Right
Where I Should Be Jenn Cristy dramatic and vulnerable reflection leading to personal triumph over
sad and hard times, piano driven band, female vocals. about the climb and
"Here I stand more naked...”
dramatic build with descant harmony and much orchestral. Grounding.
Jacaranda Trees Erinn Alissa Contemporary folk, electric guitar solo, female voice-a little Joan Baez range, this is a metaphor or memory of losing everything, including her beautiful Jacaranda Trees after the fires. descriptive lyrics. The house slipped away, the sun always stays.
Archilochus Re-Deemed James Naughton Folk rock with bold male vocals, hook:
"I am a servant of the Lord God of War" shout out to Greeks gods and
a poetic approach to old-fashioned war and supporting those in the trenches not
the guy in a high horse manicuring his beard. No self pity.
Drive The Veitch BoysBeach Boys inspired harmonies with jazz chords, tenor vocals, summertime
pop pop, guitar, the hook is "Drive my baby driving." It's about
togetherness and summer nights. Towards the end of the song, it lifts the tempo
of "California Girls"
Walk
Away Renee Michael Veitch
An acoustic cover of the Left Banke hit. male tenor with falsetto.
thoughtful interpretation dedicated to Renee Good. sadness, forced to cry,
Zombie Cornelius
Eady Electric guitar and hey yeah vocals, About a
zombie rising again, eating the sensitive ones, being judge & jury, we'll
never get out of the zombie's way. this song could be taken literally or used
as a metaphor,
I Can’t
Take it AnymoreArianna D.female, rich harmonies, cold ending, jazzpop/yacht rock, inspired by
Taylor Swift. Break up song. It's direct about waiting by the door for the
boyfriend that never comes and ultimately she realizes he’s coming when he
feels like it, "you're wasting all my time." Teenager.
Slaying
Dragons Jonell Mosser
live recording, bold female vocals and electric guitar w/ reggae
rhythms, singing about recovering from abuse. "I am not that fragile
little girl…I am slaying dragons…. armor bright… rescue princess….fearless
knight.”
Rich interview with Orleans and Janis Joplin co-writer Johanna Hall. She is a multi-faceted writer, contributing to classic music magazines Crawdaddy and the Village Voice, plus independent outlets in her homebase of Woodstock, NY. I think this is one of my all-time favorite interviews. Full disclosure--I've worked with Orleans and her ex-John Hall a lot through the years.
The Bronx County Historical Society is presenting "The Kindness Session," a free poetry workshop on recognizing the difference between kindness and cruelty to channel that in our writing on Thursday, April 16 at 6 PM till approximately 7:45. The Poetry Workshop takes place at Poe Cottage, 2640 Grand Concourse, in the Bronx. Subways near the Visitors Center are the 4, B, and D train at the Kingsbridge stop. Buses to the Center are Bx9, Bx22, Bx28, Bx38, and BxM4 (Express bus). The Poe Visitors Center is up the Hill from the Fordham Metro North train stop.
Led by area poet Anne Leighton, the Kindness Session will include sharing works from classic and contemporary writers including Edgar Allan Poe, Naomi Shihab Nye, the Bronx’s Peppy Castro, Charlie Iris, Mary Oliver, John Masefield, Emily Dickinson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, as well as selected poems from attendees.
Once the attendees discuss poems, they’ll be encouraged to think of incidents where they recognize kindness from life experiences, friends and acquaintances, and how it affected their lives. From there, writers will be encouraged to create a first draft of poetry. Writers will read their poems, and be encouraged to revise the poem in the days, weeks, or months to come.
Anne Leighton appears on the Grammy-nominated album, “Healthy Food for Thought: Good Enough to Eat,” (Audio & Video Labs) reading her poem “Feed Your Parents Well.” She’s contributed to The Indie Collaborative, The Literary Parrot, and Elephant Journal. Her poetry book “The Leighton Explosion” made enough of a profit to use her earnings to record an original song, “Got My Eye on You, Santa,” which found her a publishing deal with Sheer Music South Africa/Downtown Music, USA. Anne's performed in the Bronx at ART in the Basin, Johnny Zs, and throughout New York State including NYC's Nuyorican Poets Cafe and Peter Max's Studio. Visit workinggalrockandroll.blogspot.com.
Refestramus’
third studio album, “Morri’s Rock Boutique,” is available through
Melodic Revolution Records. This nine-track release is available on all
streaming media. Fans can order a the CD
with two bonus tracks (“Wasteland Pt. 1” and “Another Country”) at refestramus.bandcamp.com/album/morri-s-rock-boutique
.
Prog UK calls “Morri’s Rock Boutique” “enjoyably
vibrant and hooky.”
Echoes and
Dust praises the
album’s “cinematic landscape with its surrealistic wonders, ghost-town
amusement parks, and the haunting ghost that spooks the location”!
Powerplay writesthe album features“Grown
up prog full of Great musicianship and songwriting.”
“Morri’s Rock Boutique” charts a path through collapse and
illusion toward clarity—where the joke turns serious: right and wrong still
exist, and you still answer to them.
A concept album
about surviving the absurd—emotionally, spiritually, and politically—
“Morri’s Rock Boutique” moves through storms of loss, collapse, and memory
toward moments of humor, tenderness, and human connection. Blending folklore,
mental health, myth, and modern life into an eclectic progressive-rock
soundscape, the record explores the fragile beauty of becoming: not perfection,
but refinement.
Across the
album, each song presents its own vignette. “Storms” frames a human life like a
thunderstorm—powerful, beautiful, and temporary. “The Lucky Ones” nods to the
Sermon on the Mount’s upside-down blessings and features Crack the Sky
guitarist Rick Witkowski. “Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, Tonight,
Tonight” (feat. Lynx of Old Blood) plays like a David Lynch
noir—dreamlike, unstable, and haunted by the question of what’s real and what’s
remembered—until the only way out is forgiveness.
“The Cossack’s
Dream,” featuring Kansas electric violinist Joe Deninzon, is
Refestramus’ English-language adaptation of a traditional Slavic song.
“Lakeview Samurai” is a surreal character sketch set in Chicago—part satire,
part fever dream. “Hell or NYC?” features Van der Graaf Generator
saxophonist David Jackson, leaning into the album’s vertigo and
dark comedy.
The record’s
culminating epic, “Deathless,” draws on Slavic folklore’s Kashchey the
Deathless—a figure who feeds on conflict and feels at home in the smoke of
war—unfolding as a three-part suite: “Above Volokov’s Mill,” “Goodbye,
America!,” and “And He Always Will.”
“Morri’s
Rock Boutique” is produced
by Ian Beabout, mostly in Dan Bozek’s studio atAardvark
Productions in Steubenville, Ohio. The group Refestramus is a Chicago-based
progressive rock project blending literate songwriting, political reflection,
and classic prog influences. Led by Derek Ferguson (songwriter, drums),
Refestramus features Jan Christiana (vocals/keys/guitars/bass) and Dyanne
Potter Voegtlin (keys/vocals) of Octarine Sky, with Mitch Lawrence
(saxophones, clarinet).
Refestramus are booking concerts and have confirmed they’ll
be returning to the International Pop Overthrow in Chicago at the Montrose
Saloon on April 25.
Track-list:
1. Storms 04:33
2. The Cossack’s Dream (feat. Joe Deninzon) 05:37
3. Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, Tonight (feat. Lynx) 07:37
4. Lakeview Samurai (feat. Nam Chumo) 04:15
5. Hell or NYC? (feat. David Jackson) 06:02
6. Deathless (incl. Above Volkov’s Mill, Goodbye America! and He Always Will
08:32
7. The Lucky Ones (feat. Rick Witkowski) 04:21
8. Wasteland, pt1 04:19
9. Another Country 04:02
Total Running Time: 47:98 Minutes
Musicians Ian Beabout – Production, Mixing, Mastering, and Screaming “Watch out for
the katana!”
Derek Ferguson – Drums and Screaming “Hey buddy, shut the fuck up!”
Mitch Lawrence – Clarinet and Saxes
Associated Artists – Special Guests:
Jan Christiana – Bass, Guitars, Keyboards, and Vocals (Tracks 1-3, 5-7)
Dyanne Potter Voegtlin – Keyboards and Vocals (Tracks 1-3, 5-7)
Dyanne Voegtlin and Jan Christiana appear courtesy of Octarine Sky octarinesky.com
Arrangements by Refestramus and Jan Christiana
Derek Pavlic – Additional Guitars (Tracks 1-4) and Viola (Track 2)
Dan Bozek – Additional Bass (Track 4)
Tanaka Seijin ( ⽥中正⼈ – Shamisen, Koto, and Shakuhachi (Track 4 ）
Cover art by Refestramus and Veseli ć &Veseli ć
Produced by Ian Beabout and Refestramus
All words and music by Derek Ferguson, except:
“The Cossack’s Dream” – traditional Russian song, lyrics translated by Derek
Ferguson
It was a pleasure to interview my friends Ira Scott Levin and Julia Bordenaro for my Inclusion Interview Show. Ira and Julia are The Levins who specialize in harmony and making the world a better place. I've attended some of their performances and "Checking Inward" online events. Join us. https://youtu.be/k7J4rshkw8s?si=uagRpPg0FqbnuoWN
Track by Track:Gary Lucas, Feifei Yang, Jason Candler - The
Edge of Heaven Volume 2
Track 1: Old Dreams (Originally performed by Bai Guang)
GL: Originally recorded by Bai Guang. “the Mae West of
China” in 1948 in Shanghai. A sad, poignant love song about lost love and lost
youth, which we open the album and our live show with.
I set up a phantasmagioria of swirling celestial music and
out of the mists start the song proper, played on my 1941 J-45 acoustic guitar
in an open tuning of my own invention. Feifei has a spoken word section in the
middle which she intones beautifully, which reminds me of American doo-wop
songs of the ‘50s with a sincere spoken word section in the middle before
the harmony group singing resumes. I love it when Jason comes in on sax
here.
Old Dreams
花落水流春去無蹤
Flowers fall, water flows, spring departs without a trace
祇剩下遍地醉人東風
All that are left are drunken people and east wind
everywhere
桃花時節露滴梧桐
It is the season of peach blossoms, when dew drips from the
wutong tree
那正是深閨話長情濃
It is when talk is long and passion strong in the deep
chamber
青春一去永不重逢
Youth is gone, never to return
海角天涯無影無蹤
It disappears to the corner of the sea and edge of heaven
without a shadow or a trace
燕飛蝶舞各分西東
The swallows fly and the butterflies dance, each going east
or west
滿眼是春色酥人心胸
The color of springs fills the eye; softness fills the chest
花落水流春去無蹤
Flowers fall, water flows, spring departs without a trace
只剩下遍地醉人的東風
All that’s left are drunken people and east wind everywhere
玫瑰般的美麗夜鶯似的歌聲
Beautiful as roses, songs like the nightingale’s
都隨著無情的年華消逝
All fade away with the unforgiving years
啊我到那兒去尋找我往日的舊夢
Ah, where will I find the dreams of yesterday
只剩下滿腹的心酸
All that’s left is the sadness that fills the heart
無限的苦痛
Boundless pain
青春一去永不重逢海角天涯
Youth is gone, never to return, [disappears] the corner of
the sea and edge of heaven
無影無蹤斷無消息
Disappears without a shadow or a trace, never to be heard
from
石榴殷紅卻偏是昨夜魂縈舊夢
The dark red pomegranate is but my soul clinging to the old
dream last night
Track 2:“If I’m
Without You” (Bai Guang)
G.L.:I love this
song. It’s the theme from the 1948 Chinese movie musical “The Nightingale’s
Song”. Bai Guang was also known in China “White Light”, and has a low
husky mezzo-soprano range. She invariably plays “bad girls” in the
Chinese films she made. When the communists took over she fled to Taiwan where
she had a long career making records and live appearances. She is buried in
Taipei.
If I’m Without You
如果沒有你日子怎麼過
If I am without you, how can I go on?
我的心也碎我的事也不能做
My heart is broken, and I can’t manage anything
如果沒有你日子怎麼過
If I am without you, how can I go on?
反正腸已斷我就只能去闖禍
My inside is shattered anyway, I can only go and make
trouble
我不管天多麼高更不管地多麼厚
I don’t care how high the heaven, how thick the earth
只要有你伴著我我的命便為你而活
If I could only have you by my side, I would live my life
for you.
如果沒有你日子怎麼過
If I am without you, how can I go on?
你快靠近我一同建起新生活
Come to me quick, and let us build a life together
Track 3: “New Pair of Flowers” (Originally performed by Zhou Xuan and Yan Hua)
G.L.: A rollicking
wedding song duet based on a Northeast China folk song "Zheng Dui
Hua”, originally recorded in Shanghai in 1948 for Pathe EMI. Here Feifei and
I sing alternate lines with tongue trilling that’s fun to do live. I am singing
the part sung on the record by Yan Hua, who was married to Zhou Xuan for three
years 1938-1941 and wrote many of her hit songs, including the music and lyrics
of this one. Not being a fluent speaker of Mandarin, I learned the part
phonetically from Feifei (besides being a fantastic musician and vocalist she
is also an excellent teacher of Mandarin).
