Khac Chi Ensemble
Moonlight in Vietnam
Henry Street HSR 0005, 1997
TRACK LISTINGS
01. On the Mountain Top (tren dinh nui) 3:05
02. Forest Love (tinh yeu rung) 4:02
03. Quan Ho Folk Song (bai hat dan ca quan ho) 4:03
04. T'rung Stream (suoi dan t'rung) 2:51
05. Mountain Cave (hen ho trong hang nui) 3:26
06. Highland Dance (vu khuc tay nguyen) 3:45
07. Spring is Coming (mua xuan den) 2:30
08. Cai Luong Folk Song (bai hat cai luong) 3:31
09. Farmer's Song (ho hui) 3:00
10. Spring Walk (du xuan) 3:48
11. Full Moon Dance (vu khuc dem trang) 3:54
12. Native Land (que huong) 3:34
13. Northwest Folk Song (dan ca tay bac) 3:00
Vietnam's rich and diverse culture has developed through thousands of years of history punctuated by successive periods of independence and foreign domination. Its borders, like those of many of its Southeast Asian neighbors, have changed dramatically with changing times and politics. Presently, Vietnam is home to more than fifty different ethnic peoples, some still living in remote and inaccessible parts of the country and retaining their own distinct cultural identities. As a result of this cultural diversity, there are literally hundreds of styles of music, ranging from court to village styles, and religious to social music.
Most Vietnamese music is still unknown to the rest of the world, due in large part to the country's recent isolation-itself a subject area so massive and complex as to besubstantially beyond the space limitations and scope of this article. Vietnam is a treasure chest of musical styles, techniques, and instruments, yet most of its musical exports are heavily influenced by Chinese music, to the point of being played on Chinese music, to the point of being played on Chinese-derived instruments rather than those indigenous to Vietnam. There is a current trend in the country, however, to rediscover music that is uniquely Vietnamese. This has fostered an exploration of the musical traditions of a number of the minority cultures, especially those of the mountain-dwelling or "highland" peoples. Increasingly, Vietnamese traditional music groups are incorporating the techniques and instruments of these cultures into their repertoire.
This ensemble is led by Khac Chi and Ngoc Bich, two of Vietnam's most innovative and influential musicians. Now based in Vancouver, Canada, they have toured internationally for fifteen years. The Khac Chi Ensemble features numerous traditional instruments representing the country's rich diversity. These include the dan bau (one-string zither played in harmonic overtones), the ko ni (stick fiddle with a resonating disc held in the player's mouth), and the t'rung (suspended bamboo xylophone).
320 kbps including full booklet scans
Part 1
Part 2
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