Trinh Cong Son's music is translated with 'Let's love jazz'

The music project 'Let's love jazz' was officially launched, with the accompaniment and spiritual advice of singer Trinh Vinh Trinh - sister of the late musician Trinh Cong Son, in the role of "Trinh's memory messenger".

Quynh Pham hopes to spread her love for jazz and Trinh Cong Son's music to the community, especially the younger generation.

Photo: Organizing Committee

Reimagining Trinh Cong Son's music in a jazz style.

"Let's Love Jazz" is a project to revitalize and spread the songs of Trịnh Công Sơn through arrangements in jazz , fusion , and acoustic styles, while also translating them into English, Japanese, and Korean . The project aims to reach a younger generation of art lovers with a deeper appreciation for art, and to create a cultural bridge between Vietnamese and international music ; it is supported and mentored by singer Trịnh Vĩnh Trinh.

Regarding her reasons for supporting the project, Trinh Cong Son's sister said that she sensed in the artists of "Let's Love Jazz" a genuine love for Trinh Cong Son's music and a desire to engage in dialogue using their own musical language. "Quynh Pham is not the first to modernize Trinh Cong Son's music in a jazz style, but by boldly translating Trinh Cong Son's songs into English, it can be said that Quynh Pham and this project have almost reached that level," singer Trinh Vinh Trinh observed.

Singer Trinh Vinh Trinh (left) shares her thoughts on modernizing Trinh Cong Son's music.

Photo: Organizing Committee

Singer Quynh Pham, founder of Hanoi Blues Note and a jazz musician in Hanoi for the past 25 years, said the idea for the project stemmed from a desire to build a systematic and interconnected musical journey, rather than just individual experiments. "For over a decade, 'reimagining Trinh Cong Son's music' has become an inspiring undercurrent in Vietnamese music, especially among young people. However, most of it has been just individual experiments, or in other words, beautiful notes that haven't yet formed a comprehensive arrangement. No one has truly charted a well-structured, systematic, and interconnected musical journey to bring Trinh Cong Son's music closer to the new generation and to the world ," she shared.

The project is planned with a roadmap from October 2025 to the end of 2028, comprising three phases with numerous activities and events. The first phase focuses on discovering young vocal talents, organizing minishows, online concerts, and launching new albums in the spirit of dialogue between jazz and Trinh Cong Son's music. Simultaneously, the project will establish "Jazz Lovers' Stations" in Hanoi , Hue, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City, where young artists will receive guidance, inspiration, and live performances. Phase 2 will expand collaborations with international artists, release digital music, and organize performances and concerts in major cities. Phase 3 of the project is planned to include new works, a series of events fostering Vietnamese and international jazz exchanges both domestically and abroad, and the release of albums in overseas markets.

Translating Trinh's music is not easy.

Quynh Pham stated that after its launch, the project will release an EP consisting of 5 bilingual tracks on digital music platforms. The extended play (Duluxe version with 8 songs) will be officially released in 3 formats: digital, CD, and Vinyl on February 28th, commemorating the birthday of the late musician Trinh Cong Son. "We expect that with the 'Let's Love Jazz' project, the team will convey the message of honoring the love of life, people, and the characteristic compassion in Trinh Cong Son's music in a youthful, passionate, and carefree style of young artists. At the same time, we aim to create opportunities for young artists to showcase their talent and freedom in music, create exciting musical spaces for audiences, and connect Trinh Cong Son's profound works with music lovers worldwide through the jazz style," the founder of Hanoi Blues Note expressed.

Quynh Pham and the Hanoi Blues Note team have dedicated much effort to refreshing the music and translating Trinh Cong Son's songs.

Photo: Organizing Committee

Sharing his thoughts on the project's execution, musician Vu Quang Trung , the project's music director, said that combining jazz and Trinh Cong Son's music was an interesting challenge. "Jazz is improvisational music in many different aspects, from the structure of the work, rhythm, harmony, or solos on the melody. Trinh Cong Son's music, on the other hand, is about the meaning and beauty of the lyrics, the familiar and simple melodies. How to combine them while still preserving the soul and closeness to the listener is what we considered in every harmony, rhythm, and the way the singers performed the work," he said.

Nguyen Nhat Tuan ( Hanoi University), the project's language advisor, said that it wasn't just about "translating the lyrics" of the song, but almost about rewriting the emotions in another language. "Vietnamese is a monosyllabic language, rich in tones; even a small accent can change the emotional nuance. English, on the other hand, has a completely different rhythm and stress pattern, with distinct emphasis and pauses. Therefore, translating a Trinh Cong Son song into English is a parallel journey between meaning and music; preserving the meaning can easily disrupt the music, while preserving the music can easily lead to a loss of Trinh Cong Son's soul. I always research thoroughly to find an equivalent emotional rhythm, rather than a word-for-word translation," Tuan shared.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhac-trinh-cong-son-duoc-chuyen-ngu-cung-hay-yeu-jazz-di-185251025223944144.htm