New Pair of Flowers
新對花 (周璇.嚴華)
Xian Duihua
MALE
正得儿月得儿里得儿來
Zheng de er yue de er
li de er lai
When the first month (of the lunar year) comes around
開的的什麼的花得儿來?
Kai di di shen me di hua de er lai?
What flower blooms?
FEMALE
正得儿月得儿里得儿來
When the First month (of the lunar year) comes around,
迎春又開花
[We] welcome spring and flowers bloom
MALE
小姐得儿妹妹來看花
Young lady, younger sister, you should come and see then
flowers
M&F
旗把隆冬鏘冬鏘得儿哈薩
Qi ba long dong qiang dong qiang, de er ha
sa
Banner [long dong qiang dong qiang = onomatopoetic: drum and
cymbal] [ de er ha sa = ?]
MALE
二得儿月得儿里得儿來
When the second month (of the lunar year) comes around,
開的的什麼的花得儿來?
What flower blooms?
FEMALE
二得儿月得儿里得儿來
When the second month (of the lunar year) comes around,
紅杏又開花
The red apricot blooms again
MALE
小姐得儿妹妹來看花
Young lady, younger sister, you should come and see then
flowers
M&F
旗把隆冬鏘冬鏘得儿哈薩
Qi ba long dong qiang dong qiang, de er ha
sa
Banner [long dong qiang dong qiang = onomatopoetic: drum and
cymbal] [ de er ha sa = ?]
MALE
三得儿月得儿里得儿來
When the third month (of the lunar year) comes around,
開的的什麼的花得儿來?
What flower blooms?
FEMALE
三得儿月得儿里得儿來
When the third month (of the lunar year) comes around,
桃李又開花
The peace and plum bloom again
MALE
小姐得儿妹妹來看花
Young lady, younger sister, you should come and see then
flowers
M&F
旗把隆冬鏘冬鏘得儿哈薩
Banner [long dong qiang dong qiang = onomatopoetic: drum and
cymbal] [ de er ha sa = ?]
MALE
四得儿月得儿里得儿來
When the fourth month (of the lunar year) comes around,
開的的什麼的花得儿來?
What flower blooms?
FEMALE
四得儿月得儿里得儿來
When the fourth month (of the lunar year) comes around,
薔薇又開花
The roses bloom again
MALE
小姐得儿妹妹來看花
Young lady, younger sister, you should come and see then
flowers
M&F
旗把隆冬鏘冬鏘得儿哈薩
Banner [long dong qiang dong qiang = onomatopoetic: drum and
cymbal] [ de er ha sa = ?]
MALE
五得儿月得儿里得儿來
When the fifth month (of the lunar year) comes around,
開的的什麼的花得儿來?
What flower blooms?
FEMALE
五得儿月得儿里得儿來
When the fifth month (of the lunar year) comes around,
石榴又開花
The pomegranate blooms again
MALE
小姐得儿妹妹來看花
Young lady, younger sister, you should come and see then
flowers
M&F
旗把隆冬鏘冬鏘得儿哈薩
Qi ba long dong qiang dong qiang, de er ha
sa
Banner [long dong qiang dong qiang = onomatopoetic: drum and
cymbal] [ de er ha sa = ?]
MALE
六得儿月得儿里得儿來
When the sixth month (of the lunar year) comes around,
開的的什麼的花得儿來?
What flower blooms?
FEMALE
六得儿月得儿里得儿來
When the sixth month (of the lunar year) comes around,
青蓮又開花
The green lotus blooms again
MALE
小姐得儿妹妹來看花
Young lady, younger sister, you should come and see then
flowers
M&F
旗把隆冬鏘冬鏘得儿哈薩
Qi ba long dong qiang dong qiang, de er ha
sa
Banner [long dong qiang dong qiang =
Track 4. “The Mad World” (performed by Zhou Xuan)
G.L.: From one of Zhou Xuan’s most popular film musicals,
1943’s “Daughter of the Fisherman”, this is perhaps my favorite Chinese pop
song to perform as both an instrumental and with Feifei and Jason. I'm playing
in open A tuning for all you guitar freaks and it utilizes very rapid
fingerpicking. The song concerns Zhou Xuan in the film going mad after a
rival’s deception and her abandonment by her fiance. Tragic, as in real life
Zhou Xuan. the “Golden Voice of China”, succumbed to mental illness at
the end of her short life.
The Mad World – Chow Hsuan
鸟儿拼命地唱,
The birds are singing their hearts out 歌
花儿任性地开
The flowers are blossoming unrestrained 词
你们太痛快, 太痛快
You’re so joyous, so joyous
呀太痛快
Ah, so joyous
鸟儿为什么唱
Why do birds sing?
花儿为什么开
Why do flowers blossom? 网
你们太奇怪太奇怪
You’re too strange, too strange
呀太奇怪
Ah, too strange.
什么叫痛快
What is joyous?
什么叫奇怪
What is strange?
什么叫情
What is passion?
什么叫爱
What is love? ｃ（歌词转自音魁网 www.inkui.com） 鸟儿从此不许唱
Birds are not allowed to sing from now on. ｍ
花儿从此不许开
Flowers are not allowed to blossom from now on.
我不要这疯狂的世界
I don’t want this mad world,
这疯狂的世界
This mad world.
鸟儿从此不许唱
Birds are not allowed to sing from now on. ｍ
花儿从此不许开
Flowers are not allowed to blossom from now on.
我不要这疯狂的世界
I don’t want this mad world,
这疯狂的世界
This mad world.
Track 5: “On Two Roads” (by Zhou Xuan)
G.L.:This song has a
bluesy, slow boogie-woogie feel to it a la “Harlem Nocturne," played on
piano in the original and here transposed to guitar. Feifei shows off her
extraordinary range here and Jason comes in with a great King Curtis-inspired
wailing sax solo.
两条路上
Liangtiao lushang
On Two Roads
在早晨走的一条路上,
The road I walk on in the morning
只看见行人,
只看见车辆
I only see passersby, only see cars
我带着跳跃的心,
With a thumping heart, I
慌慌张张的向前闯.
Dash forward helter-skelter
在晚上走的一条路上,
The road I walk on at night
只看见灯光,
只看见月亮,
I only see lights, only see the moon
我带着空虚的心,
With my empty heart, I
冷冷清清的向前望.
Look ahead in loneliness
这条路是太凄凉,
This road is too desolate
那条路又太紧张,
And that road is too nerve-wrecking
找不到更好的地方,
I cannot find a better place
我天天在这两条路上.
Every day I’m on these two roads
Track 6: “The Moon Represents My Heart” (originally
performed by Teresa Teng)
G.L. The most recent song on our album, a 1977 hit for
Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng. Feifei Yang and I perform it as a duo, and we
were a big hit performing this at the Moon Festival held at Lincoln Center a
few years ago. Feifei drilled me on my Mandarin and I had it down by the time
we hit the stage there, but as a gweidze (“foreign devil”) I can tell you
that Mandarin is not an easy language to learn.
你問我愛你有多深
You ask me how deep my love for you is
我愛你有幾分
How much I really love you
我的情也真
My affection is real
我的愛也真
My love is real
月亮代表我的心
The moon represents my heart
你問我愛你有多深
You ask me how deep my love for you is
我愛你有幾分
How much I really love you
我的情不移
My affection will not waver
我的愛不變
My love will not change
月亮代表我的心
The moon represents my heart
輕輕的一個吻
One soft kiss
已經打動我的心
Has already moved my heart
深深的一段情
Our time of deep affection
叫我思念到如今
Has made me miss you ever since then
你問我愛你有多深
You ask me how deep my love for you is
我愛你有幾分
How much I really love you
你去想一想
Think about it
你去看一看
Take a look
月亮代表我的心
The moon represents my heart
輕輕的一個吻
One soft kiss
已經打動我的心
Has already moved my heart
深深的一段情
Our time of deep affection
叫我思念到如今
Has made me miss you ever since then
你問我愛你有多深
You ask me how deep my love for you is
我愛你有幾分
How much I really love you
你去想一想
Think about it
你去看一看
Take a look
月亮代表我的心
The moon represents my heart
Track 7: “Spring in Zhong Mountain” by Zhou Xuan
G.L.:From 1941 comes
this gorgeous tango, a paean to the natural beauty of China with an exquisite
choral vocal on the original by Zhou Xuan and male backup singers. Here Feifei
does it all in a stunning showcase of her vocal prowess, including an
overdubbed angelic chorus. A hymn to Nature and a renunciation of both the
smoky city and the false gods of wealth and ostentatious splendor.
