more from
Eating Music
We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

supported by
Gin
Gin thumbnail
Gin Incredible voice with great arrangement! I especially like Cause We've Ended As Lovers, Be Bop Lives (Boplicity) and How Insensitive.
/
  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $4.99 USD  or more

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    10inch, 33RPM, Clear Yellow Vinyl
    with OBI and inner lyric paper

    ※ 如果你在中国大陆,可通过更便捷的渠道购买,详情关注各平台“宜听音乐EatingMusic”官方账号。

    Includes unlimited streaming of DEBUT via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 15 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $22.99 USD or more 

     

  • DEBUT CD version
    Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Gatefold CD pack
    Comes with lyrics sheet includes all artworks for singles

    Includes unlimited streaming of DEBUT via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Sold Out

1.
Intro 01:00
2.
Slow Hot Wind   Some days It's too warm to fight a slow hot wind His gaze Swept over me now Like a slow hot wind Some days It's too warm to fight A slow hot wind There in the shade Like a cool drink waiting She sat with slow fire in her eyes Just waiting Some days It's too warm to fight a slow hot wind His gaze Swept over me now There in the shade Like a cool drink waiting She sat with slow fire in her eyes Just waiting Some days It's too warm to fight A slow hot wind
3.
Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers Sneaking kisses in the hall Parting love notes are on the wall Been each other's all and all each day Lovers walking in the rain So close we felt each other's pain But now you say that love has died away 'Cause we've ended now as lovers Doesn't mean that we each other can't be friends 'Cause we've ended now as lovers Does our love for one another have to end I remember teaching you On piano 'Tea for Two' And how they play it wrong I kissed your hand But when our love has gone and passed Why does the good exceed the bad That's one thing I'll never understand I remember us at class You were always the one to pass And gave me answers right to see me through But that was more than years ago And who will love me I don't know It's sad for sure but true it won't be you 'Cause we've ended now as lovers Doesn't mean that we each other can't be friends 'Cause we've ended now as lovers Does our love for one another have to end I remember teaching you On piano 'Tea for Two' And how they play it wrong I kissed your hand But when our love has gone and passed Why does the good exceed the bad That's one thing I'll never understand Parting love notes are on the wall So close we felt each other's pain I remember teaching you When our love has gone and passed that was more than years ago Who will love me I don't know Each day
4.
Be Bop Lives (Boplicity) It began as an experiment A little new, but with the time cleverly spent It woke up musical minds and boy, it sure made a dent And so we know that Bebop lives Dizzy, Bird and Miles, they did it their way Swing time people didn't figure it could stay But they split wouldn't you know because the time was passé And so we know that Be Bop Lives And then there was a cat, Who then started to scat, It made impressions that, establishing a school, became a popular pastime For bop when in it's prime, Would differentiate the hot from the cool Second, third generation still blow All the flatted fifths that we certainly know Like "Koko," don't forget "Four" and then there's Night in Tunisia so we know that Be Bop Lives
5.
River Man 05:14
River Man Betty came by on her way Said she had a word to say About things today And fallen leaves Said she hadn’t heard the news Hadn’t had the time to choose A way to lose But she believes Gonna see the river man Gonna tell him all I can About the plan For lilac time If he tells me all he knows About the way his river flows And all night shows In summertime Betty said she prayed today For the sky to blow away Or maybe stay She wasn’t sure For when she thought of summer rain Calling for her mind again She lost the pain And stayed for more Gonna to see the river man Gonna to tell him all I can About the ban On feeling free If he tells me all he knows About the way his river flows I don’t suppose It’s meant for me How they come and go How they come and go
6.
How Insensitive How insensitive I must have seemed When he told me that he loved me How unmoved and cold I must have seemed When he told me so sincerely Why he must have asked Did I just turn and stare in icy silence What was I to do What can you do When a love affair is over Now he's gone away And I'm alone With a memory of his last look Vague and drawn and sad I see it still All the heartbreak in his last look How he must have asked Could I just turn and stare in icy silence What was I to do What can one do When a love affair…affair When a love affair When a love affair is over

about

LITTLE HAPPINESS GROUP - DEBUT

Multi-talented vocalist Voision Xi is well known to anyone in Shanghai jazz circles. She’s been heavily involved behind the scenes of Shanghai jazz for many years now, but DEBUT represents her stepping out to claim the spotlight – with a little help from some notable Shanghai jazz friends.

In 2015, Voision founded her first band, the Little Happiness Trio (then Quartet, then Quintet), gathering together a number of outstanding jazz professionals. After playing together for the past three years, the band has honed a sound that places Voision’s natural warmth and touching vocals at its heart.

Released on new independent lable Eating Music on 29th September 2018, DEBUT is a collection of covers all given the Little Happiness Group treatment, with Voision joined by young Chinese jazz pioneers Zhang Xiongguan, Li Shihai, Xiao Jun, as well as remarkable musicians Huang Jianyi, Joseph Han and Jaemin Lee. Featuring five of Voision’s favourite tracks, DEBUT sees her bring a characteristic sincerity and a personal twist to songs first made famous by Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder, and Nick Drake among others.

