只有旅行和藝術可以自己決定

“Let’s dance” is a 80s classic by David Bowie. It was released as the first single from that album in 1983, and went on to become one of his biggest-selling tracks. The single was one of Bowie’s fastest selling to date, entering the UK singles chart at number five on its first week of release. Strong rhythm and bassline make people want to dance and dance with David Bowie’s signature steps.

On Monday class, one of the petit allegro exercises was the most basic steps of Mazurka --- simple steps but extremely difficult. I immediately thought of the amazing Mazurka done by a group of little girls and boys in Paquita.

Marzuka from Paquita by Vaganova Academy of Ballet

I don't belong to the Michael Jackson world, but I have to admit that he indeed brought a lot of amazing performance experiences to the world. He wrote quite some great songs, but normally I was distracted from his fancy steps and body movements. For one of his hits Billie Jean, not until I heard Veloso singing it with only guitar and simple percussion, I didn't realize the song was talking about something that could be seen as a serious social issue(due to my poor English to understand Michael Jackson's screaming and accent of singing). Without other entertaining "side effects", Billie Jean still has its right to be one of the hits of the decades.

Caetano Veloso sings Billie Jean. The original dancing music becomes very sentimental and somehow confessing.

This "Paloma" song won so many people's tears from Almodovar's film "Hable Con Ella/Talk to her". Brazilian musician Caeteno Veloso sings with guitar and cello in a breezy evening.

"Granada" is a popular Mexican song written by the composer Agustín Lara, about Granada, one of the beautiful Spanish cities.

Placido Domigo is in my opinion the best interpreter of Granada. As he said in the interview, he felt “himself” in the song, given the duo-originality – Mexico and Spain. He is born in Spain but grows up in Mexico. So in his singing, one finds the perfect but natural combination of passion for Spain and proficiency of demonstrating Mexican aura.

Note in the beginning: This is not that "Granada" (by Lara) you used to hear from tenors. (I will have it next week)

Isaac Albéniz's piano work Suite Iberia is arguably the greatest masterpiece of Spanish music of any age. Albeniz finished the set in 1908, just a year before he died, and his subtitle 'impressions' is no accident. Frustrated with Spanish politics and cultural life, he'd moved to France, where he felt his ambitions were better understood, and where he fell under Debussys spell ---impressionism, combined with nostalgia and nationalism in these vivid portraits of Albeniz's homeland.

Music of the week this week is definitely triggered by the performance by El Yiyo just on 6/6.

Paco de Lucia in my mind is the god of Flamenco guitar. His live performance was phenomenon that drove the whole hall of audience crazy.

The magic of Flamenco music always lays on the interesting chemistry and spirit of the band to improvise together to create a momentum, a mood and a groove.

Paco de Lucia in Carlos Saura’s film “Flamenco”, section “Tangos”

Recent music mood is a little bit soul. After last week’s music “Love Reborn”, here comes another soul music group Simply Red, Mick Hucknall as vocal. Mick Hucknall is somehow like Toshi Kubota, they have much better and charming voices than their look and physical movement (sorry about this personal judgment…). Despite different country of origins and cultural influences, they make great soul grooves.

Simply Red is an English soul band originally formed in 1985. Their music style is influenced by soul, rock, R&B and new romanticism (style of 80s, such as David Bowie’s Ashes to Ashes, Culture Club, Duran Duran). Fairground is Simply Red's only UK No.1 single, staying at the top for four weeks in Sept/Oct 1995. The song itself just like the title “fairground”, is cheerful, playful, colorful, positive-spirited. I like the rhythm accompanied with light percussions full of samba ambience.

There was a time in Japan when soul, funk and R&B music was American and mainly the domain of smoky little six-seat counter bars in certain areas. In the 80s, R&D and soul was first made as part of J-Pop by Toshi Kubota (久保田利伸). He is purely Japanese, but he can deliver the smooth grooves as naturally and soulfully just like other great R&B style singers in America.

Once I heard of his song “Love Reborn” remixed by KC Matsuo(松尾潔), the top Japanese R&B music producer, in a compilation album “smooth”, one can be charmed by his silky soulful voice. The song is beautiful, the remix decorates with a lot of “sparkles” to bring in a jazzy but still R&B ambience.

