Sound of Time, saxophone album by 9x artist

It's been a long time since Vietnamese music has had a studio album purely for instrumental music by a young artist. The 90s-born artist Bao Anh Taruki must really love the saxophone to have decided to do this.

Saxophonist Bao Anh Taruki - Photo: Provided by the artist

Bao Anh Taruki, 32 years old, is the only son of People's Artist Thai Bao and Meritorious Artist Anh Tuan (Vietnam National Opera and Ballet Theatre).

Unlike her mother, who chose a singing career, or her father, who played the drums, Bao Anh pursued and graduated with a degree in clarinet and saxophone from the Vietnam National Academy of Music.

He also learned additional skills from two teachers from the North and South of Vietnam: Tran Manh Tuan and Quyen Thien Dac.

Bao Anh has just won the award for Best Saxophonist at the 2024 National Band Festival.

He has just released the album "Sounds of Time," which includes seven instrumental pieces with Vietnamese and Japanese influences, reflecting his own journey so far.

In her debut studio album, Bao Anh wanted to dedicate the beautiful melodies of life to herself and her audience.

Besides some works such as Melodies of Life (Nobuo Uematsu), Laputa (Joe Hisaishi), A Town with an Ocean View (Joe Hisaishi), there are also familiar recordings such as Afternoon Dream (Giang Son), May Rain (Tran Lap - Tran Tuan Hung), Even Though It's Not You (Dinh Manh Ninh) and Pure Dreams (Lan Pham).

Accompanying this album are the music videos for "Midday Dream , " "A Town with an Ocean View ," and "Sora Mo Toberu Hzu" (I Can Fly Up to the Sky).

The album "Sounds of Time" possesses a pristine, abundant, and warm essence of emotion. One can also sense the playful, swaying nature of the artist as they immerse themselves in the sound of the trumpet.

Bao Anh plays the saxophone quite smoothly in a smooth jazz style. This is not surprising, as he idolizes Kenny G, an artist who plays this style. The album is neat and clean.

It's a pity that the artist's saxophone playing still lacks moments of exhilaration, climax, and emotional explosion to make the debut album sharper and more distinctive.

However, for a debut album, achieving what Bao Anh has done is a great effort. As saxophonist Tran Manh Tuan said, the album has "soaring harmonies and a gradually mature saxophone sound, with smooth and sweet technique in each piece. Keep going, Bao Anh, on your own path."

AFTERNOON DREAM - TARUKI SAX | SAXOPHONE OFFICIAL MV

Speaking to Tuoi Tre newspaper , Tran Manh Tuan praised the album for its clear concept, its Eastern influence, and its beautiful melodies.

Tran Manh Tuan said he felt proud and happy to see young people "continuing" the journey of Vietnamese saxophone. He often reminds young people that they now have many opportunities to access modern technology and musical instruments, as well as easily integrate with global trends and movements.

"However, never forget your roots, the Eastern essence flowing within you. That's why, even though you play the saxophone, a Western instrument, you can still hear the Vietnamese spirit in it. That's what will tell you who you are," Tran Manh Tuan advised.

Bao Anh shared that in this album, there are some songs he had to record multiple times. For example, "Even Though It's Not Me," even though the arrangement is only 5 minutes long, took the artist 4 hours to record. He was exhausted when he left the recording studio, but felt he had reached a certain "fulfillment" in music .

This year, Bao Anh is 32 years old. That "past" is just the beginning. There are still countless discoveries to be made ahead.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thanh-am-thoi-gian-album-saxophone-cua-nghe-si-9x-20241129094320543.htm