Huong Thanh

出生西貢，香清（Huong Thanh）來自知名的傳統(tǒng)音樂家庭。父親Huu Phuoc（逝世於1997年），是越南改良劇場Cai Luong劇的名角。Cai Luong將傳統(tǒng)戲曲演唱、舞蹈與劇場結(jié)合，1916年由一群南方音樂愛好者引自北方劇場傳統(tǒng)風(fēng)格，結(jié)合Hat Boi與Hat Cheo等南方絲竹樂與法國音樂的元素再創(chuàng)而成。Cai Luong於30年代始，受到越南聽眾的喜愛，不過今日越南的年輕人鮮有人聽Cai Luong了，倒是隨著越南船民往歐陸的遷徙，巴黎邊界的越南社區(qū)，成為Cai Luong的新生地。
　　越南語有六個聲調(diào)，曲與詞互映，因此詩與樂需有極細(xì)緻的表情，才能將詞意中的感情發(fā)揮得淋漓盡致。香清是其中的能手，他的轉(zhuǎn)音、裝飾音不但細(xì)膩，且多色澤。
　　香清十歲開始，由父親傳授Cai Luong與傳統(tǒng)戲曲。她仍記得當(dāng)時名演員都是家中座上客的盛況，而長輩們也隨時指點香清唱腔。在那樣環(huán)境成長的香清，13歲便掌握純熟技巧，并進入西貢音樂與劇場學(xué)校就讀，16歲初次在職業(yè)舞臺嶄露頭角。
　　1977年，香清移居巴黎，跟隨父親在歐洲各地越南社區(qū)的Cai Luong劇場巡迴演出。1995年，與爵士吉他手Nguyen Le相識，被領(lǐng)入爵士樂壇，并啟程了他們共有的「越南故事」之旅?！冈侥瞎适隆箻穲F幾乎走遍了歐洲所有重要音樂節(jié)。1996年，他們灌錄的專輯也在國際上獲得許多榮耀與獎項。在爵士樂廠牌ACT下進行過許多合作計畫，1998年，香清終於出版了第一張個人的專輯《月與風(fēng)》（Moon and Wind），由 Nguyen Le寫曲、錄製，在專輯中呈現(xiàn)親情與愛的主題。
　　2007年，香清得到法國世界音樂獎，并出版了第四張專輯─《脆弱的美麗》（Fragile Beauty），此張專輯中加入日本箏（koto）新星宮崎美枝子（Mieko Miyazaki），為他們的音樂增添不同色澤。
Vietnamese vocalist Huong Thanh rose to fame in the new millennium as her nation's premier jazz talent. Thanh was brought up in a musical household steeped in the cai luong tradition. Mentored by her father, famed vocalist Huu Phuoc, Thanh was trained in the complex musical style blending the demands of a complex tonal language with operatic expression and storytelling. She studied formally in Saigon, beginning at age 13. By 16 Thanh had taken the stage in her first of many cai luong productions. Touring throughout Europe matured Thanh as a musician, and offered opportunities to be exposed to different musical styles. Thanh often returned to Vietnam, recording with some of the nation's most renowned talents. On one such trip she was introduced to guitarist Nguyên Lê, who introduced her to the world of jazz. Thanh joined Lê's Tales from Vietnam project, which toured Europe extensively and released highly acclaimed material exploring traditional Vietnamese music with jazz sensibilities. In 1999 Thanh applied the valuable experience she gained with Tales from Vietnam to her solo career. Moon and Wind, her debut disc, was released by the ACT label that year, to rave reviews. With each release that followed, Thanh earned a larger audience for her special brand of jazz. Following Dragonfly (2001) and Mangustao (2004), Huong Thanh's fourth disc, Fragile Beauty, was released in 2007. The album peaked at number two on World Music Charts Europe, generating Thanh's strongest sales yet.