻緣

This is one of the album that propel the dominance of Canto-pop music.

Written by the legendary Joseph Koo in 1974, the title track is also the theme song for TVB's tv serials, 啼笑姻緣, "Wedding that Cries and Laughs"

Superb album!

This is Sandra, 30 years later:) :-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxRUvSsWxwE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvYYZ176ukE

LP No. Crown Records CST 1218

Ken Choi - 蔡楓華 ~ 倩影

Sorry to digress a little on politics. This is the reality. You are punished when you do not toe the line! Isn’t familiar here?

Ken Choi suffered when he spoke something that is not politically right in 1985 TVB Jade Gold presentation.

Click here to see that moment in 1985 :-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QVCurvLD8U



As long as the music interest me, I care little, whether politically right or wrong and I only associate Ken Choi to 倩影. Kent wrote this fantastic song himself in 1981 and becomes the classic of the canto-pop today.

LP No. CBS CBA 113

Jazz Samba ~ Nice Sounding Jazz Albums (4)

Bossa nova is believed first introduced into America jazz scene thru this album in 1962. The gem of Jazz Samba is Desafinado, a splendid track written by Antonio Carlos Jobim. The entire album is very relaxing and best enjoy during the evenings, perhaps help you create a tranquil environment.

Jazz Samba subsequently inspired the release of Gets/Gilberto - featuring the Girls from Ipanema (also written by Antonio Carlos Jobim) in 1963 and further help to reinforce bossa nova as part of America musical life

Personnel
Stan Getz, Charlie Byrd (guitar)
Keter Betts (bass)
Gene Byrd, (bass & guitar)
Buddy Deppenschmidt and Bill Reichenbach (drum)

Tracks:
Desafinado
Samba Dees Days
Pato
Samba Triste
Samba De Uma Nota So
E Luxo So
Baia


Verve LP V6-8432

Boiling Point - Nice Sounding Jazz Albums (3)

Quite an obscure jazz album I believe, it was introduced to me by one vinyl fanatic few years ago. Recorded in 1977, during the hike of Japanese jazz frenzy, it includes 2 vocal tracks by Mari Nakamoto, who records for the famous Japanese TBM record label (I will highlight some of the nice TBM records later). This album was also recorded using the superior direct-to-disk method which explain the clear and natural sounding.


Tracks:
Battle Hymn of the Republic
My funny valentine (Mari Nakamoto)
The Night Comers
Your Watch Is Ten Minutes Slow
On The Sunny Side of the Street
Misty (vocal by Mari Nakamoto)
Drum Boogie

Personnel
Shoji Yokouchi (Guitar)
Moto Nomura (drums)
Kunimitsu Inaba (bass)
Kounosuke Saijoh(T. Sax)
Mari Nakamoto (vocal)

Tosiba EMI, Japan LF-95009

Going Home ~ The L. A. Four - Nice Sounding Jazz Albums (2)

Going Home is one of my favourite jazz albums; smooth and very relaxing music. It’ sonic purity and
lifelike sounding add more spice to listening and enjoyment

A jazz quartet, The L.A. Four is made up of the classic members of Ray Brown (bass), Shelly Manne (drums), Laurindo Almeida(guitar) and Bud Shank (alto saxophone, flute, alto flute)
recorded this stunning album in 1977.

This album employed the direct to disk recording method as briefly described below.

Direct to disk method is based on simple idea of skipping the tape entirely and recording directly into master disc and by eliminating the tape, a direct cut disc eliminates the possibilities of hiss, modulation noise and many limitation of tape. Thus it can provide recordings with total dynamic range which is audibly superior

It is not a new idea; it was used hundred years ago by Thomas Edison. Due to commercial constraints it is hardly used now(except by some die-hard audiophile label). It is costly because the program must be live and the record cutting lathe cannot be stop without ruining the entire recording.

Smooth jazz for great enjoyment.

Track:-

1. Going Home
2. Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise
3. Greensleeves
4. Things Ain't What They Used to Be
5. Recipe of Love
6. Romance de Amor
7. Django



Nippon Phonogram Co Ltd, Tokyo
East Wind EW-10004

Time Out – Dave Brubeck Quartet ~ Nice Sounding Jazz Albums (1)

This is the album that introduced to me what jazz is about; it is one of the biggest selling jazz albums of all time. The diversity of the composition, starting with the effortless Blue Rondo a la Turk, the dynamic and powerful solo drum in Take Five to rhythmic and melodic short waltzes, rendered the music so amazingly good that I never get tired of listening to it and still sound so fresh although was recorded almost 50 years ago. It is damn shiok!

This is the masterpiece from the perfect partnership and synergy derived from Dave Brubeck (piano), Joe Morello (drum), Paul Desmond (alto sax), Gene Wright (bass).

This record has been “vandalised” by the audiophile community. The assorted attributes of this album are often used to evaluate array of parameters for assessment of hi-fi stereo sets and has been released in countless reissues.


Blue Rondo a la Turk
Strange Meadowlark
Take Five
Three to Get Ready
Kathy's Waltz
Everybody's Jumpin'
Pick up Sticks


Classic Records CS 8192

Anita Mui ~ 心債

This is Anita Mui ‘s first album (not truly her solo album as it included 2 other new TVB artist as a package – perhaps , commercial reasons).

The title track 心債 (‘heart debt”), a brilliant song specially written by HK legendary Joseph Koo and lyrics by the late James Wong for Anita. Anita recorded this song so naturally and effortlessly yet with her classic profound voice. [I wonder why do current HK singers have to resort to unnatural way of singing, bragging and faking their breath and tone, can hardly make out what they are singing, artistic maybe?]

James Wong revealed that this song was recorded with just ONE take!! This a testimony of Anita, an accomplished singer with high level of professionalism and dedication.

Anita Mui Yin Fong (1963-2003), queen of Canto-pop and dubbed as the “Madonna of Asia” had a distinguished career well-known of her extreme and sometimes outrages costumes , modernised dancing and also dynamic performances.

But her early years of hardship captivate me. She lost her father at the age of 5 and had to abandon schooling to provide support to the family. Together with elder sister, she has to perform Chinese operas and pop songs in theatres, night clubs and in the streets that offer them to make a living, typical “street singers” 天涯歌女. Her breakthrough was in 1982, when she won the TVB’s first New Talent Singing Award with the winning song 風的季節 "The Windy Season", (a popular hit of Paula Tsui 徐小鳳)


Capital Artists Ltd 1982
LP No. CAL-02-1003