Ne me quitte pas" ("Don't leave me") is a song written and sung in French by the Belgian singer and song writer Jacques Brel in 1959. I might heard of this song in some Chanson albums but first time it had a strike on me was from Almodovar’s film La Ley del Deseo.

Brel’s interpretation is probably the most intensive one which can make one shed tears by only listening to his voice and emotion. The song itself is a drama (or a melodrama), which can be powerful as a theatrical piece. Here is to share the choreography by Maurice Bejart (whose dance I don’t particularly appreciate but who always have great dancers) performed by Elizabeth Ros.

Bambino is a very “internationalized” song. It was originally a Neapolitan song, later made an international hit by Egyptian/Italian/French singer Dalida in 1956. I learned about this song from a Jewish/Andalusian/Algerian artists Lili Boniche sung in Arabic language.

In the downturn, in recent intensive work, this Pet Shop Boy song is quite motivating and entertaining.

“Catch the opportunities and let’s make a lot of money!”

2nd release version in 1986 by Pet Shop Boys

Is fusion the trend? Ojos de Brujo (Eyes of the Wizard), an independent band from Barcelona, has become popular in world music and European Pop.

Flamenco is clearly central to their sound, but they definitely not pure flamenco. Their music reflects the past of flamenco and its multicultural roots. Looking at the gypsies themselves, a people from Pakistan, India, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Spain are definite hybrid, diversity, and multiculturalism.

First time I heard of this song was from Almodovar’s 1987 film “La Ley del Deseo” (Law of Desire).

Tumbalalaika is a Russian Jewish folk and love song in the Yiddish language, about a young man finding a smart wife for marriage. The rhythm is like waltz that makes people dance and cheerful. But the melody expresses the bitterness of Diaspora that leads to a sentimental mood.

A more traditional Yiddish/Klezmer folk music style

It has been 6 years since the passing of Leslie Cheung. But his beautiful image and voice still remain.

風繼續吹 (Wind keeps blowing) has became one of the signature of Leslie’s career as a singer, carrying beautiful melodies and poetic lyrics and requiring abundant emotion for great interpretation.

My favorite version is Leslie’s live performance at his farewell concert in 1990 (although he returned to the stage in a few years later).

Goran Bregović, the Yugoslav musician, of Serbian and Croatian descent, is perhaps one of the most internationally known modern composers of the Balkans. Bregović's music carries both South Slavic and Romani themes and is a fusion of European classicism, popular music with traditional polyphonic music from the Balkans, tango and brass bands. He rose to fame with better known scores for Emir Kusturica’s films (Time of the Gypsies, Arizona Dream, Underground).

Among those great film music scores, Mesecina is an example of typical Bregovic music style: Balkan rhythm and folk song spirit. Furthermore, it perfectly complemented Emir Kusturica’s 1995 world-acclaimed film “Underground” (Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival).

The St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244, is a musical composition written by Johann Sebastian Bach for solo voices, double choir and double orchestra, with libretto by Picander (Christian Friedrich Henrici). It sets chapters 26 and 27 of the Gospel of Matthew to music, with interspersed chorales and arias.

This aria is so beautiful and touching. Interpretations from artists can be quite different, in terms of the way in which contralto or mezzo-soprano sings, the way in which the solo violin plays, and also the way in which the whole orchestra is proceeding. Tempos and emotions can vary. There are no best or popular versions, because the music interacts with the listeners differently in each circumstance.

I would like to dedicate "O sole mio" to my father.

I believe this was one of his favorites song in his life time. While he was in his illness, he always requested to play "O sole mio". Although he might never care what exactly the lyrics were about, perhaps through the music he could always obtain cheerful and positive energy and enact as a traveler in so many corners of the world, where he has been to.

Here is his favorite version of O sole mio by Pavarotti, who he tended to call "the fat one".

The Annen Polka, composed (in 1852) relatively in Johann Strauss II’s career, embraces none of the innovations prevalent in Strauss’ later polkas. Annen Polka is in moderate polka tempo; four melodies have distinct eight-measure-halves and are repeated in their entirety. In May of the same year, Strauss was asked to guest conduct his Annen-Polka, Op. 117, at court.

Annen Polka in 2009 (Barenboim)
Neujahrskonzert 2009 (New Year Concert) with Wiener Philharmonikern
Directed by Daniel Barenboim