Sung with grace and conviction, the renditions of Naxi folksongs by He Jinhua on Songs of the Naxi of Southwest China offer a glimpse at a tradition rarely heard outside its homeland. These songs are full of references to snow-clad mountains, rushing rivers, spring flowers, and the profusion of local wildlife in the Naxi heartland of northwest Yunnan province, tableaus that are reflected in the lilting verse in which they’re sung. On this first collection of Naxi folksongs released outside of China, He presents songs she has learned since childhood from relatives, farmers, colleagues, and field collectors all over the region, as well as pieces for jaw harp and two collaborations with Grammy-winning composer Daniel Ho.
credits
released March 11, 2022
Produced by Helen Rees
Recorded by Stuart Schenk
Mastered by Pete Reiniger (tracks 1–17, 20), and Daniel Ho (tracks 18 and 19)
Translations by He Jinhua, Yang Fuquan 杨福泉, He Hong 和弘, Helen Rees
Liner notes by He Jinhua, Yang Fuquan, Helen Rees
Photos by Helen Rees
Map by Inne Choi
Executive producers: Daniel E. Sheehy and John Smith
Production manager: Mary Monseur
Production assistant: Kate Harrington
Editorial assistance by Carla Borden
Art direction, design and layout by Caroline Gut
These recordings were made 9–16 November 2018 and 7 February 2019. Photographs were taken in March 2007, March 2009, November 2018, and March 2019.
The recordings were made at the The Evelyn and Mo Ostin Music Center at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, directed by Luis F. Henao. We wish to thank the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music for allowing free use of this facility. We also gratefully acknowledge financial support for this CD project from the UCLA Confucius Institute, directed by Susan Pertel Jain, and the Council on Research of the UCLA Academic Senate.
Finally, we thank He Jinhua’s family (He Guoxiu和国秀, Yang Ruxiu杨汝秀, He Jinhua和金华, He Defen和德芬, He Jin’gao和金高, He Guangyu和光玉, He Yubao 和玉宝, He Jinlong和金龙, Lamu拉姆, and He Hong 和弘), Da Lin, Lydia Miyashiro (Daniel Ho Creations), Charles F. McKhann (Whitman College), Mark Kligman (Chair, UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology), and Mei-Chen Chen and Heidi Xiaorong Yuan (UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology graduate students) for their support.
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