Such names will be familiar to any music fan, but Voision’s versions contain a strong streak of originality, putting a new spin on old favourites. As guitarist, arranger and producer Zhang Xiongguan puts it, “Voision is one of the few musicians who jumps outside their comfort zone all the time.”

This spirit – and Xiongguan’s guitar work – is prominent on EP opener "Slow Hot Wind" (original named "Lujon"), Herny Mancini’s classic 1961 composition which was first released on the soundtrack to Mr. Lucky Goes Latin. Xiongguan’s arrangement is an imaginative modern jazz piece, with a distinct vibrancy and warmth. Similarly, "How Insensitive" sees Xiongguan take Antonio Carlos Jobim’s original and supplement it with busy guitar playing and an impressive solo. "I once wondered if such changes would be difficult for the singer to adapt to,” admits Xiongguan of the bold covers. “But the excellent interpretation of these two pieces by Voision and the band completely dispelled my concerns. They also fully met the intention of my arrangement.”

"River Man" (originally by legendary British folk singer Nick Drake) is an adaptation by saxophonist Li Shihai. In addition to the five beat rhythm and water-like texture of the original song, Li manipulates his sax and synchronises with Voision’s floating vocals to propel the track toward an emotional climax. “Boplicity / Be Bop Lives” from the famous Birth of Cool album by Miles Davis is the only fast-tempo bebop classical on the EP, and comes laced with elements of standard jazz and swing. Voision sings and scats along with the brass melody, meeting this challenge to the singer’s pitch and rhythm with aplomb. "I really appreciate the sound of Voision: warm but not boring, soft and dynamic, just like the voice of a good storyteller,” says Shihai, who arranged both these tracks. “Cooperating with her is a process full of imagination and challenges. We experimented a lot with the vocal harmony to make the singles sound different.”

"Cause We've Ended As Lovers" comes from Stevie Wonder's album to his former wife Stevie Wonder Presents: Syreeta. Arranger Xiao Jun uses guitar effects to create a swirling backdrop, as Voision delivers multiple vocal harmonies that fully express the singer’s feelings of struggle and sorrow. Xiao Jun says: "I was trying my best to arrange the song according to Voision’s tone; I did it differently from the instrumental music that I usually write. And through the background sound of the guitar effects, the song captures the melancholy of the singer’s voice along with its pureness."

DEBUT is not only an EP of jazz music, but also a multimedia work that attracts friends from different fields to come together as a composite of complex beauty. In addition to creating the EP cover, Voision's friend, the illustrator Garlic Sugar, produced five hand-painted works for each of the five singles based on the feelings the artist experienced while listening to them. Also, the dessert brand “HER chocolate” has made five different flavours of chocolate to go with the EP, that will be sold via Eating Music’s official channels. The packaging for each chocolate type features a QR code so that consumers can listen to the corresponding song as they munch away.

DEBUT, the very first EP from Little Happiness Group, is both a challenge and a balm. It represents both the beauty of imagination and a place you can go to find inspiration.

credits

released September 29, 2018

编曲:张雄关 (第1,2,6首), 李世海 (第4,5首), 肖骏 (第3首)
人声:喜辰晨
吉他:张雄关 (第1,2,6首), 肖骏 (第3首)
萨克斯:李世海 (除第3,6首以外)
木贝司:Joseph Han (除第6首以外)
鼓:Jaemin Lee (除第6首以外)
键盘:黄健怡 (第5首)

Arrangement: Zhang Xiongguan (1,2,6), Li Shihai (4,5), Xiao Jun (3 only)
Vocal: Voision Xi
Guitar: Zhang Xiongguan (1,2,6), Xiao Jun (3 only)
Saxophone: Li Shihai (all except 3,6)
Double Bass: Joseph Han (all except 6)
Drums: Jaemin Lee (all except 6)
Keyboard: Huang Jianyi (5 only)
 
制作人:张雄关
Produced by Zhang Xiongguan
联合制作人:喜辰晨
Co-producer: Voision Xi
监制:张冰洁
Executive Producer: Cookie Zhang
录音棚:上海 Postape 录音工作室 (2018年3月)
Recorded at Postape Studio Shanghai, in March 2018
录音:李炜宇, 胡仕俊
Recording by Weiyu Li, Austin Hu
混音&母带处理:胡仕俊
Mixing & Mastering by Austin Hu
艺术设计:大蒜糖
Artwork by GarlicSugar
宣传文案:吴玥
Copywrite by Cleo Wu
引言:张雄关
Liner Note by Zhang Xiongguan
摄影:王威
Photography by Wang Wei

EM-003 ©2018 Eating Music

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Little Happiness Group Shanghai, China

Jazz group & trio hosted by vocalist Xi Chenchen.

Member of Shanghai based label - Eating Music

contact / help

Contact Little Happiness Group

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like Little Happiness Group, you may also like: