Search - Nguyen Vinh Bao :: Vietnam

Excellent!

Pharoah S. Wail | Inner Space | 02/18/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At times, Ocora (the label) releases are of questionable recording and/or performance quality, but this is not one of those times.



To me, this group is basically a chamber quartet of excellent Vietnamese improvisors. Two lutes, a zither, and a spike-fiddle (dan nguyet, dan ty ba, dan tranh, and dan nhi/dan gao, for those of you keeping score). =)



The strength of real Vietnamese music shines here. The melodies and rhythms on this cd are timeless, and express the long-developing soul and spirit of a great culture. No French-influenced Vietnamese discotheque music here, thankfully!



There is a certain "open" rhythmic feel to this music that rarely ever surfaces in Western music. Beautifully textural and melodic at the same time, allowing each musician a world of freedom for personal expression.



As I said earlier, there are some Ocora releases that I have been 100% unhappy with, but they have an excellent track-record with Vietnamese releases. This cd is a perfect companion to the equally brilliant (though both releases are very different) Vietnam Improvisations cd I reviewed on this site several years ago."