Hương Lan | Cánh Cò Quê Hương

Listen to a fabulous track from this CD

Get the whole thing here.

Found in a Vietnamese convenience store/sandwich shop in Manhattan's Chinatown.

Hương Lan started her career in Vietnam in 1961 at the age of five when she participated in performances of Vietnamese opera. She was recording pop music by 1966 and ultimately left Vietnam for San Jose, Calif., in 1975.

Listen to a pre-75 recording:

Кэто Джапаридэе | Russian Romances

Listen to a track from this CD

Get it all here.

I know zip about Keto Dzhaparidze, other than that she was apparently Russian and had a fabulously soulful voice. Found in a Russian media store on Macdonald Avenue under the F line el.

I'm guessing these recordings date from the early 20th century, maybe the early teens to twenties. Would welcome any info any of you out there might have.

UPDATE: See the comments for more info. Apparently she was Georgian, not Russian, and these songs are a bit later than I had thought, 30s-40s.

A live performance:

Chris Marker | PASSENGERS

My review of Chris Marker's amazing PASSENGERS photography show and book (Peter Blum SoHo and Chelsea) is the cover story of Berlin film journal CARGO.

Asala Nasri | Al Mushtaka

Listen to "Al Mushtaka"

Get it all here.

Born in Damascus to the famous Syrian composer Mostafa Nasri in 1969, Asala began her recording career in 1991 at the age of 21. She moved to Egypt, where she subsequently became a superstar all over the Arabic world. In my opinion, only Najwa Karam's voice rivals Asala's.

It's likely that I found this at Rashid's in Brooklyn.

Watch Asala sing live:

ORIGINAL ART POETRY COMICS FOR SALE!

Go here to see available work and details.

I'm selling original artwork of the comics series The New Life that I've drawn for Rain Taxi since 1997. If you don't like the price of any piece, feel free to make me an offer!

Comics versions of work by Katie Degentesh, Drew Gardner, Sharon Mesmer, Eileen Myles, the Earl of Rochester, Chris Stroffolino, and more!

Like this blog? This is a great way to support it ... plus, you get some fab art.

Carrie Ku Mei

Listen to a fabulous track from this CD

Get the whole CD here.

Carrie Ku Mei (or Carrie Koo Mei) acted and/or sang in some of the greatest Mandarin Hong Kong films of the 60s, including The Lark, The Love Eterne and The Blue and the Black (both parts).

This CD, the title of which, after a bit of Google translatin', I believe means something along the lines of "You don't need to say anything" or "When you say nothing" or "Need to understand," was released as part of the "Back to Black" series in 2008 and is already out of print. Frankly, it's distressing how much of recent Hong Kong stuff goes out of print within a year or two.

Found on the Bowery, in a CD/DVD store that has recently either relocated or closed altogether.

Opening credits and a fab dance scene from "The Lark":

Oum Kolthoum | Hathehe Layti

Get the CD here.

Watch Oum Kalthoum perform an excerpt from an earlier version of this song here.

Found at Rashid Music Sales when they were still on Atlantic Avenue. (That was, it turns out, their second location.) You would imagine that, of all the music on this blog, Oum Kolthoum would be the one singer I'd most likely have heard of before buying. Not the case; not when I got this CD, which I believe was the winter of 1997-98, less than a year after moving to New York City from Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Now of course, yes, I've seen the documentary, read the book and have collected dozens of CDs and tapes of her performances.

Anyone who knows Arabic music at all might wonder why I'm posting a relatively minor recording from 1970 rather than one of Kolthoum's more beloved songs, such as "Al Atlal" or "Enta Omry." Well, in part, because I assume you already have those. Also, I know it's blasphemous, but I actually prefer this song; it's always been my favorite, mostly for those groovy electric guitar passages that snake their way in and out of the 30+ minute piece.

Listen to an excerpt of this version of the song:

Lюк | Lemon

Listen to tune from this CD

Get it all here.

Over the years I've developed a fairly good spidey-sense when it comes to plucking fab CDs from bodega stacks. Except for Russian pop. I have found almost nothing I would consider really worth saving in any of the Brighton Beach stores ... except for this rather spectacular CD of pop-electronica, which I found several years ago.

I know little about the group other than that, less than two months after the performance captured on the video below, they disbanded. They've got at least a couple other CDs out there, which I'll keep my eyes open for. If, that is, I ever make it back to Brighton Beach ...

Rebecca Pan | My Dream My Way My Indie Music

My Little Airport singing "I Wonder Why"


The Pancakes singing "Magica Luna"


Ketchup singing "Solid Gold Rickshaw"

Grab the whole thing here.

Like all tribute albums, this one is decidedly uneven. But the great stuff is pretty incredible.

Nearly a dozen independent Hong Kong bands cover songs originally recorded by Rebecca Pan aka Pan Wan Ching--Rebecca Pan sings on a couple of tracks as well. Pan, who was born in Shanghai, became a superstar in Hong Kong in the 50s and 60s, singing a variety of pop music in Chinese, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Thai, and more.

This CD, which I found in a store on the corner of Canal and Bowery, was my gateway to the world of indy Hong Kong music; after hearing it I searched everywhere for CDs by Ketchup, My Little Airport and, especially, The Pancakes--all of which I found at P-Tunes & Video, the store on Chrystie featured in the header image at the top of this blog.

The CD comes with an 88-page booklet, which includes lyrics, a narrative about the project, old clippings of Rebecca Pan and photos of the artists on the CD, including Pan, in the recording studio and hanging out together. Surprisingly, a number of the artists claimed to have never heard of Pan before the project--especially since they're essentially carrying on a tradition she was a huge figure in--that of Hong Kong artists covering or at least being inspired by pop music from around the world.

Cheba Maria | Ould Bladi

Listen to "Casablanca"

Download the whole CD here.

Found at Princess Music in Bay Ridge on what was likely one of the last days they were open. A totally great find.

Cheba Maria was born and raised in Casablanca and moved to France in 1998, where she's now apparently a fairly big rai star. Rai is the ultimate hybrid pop, incorporating anything and everything into its wake. Well, okay, not everything. But, still.

A video: