Product Description This recording features the harmonious & translucent sounds of the Beijing Angelic Choir, who sings 13 different folk songs from various regions of China. The Choir's previous album Chinese Lullabies is one of Wind Records' best selling titles. .com To get a sense of just how authentic a listening experience you're in for when spinning Jasmine Flower, flip through the liner notes first. Four pages in you'll find nothing but characters, and the second half is so pocked with bungled possessives and punctuation you wonder whether it was penned by the menu writer at your favorite hole-in-the-wall kung pao place. Sung in dialects from a jigsaw of Chinese regions, Flower dazzles with nectar-sweet harmonies, exotic instrumentation, and a spirit of innocence that transcends cultures and languages. China-specific sounds like the moon guitar and long lute slant the vibe in a spiritual direction, but each sentiment unfolds easily to willing Western ears. "The Anthem of Parents," from the Hunan Province, harnesses a distinct vocal reverie in describing the love that parents feel for their children; the Tibetan "My Beautiful Homeland--Xigaze" speaks, through gentle woodwinds and an exacting, chanted refrain, of a heavenly paradise with fragrant wine and flowers; and the Cantonese "A Rainy Day," drizzled in the sounds of nature and a mood of solemnity, illustrates the universal bummer of being at Mother Nature's mercy. Though the Beijing Angelic is strictly a kids' choir, Jasmine Flower exudes a Zen-style agelessness that anybody who's patted a Buddha's belly will warm to, tranquility-seeking New Age types especially. Educational applications are an option should Asian studies be in bloom at your household, but so is sitting back to simply to listen to the choir's gentle artistry. As the title track suggests, the jasmine's fragrance permeates everywhere, and everybody loves its white, lovely flowers. --Tammy La Gorce
T**S
Good singing but pretty awful musical accompaniment
This is my first CD with Chinese music on, so I made every effort not to make it a bad first impression. Luckily, you can have a foretaste of the music through those 30 second samples that amazon provides. And yes, the quality of the singing voice is excellent and the recording clear. However, the background instrumental is pretty horrible on some of the tracks. Probably, it was a low budget project and they could not hire proper musicians with acoustic instruments or at least with a quality synthesizer. Sometimes it gives you the feel of computer music in the first part of the 90's. All in all, the songs are well worth the money, but if you want to experience real Chinese instrumental music, try, for example, Classical Chinese Folk Music .
W**H
soothing music
I was looking for Chinese music CDs for my kids to learn Chinese. This CD has beautiful singing and music. What it doesn't have is songs suitable and easy for very young kids. My children still enjoy listening to it, they just can't really sing along since the arrangement of the music is more complicated.
E**Y
Angelic Choir
I actually bought this to use as background tracks for digital show on trip to China. I had a number of Chinese CDs, but this one is really excellent. The variety of moods and the angelic voices are a pleasure to hear. I especially liked the happy "Fiery Horses" song.
L**T
Tour music
We traveled to China and returned to make a slideshow. This music was perfect to include in our slideshow to portray the tour that we enjoyed tremendously. The beautiful music is a constant reminder of the wonderful time we had while there. We watched many performances while on our tour to China and this is a perfect music CD that brought our slideshow to life. Even if you cannot go to China, this is a good way to bring Chinese music to your home.
K**G
The Jasmine Flower CD
Beautiful music ,enjoyed listening to this while baking for Christmas.!
P**K
Beautiful
Even if you don't understand Chinese, you will find yourself humming along with these catchy little tunes. It would be hard to listen to this music and not have a smile on your face.
H**R
Jasmine Flower
This cd has really exceded anything I had hoped for. The Beijing Angelic Choir is awesome. I plan on getting more of their music very soon...!
C**R
Don't buy this CD. Buy the "GREATEST CHINESE FOLK SONGS" instead
I own this CD, and another CD -- the "GREATEST CHINESE FOLK SONGS" by Bears Children Choir.On a scale on 1 to 10, I rate this CD as a 2.This CD sound artificial. The instruments sound like cheap synthesizers.The other CD -- the "GREATEST CHINESE FOLK SONGS" by Bears Children Choir is much better. The children's voices are pure and natural. The instruments in the background do not overwhelm. it is an 11 over 10.
Trustpilot
2 weeks ago
2 weeks ago