Spring in Zhong Mountain
巍巍的鐘山
The towering Zhong Mountain [in Nanjing, Jiangsu
province]
巍巍的鐘山
The towering Zhong Mountain
龍蟠虎踞石頭城
The Stone City [in Nanjing, Jiangsu province] where the
dragon coils and the tiger crouches
龍蟠虎踞石頭城
The Stone City where the dragon coils and the tiger
crouches
啊．．畫樑上呢喃的乳燕
Ah … the twittering baby swallows on the beam
柳蔭中穿梭的流鶯
The fleeting orioles that fly back and forth in the
willow shade [Liu yin = oriole: euphemism for prostitute]
一片煙漫無邊的風景
A misty, boundless landscape
裝點出江南新春
Bedeck the New Year in the south of the Yangzi River
[referring to the southern Jiangsu, southern Anhui and northern Jiangsu
provinces]
裝點出江南新春
Bedeck the New Year in the south of the Yangzi River
巍巍的鐘山
The towering Zhong Mountain
巍巍的鐘山
The towering Zhong Mountain
龍蟠虎踞石頭城
The Stone City where the dragon coils and the tiger
crouches
龍蟠虎踞石頭城
The Stone City where the dragon coils and the tiger
crouches
啊．．莫向那秦淮煙柳
Ah … do not head toward the smoke and willow of Qinhuai [a
district in Nanjing]
不管那六朝金粉
Pay no attention to the glitter of the Six Dynasties
[refers to wealth and splendor?]
大家努力向前程
Let us put our efforts into going forward
看草色青青
Look at the green of the grass
聽江濤聲聲起來
Listen to the sound of the river torrents rising again
and again
共燃起大地的光明
Together they illuminate the earth.
Track 8: “Pretense” by Bai Guang
G.L.:This is a super
fun song to perform as an acoustic fingerpicked duo with Feifei Yang. It was originally
recorded by Bai Guang in 1948 and featured in the 1948 film “The 626 Spy
Network” which also starred Bai Guang. A mature woman berating her false
and dissembling lover, it is also sometimes known by the title “Prudish”. Bai
Kwong here brings her husky, world weary voice to the fore in a simple but
powerfully stunning song that is a favorite of Chinese people the world
over.
Pretense
假惺惺假惺惺
Pretense, pretense
做人何必假惺惺
Why do you need to pretend?
你想看你要看
If you wish to look, if you want to look
你就仔细的看看清
Just look carefully
不要那么样的装着,
Don’t pretend like that
不要那么样的装着
Don’t pretend like that
一本正经
Dead earnest
一本正经
Dead earnest
何必呢
Whatever for?
假正经假正经
Pretense, pretense
你的眼睛早已经
Your eyes are already
y
溜过来又溜过去
Sliding this way and that
在偷偷的看个不停
You’re secretly looking without stop
难为情难为情
Embarrassing, embarrassing
什么叫做难为情
What is called embarrassing?
想爱我要爱我
if you want to love me, then love me
你就痛快的表表明
Then show it to your heart’s content （歌词转自音魁网 www.inkui.com） 不要那么样的扮起
Don’t disguise
不要那么样的扮起
Don’t disguise
面孔铁青吓坏了人
Your ashen face is frightening
何必呢
Whatever for?
红着脸跳着心
You’re blushing, your heart pounding
你的灵魂早已经
You soul is already
飘过来又飘过去
Floating this way and that
在飘飘的飘个不停
Floating without stop
Track 9: “Rose Rose I Love You” (Originally Performed by Yao
Lee)
G.L.:A huge hit in
1940 for Yao Lee, one of the Seven Great Singing Stars of Shanghai, also known
as “Silver Voice.” This song was sung in English with new lyrics by Frankie Laine
in 1951 where it rose to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Here Jason Candler
and I perform it as an instrumental, and it really rips.
Track 10: “Seeing Older Brother Off”(Originally sung by Zhou Xuan and Yao Min)
G.L.: A poignant, bluesy minor key duet by Zhou Xuan and Yao
Min from 1947, based on a Shaanxi folk song. Yao Min was a popular songwriter
and singer and the brother of Yao Lee. Here the duo plays brother and sister.
Zhou Xuan laments for her brother, referencing being sent off to fight in the
civil war going on at the time in China. I am singing the male part here.
