Zyan, Malaysia's First Chinese Bossa Princess

Well, Leslie Loh has done it again, the thankless task of discovering great talents and shaping their music in audiophile recording. Constantly pushing the boundaries. She is Zyan and tackling Chinese classics in the soothing bossa style is something I welcome and is sorely lacking in the market. The album should be out by end of the month. Don't forget the 2V1G gig at NBT, and I think Zyan will be the surprise guest performer. See you there!!!

we don't do it very often but once we do it, it is a special occasion.

2v1g is back to NBT for only the 2nd time since its inception in 2008!

besides playjng a vastly new repertoire, the presentation format will be totally different (it is not just singing and light bantering like a normal gig).

add another very special guest to it, you would have a show that promises to take your breath away.

dates: 30th november and 1st december 2010
time: 9:30pm - 12:30am
presentation: 2 sets of 45-minute each, 15-minute interval
cover charge: RM40
NBT reservation line: 03-21423737 (after 5pm)

Leslie Loh: yes, the mastering of brasileiro is completed in hong kong and we are ready to let you listen to some songs!

let's us introduce you to the first song in the brasileiro album : autumnal night, a classic of bai guang. [look to the panel on the right, click the play icon and you are on!]

before we even talk about how zyan tackles this song, let's credit the arranger, maestro salvador guerzo, for his masterful work. there is a story to this arrangement. ador initially did a brilliant big-band arrangement which had us screaming in joy, but due to the need of having 8 musicians and the associated costs, we asked ador to redo another version, which is the one you are listening now.

ador employed "a double bossa" arrangement style which gives the song a very rhythmic foundation that will make the listener sway with the music. the acoustic guitar intro, played by nick from aswara, is quite a magical intro. pay attention to ador's brilliant saxophone solo (sorry, it is not found in this edited version, you have to get the album la!) , this alone is worth the admission! ador's sax has the burnish tone similar to sax legend stan getz (that's why many regard ador as the stan getz of malaysia!) the tone is intoxicating and sensuous to the ears. not many sax players can blow like this, we assure you.

another signature and brilliant style of ador's arrangement (fans of ador would know this!) is the attack. the attack adds drama and contrast to the song. coupled with rizal soliano's dynamic drumming, this attack is very evident in many passages in the song. ador uses even more dramatic attacks in the solianos "pusaka" album. only arrangers of great skills can devise attacks in the arrangement, this we can assure you.

our bossa princess has a way with oldies, despite her age. she sings with a deep tone that oozes maturity and sex appeal. there was once she sang this song at a function and an auntie came to the stage and praised her profusely!

stefano, the producer, wanted zyan to maintain a rhythmic sway while delivering this song. it is a sweet song about longings. zyan sings it with an ease and confidence that is positively convincing. we definitely could feel zyan's sweetness and happiness in her voice.

recording wise, this is also one of the best recorded tracks in the album.

with all these reasons, we made it the first song in the album!

next week, we would premier another song, a local composition titled "romance in the rain" 【灑灑雨】, a great bossa nova ditty that truly carries the brazilian vibes....