OK, the Olympics are over. They were spectacular, weren't they? I think China did a great job and from what I understand China spared no expense in order to make these Olympics one of the best ever. (40 billion dollars, I heard, was the amount they spent overall.) I hope China continues to progress and become a great world partner.
But now time to get back to music...
Today was a bit stressful for me, so I was in the mood for something to calm down the day.
I found her in Japan's "fluent-English" jazz soloist, Olivia Ong. She's unsigned but her voice is lovely and the musicians accompanying her were first-rate, especially the resonant, fluid tones emanating from the saxophonist.She sings American easy jazz classics and does a nice job with them, too. Her voice fits quite well with classical jazz. For some reason, as I listened and relaxed, instead of being transported back to the heyday of the forties and fifties, the world of Mack the Knife, smoke-filled lounges, black ties and cocktail dresses,. I found myself on a beach in Hawaii. It was sunset. It was warm with a light breeze that smelled of flowers I couldn't identify, and the sound of the ocean rolling in my ears.
Go figure. I didn't realize that I associated jazz with Hawaii. But who cares? It made me relax and that was what I really needed today.
So thank you, Miss Ong. I hope you get signed soon. I'd like to hear you tackle some original songs as well as the classics next time.
Give her a try. What exotic locale will you end up at, I wonder?
Her site is at
She hasn't logged on to her site since May, so I hope she is well and I hope someone out there who knows her sends her a message that she got reviewed (and favorably too!) (I wish I could but I can't create a comment on her site, only send her a friendly message that she won't see if she doesn't log on.) Ah, the joys of MySpace!
Aloha!
CG "Shin" Anderson
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