FEMALE
我送我的大哥黄草坡
I accompany my older brother to the yellow grassy slope
黄草坡前黄草多
There is a lot of yellow grass in front of the yellow
grassy slope
一对黄羊两对角
One pair of yellow lamb, two pairs of horns
哎哟我的小妹送哥哥
Aiyo I am the little sister seeing older brother off
MALE
哎哟我的小妹送哥哥
Aiyo my little sister sees older brother off
哎哟我的小妹送哥哥
Aiyo my little sister sees older brother off
FEMALE
我送我的大哥到临河
I accompany my older brother to Lin River
临河里头有对鹅
In the Lin River there is a pair of geese
前面的公鹅咯咯叫
The goose in front gurgles gurgles
后面的母鹅叫哥哥
The gander behind calls gege
MALE
前面的公鹅哈哈笑
The goose in front laughs ha ha
后面的母鹅笑呵呵
The gander behind laughs he he
FEMALE
我送我的大哥五里坡
I accompany my older brother to wu li (five-mile) slope
五里坡上生把火
At wu li slope I make a fire
扯把那柴草来垫坐
I pull over the firewood to use as cushion
我俩并肩同看月亮落
We sit side by side to watch the moon set
MALE
我俩并肩同看月亮落
We sit side by side to watch the moon set
我俩并肩同看月亮落
We sit side by side to watch the moon set
FEMALE
我送我的大哥五里坡
I accompany my older brother to wu li slope
只送五里不送多
I only accompany him for five miles and no more
回头人家来盘问我
If others question me when I return
我就说小妹送大哥
I just say little sister sees elder brother off
M
/ M&F
我就说小妹送大哥
I just say little sister sees elder brother off
我就说小妹送大哥
I just say little sister sees elder brother off
M&F
送大哥
sees elder brother off
Track 11: “Tell Me” (Originally sung by Zhou Xuan)
G.L.:A delightful
Zhou Xuan song from 1947.
Tell Me
莺儿呀莺儿呀
Little oriole, little oriole,
告诉我快告诉我
Tell me, quick, tell me.
你为什么老不肯说
Why don’t you ever say it?
不肯说
ever say it?
莺儿呀莺儿呀
Little oriole, little oriole,
告诉我快告诉我
Tell me, quick, tell me.
你为什么见我就躲
Why do you hide when you see me?
就要躲
Hide?
日头是呀今天的好啊
The sun is good today.
可是我感不到一点暖和
But I don’t feel a trace of warmth.
春天是呀每年都有啊
Spring comes every year,
可是目前没有一点快活
But at this moment there’s not a bit of cheerfulness.
莺儿呀莺儿呀
Little oriole, little oriole,
告诉我快告诉我
Tell me, quick, tell me.
你为什么老不进窝
Why do you always not come into the shelter?
不进窝
into the shelter?
莺儿呀莺儿呀
Little oriole, little oriole,
告诉我快告诉我
Tell me, quick, tell me.
你为什么不对我说
Why don’t you talk to me?
对我说
Talk to me?
莺儿呀莺儿呀
Little oriole, little oriole,
告诉我快告诉我
Gao su wo kuai gao su wo
Tell me, quick, tell me.
你为什么老不进窝
Ni wei shen me lao bu jin wo
Why do you always not come into the shelter?
不进窝
bu jin wo
into the shelter?
莺儿呀莺儿呀
Ying er ya Ying er ya
Little oriole, little oriole,
告诉我快告诉我
Gao su wo kuai gao su wo
Tell me, quick, tell me.
你为什么不对我说
Ni wei shen me bu dui wo suo
Why don’t you talk to me?
对我说
dui wo suo
Talk to me?
Track 12: “Where Is My Home” (Originally sung by Bai Guang)
G.L. The theme from the 1948 film “Everyone Can Be a
Husband” starring Bai Guang, the song was released in 1949. The song
expresses the desperate, mournful feeling of people leaving their homes in that
chaotic era.
Where Is My Home
何处是儿家
where is my home?
渺渺天之涯
In the vast horizon
兵荒马蹄乱
In the great confusion (lit. the soldiers are scared and the
horse steps are in disarray)
飘零逐落花
Flowers fall one after another
何处是儿家
Where is my home?
凝泪望天涯
In tears, I stare at the edge of heaven
门前碧桃树
the peach tree in front of the door is green
