Huong Thanh - Dragonfly (2001)

"Dragonfly: The word carries with it a variety of meanings that conjure up unexpected comparisons, connections, and enigmatic relationships. In the title piece, "Dragonfly", the unforeseen culminates in a sensitive duel between the Vietnamese-Parisian Huong Thangh and the Cameroon-New Yorker Richard Bona. It was necessary that such a mythical creature as the dragon, a symbol for good luck in Asia, lift itself up and over the chasm that separates the different styles, the disparate geographic and historic terrain, thus bridging the gap between musical cultures. And the same goes for the entire album: magic lies in this alchemy, which combines the distinctive purity and tradition of the Vietnamese instruments and vocals with the sudden presence of the electronics, the grooves, the string instruments, and the African vocals...