Shanghai Senses: Sounds
Full Moon, Blooming Flowers
By Coco Zhao
"Blooming Flower, Full Moon" is one of the most well known Shanghai songs from the 1920s and 30s. Sang by the golden voice Zhou Xuan, and written by Yan Hua, it's a beloved song amongst many listeners of different generations. Blooming flowers and a full moon represent beauty, peace, and love in traditional Chinese culture. In other words, it's a perfect scene, in a perfect moment, through Chinese eyes.
I chose this song to be the first song for my Dream Situation album. During the rearrangement working process, I decided to only use the first part of the song, so it's a bit different than the original, which is what I wanted.
I believe that a different storyteller, in a different time, can add different meanings and a new touch to classic stories...I love to tell stories, especially classics. So here it is, the new version of "Blooming Flowers, Full Moon"
I also wrote a little poem to dedicate to the original song. I called it a love letter from today to the past, to express my inspiration and gratitude to the wonderful stories and beautiful melodies from the past...
In the sounds of another, I bowed my head and listened carefully, and wandered in multiple dimensions. The beauty from its sounds creates an untouchable happiness that comes and goes in fits and starts. Sky-blue never knows its own vastness nor the shape of stars; in a lovely and capricious way, both inspire everyone’s eyes and heart, as they have always done, yet in an untraceable way.
Jacket slid down from shoulders, while breath brushes by ears. Cars, passengers, trees, paths, wind, and signs… The motif of love is a little starving bug, biting those hearts, fragile by nature, until they become more transparent...
Click below to hear Coco Zhao’s Full Moon, Blooming Flowers.
Click here to hear the version by Zhou Xuan, the popular Chinese singer and film actress from the 1920s-40s.
Dubbed “the boy Billie Holiday," Coco Zhao cross-pollinates Mandarin vocals with the distinct sounds of contemporary American jazz; a unique heritage (both parents were in traditional Chinese opera) is infused with youthful interpretations. Zhao’s distinctive style transcends cultures, as evidenced by his sensational reception at the 2007 Montreal Jazz Festival and his performance at the Kennedy Center. Click here for an NPR interview with him, which features streaming songs and video.
Don't miss a special appearance by Coco Zhao at our April 1 MATCHA! He'll perform an intimate set of classic Shanghai jazz favorites and new works!
