[.ca] Moonlight In Vietnam (Vietnam)

From Amazon.co.uk:
The Khac Chi Ensemble (pronounced "Kak Chi") makes startling music in that adjective's strictest sense. Now based on Canada's West Coast, they play a diversity of musical instruments in several Vietnamese folk and regional styles. For anyone unused to Vietnam's unique instruments, it will be the sounds that startle. For anyone familiar with Vietnamese music, it will be their sheer virtuosity which does the trick. At the heart of the ensemble are Ho Khac Chi who specialises in the dan bau (a one-stringed zither) and Hoang Ngoc Bich (whose given name is pronounced "Nok Bik") who is the ensemble's female voice and multi-instrumentalist. For example, the lullaby "On The Mountain Top" (taken from the tradition of the Ede people of the Vietnam highlands) features Ngoc Bich's ko ni playing. Lacking any conventional resonating chamber, the ko ni's two strings are attached by silken cords to a resonating disc held in the mouth. By applying pressure variously with the tongue and lips, the player colours the vibration to create a range of eldritch sounds. Ko ni is indicative of their arsenal of unusual instruments. The Khac Chi Ensemble delivers a repertoire here that is simply entrancing. --Ken Hunt

Cool, soothing and moving music:
This cd has been my background music for a while now. I recognize some of the songs as traditional folk songs that I heard over 30 years ago, but, I have never heard them "presented" in such a gentle, soothing, melodic way. Of the ones that don't recognize, that same ingeneous performance confirms that it's not just the memory of the songs' traditional root that moves me, it's the performance. Could these songs be the artists' original works? In a way, I don't want to find out. The merit of those songs' content and the artists' performance was enough for me to appreciate them. I'll keep the trivia as a mystery... just like many folklore mystery told by the many beautiful folk songs of Vietnam. Very well done.

It takes some time!:
I'm just getting acquainted with this kind of music, as I'm doing a little experiment to improve in general terms my music listening, specially regarding folk and foreign music, and well, this has been a rewarding experience, because in general terms, I feel in Vietnam at night listening to this music, and isn't it the purpose of music?? I think they've done an excellent work!!

• On the Mountain Top \oTrên Dinh Núi\c
• Forest Love \oTinh Yêu Rùng\c
• Quan Ho Folk Song \oBài Gát Dân Ca Quan Ho\c
• T'Rung Stream \oSôi Dàn T'rung\c
• Mountain Cave \oHen Hò Trong Hang Núi\c
• Highland Dance (Vu Khúcf Tây Nguyên)
• Spring Is Coming \oMùa Xuân Dên\c
• Cai Luong Folk Song \oBài Hát Cài Luong\c
• Farmers Song \oHò Hui\c
• Spring Walk \oDu Xuân\c
• Full Moon Dance (Vu Khuc Dêm Trãng)
• Native Land \oQuê Huong\c
• Northwest Folk Song \oDân Ca Tây Bàc\c