dear all,
there is a news i'd like to humbly share it with you:

i have been awarded with a prestigious composer fellowship - the "Sally & Don Lucas Artist Residency" by Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga, CA (www.montalvoarts.org) among 24 international grantees in different artistic disciplines for its fall 2009-spring 2011 season. with this wonderful opportunity given, i will be able work on my next major ensemble work which i will keep you updated as the work progresses.

My debut record "A Distant Youth" (Forrest Hill Records) ranked 88 out of 913 on World Music Chart Europe in 2008 (critics pick).

I am simply grateful to the people below. Without them, this result would not have been possible:

-First, I want to thank producer Giovanni Amighetti, for believing in my music and for all the hard work he's done to help me to develop my career, especially while the record industry is experiencing difficult times.

-Thanks to Forrest Hill Records for giving my music global access.

-Many thanks to the sound engineer/co-producer, Bruno Cementi, for working so hard since the very beginning of the making of this album. Also, thanks to Myles Boisen for making the U.S. recording sessions run so smoothly.

-Thanks to the three wonderful photographers: Guido Ponzini, Carlo Ronchi, Matteo Mezzadri. The world looks even more beautiful and artistic through their camera lenses.

-Many thanks and much love to Fred Frith, Carla Kihlstedt, and Helge A. norbakken -3 amazing artists, mentors, and friends! It is an honor to have their sonic spirit to help deepen my "thoughts" in this record.

-Special thanks to Parker for the tremendous love and support of my dreams.

-Lastly, I want to thank my mother and father. They are the heroes of my life, and my biggest fans in the world! They have taught me to be a kind and honest human being before anything else.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Full list of top 150 critics pick on World Music Chart Europe

WMCE YEAR 2008
copyright by www.worldmusicnight.com

compiled by Johannes Theurer on behalf of the Worldmusic Workshop of the
European Broadcasting Union (EBU)

The top 150 of 913 nominated records

1 3MA Contre-Jour
Projet 3MA; Rajery/Ballake Sissoko/Driss El Maloumi
Mali/Morocco/Madagascar

2 800 Doublemoon
Mercan Dede Turkey/Canada

3 UMALALI Cumbancha
The Garifuna Women's Project Belize/Guatemala

4 TCHAMANTCHE Universal
Rokia Traore Mali

5 MALI KOURA Six Degrees
Issa Bagayogo Mali

6 FRAGILE BEAUTY ACT
Huong Thanh & Nguyen Le Vietnam/France

7 THE MANDE VARIATIONS World Circuit
Toumani Diabate Mali

8 ALIVE Wrasse
Sa Dingding China

9 MALDITO TANGO Naive
Melingo Argentina

10 THE SOUL OF ARMENIA Network Median
Djivan Gasparyan Armenia

11 SHAKE AWAY EMI
Lila Downs Mexico/USA

12 DIASPORA HI-FI Piranha
Watcha Clan France

13 WAMATO Sterns
Les Amazones de Guinee Guinea

14 DESERT BLUES 3 Network
V.A. various

15 MANY THINGS Tot ou Tard
Seun Kuti & Fela's Egypt 80 Nigeria

16 EXTRAORDINARY RENDITION Cumbancha
Rupa & The April Fishes USA

17 NINE HEAVENS Six Degrees
Niyaz USA/Iran

18 NEW DAWN - KU KHATA World Connection
Neco Novellas Mozambique

19 SOUL SCIENCE Wayward
Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara UK/Gambia

20 1 REAL Ziriguiboom
DJ Dolores Brazil

21 REPREZENT Indies Records
Gipsy.cz Czech Republic

22 MOTHER-EARTH! FATHER-SKY! Jaro Medien
Huun Huur Tu Russia/Tuva

23 REBEL WOMAN Cumbancha
Chiwoniso Zimbabwe

24 CONGOTRONICS 3: IN THE 7TH MOON Crammed
Kasai All Stars D.R.Congo

25 GURRUMUL Skinnyfish
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu Australia

26 TAKSIM TRIO Doublemoon Records
Taksim Trio Turkey

27 CALCUTTA CHRONICLES Riverboat
Debashish Bhattacharya India

28 AFRICAN SCREAM CONTEST Analog Africa
V.A. various

29 BALDAMORE Naive
Hadouk Trio France

30 WANDERLUST World Connection
Kiran Ahluwalia Canada/India

31 ROKKU MI ROKKA Nonesuch
Youssou N'Dour Senegal

32 ELS AMANTS DE LILITH Temps
Lidia Pujol Spain

33 IN THE NAME OF LOVE - AFRICA CELEBRATES U2 Shout/Wrasse
V.A. various

34 GRANDE FINALE Arih
Magnifico Slovenia

35 LONJI Lusafrica
Tcheka Cape Verde

36 AKAPELLEANDO Skip Records
Vocal Sampling Cuba

37 IN THE HOUSE OF MIRRORS Crammed
Hector Zazou & Swara France/India/Uzbekistan

38 THE SYLIPHONE YEARS Sterns
Balla et ses Balladins Guinea

39 AMERICA BRASIL O DISCO Naive
Seu Jorge Brazil

40 UPMIXING Jaro
Warsaw Village Band Poland

41 MADE IN DAKAR World Circuit
Orchestra Baobab Senegal

42 INFINITY Jaro Medien
Warsaw Village Band Poland

43 DIRE DAWA Rounder Europe
Minyeshu Ethiopia

44 SONGS OF GLORY - PIESNI CHWALY Kiten Art
Trebunie Tutki & Twinkle Brothers Poland/Jamaica

45 RAISING SAND Rounder
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss UK/USA

46 DEUS ET DIABOLUS Galileo MC
Al Andaluz Project Spain/Germany

47 LA BUENA VIBRA SOUNDSYSTEM Palm
Sidestepper UK/Colombia

48 D'ICI ET D'AILLEURS Virgin EMI
Soha France/Algeria

49 BEL CANTO - BEST OF GENIDIA YEARS Sterns
Mbilia Bel d.r.Congo

50 HAIKU Tumi
Yusa Cuba

51 BLACK STARS Outhere
V.A. Ghana

52 SOUNDS FROM A BYGONE AGE VOL. 5 Asphalt Tango
Gabi Lunca Romania

53 ETHNOMECANICA Lawine/Sony
Zdob si Zdub Moldavia

54 ASA Naive
Asa Nigeria, France

55 VAIMMU IVNNIT/PATTERNS OF THE HEART DAT
Inga Juuso Norway

56 TANGER SESSIONS Exil
Dissidenten and Jil Jilila Germany/Morocco

57 WATCHA PLAYIN Tropical
Brooklyn Funk Essentials USA

58 EL CORAZON TIENE TRES PUERTAS Resistencia
Dulce Pontes Portugal

59 PRINCES AMONGST MEN - JOURNEY WITH GIPSY MUSICIANS Asphalt
Tango
V.A. various

60 THE ENDLESS OCEAN Network Medien
Ensemble Dastan & Salar Aghili Iran

61 STUBBLE Fledg'ling
The Blue Blokes 3 UK

62 KOBZAR EastBlok
Haydamaky Ukraine

63 ZEGAR ZIVI Cloud Valley
V.A. Croatia

64 BALANCO NCB
Deodato Siquier Mozambique/Denmark

65 MORE LOVE Indies Records
Terne Chave Czech Republic

66 SIM Epic
Vanessa da Mata Brazil

67 NINA DE FUEGO Dro Atlantic
Buika Spain

68 KOCIJANI Copito
Kries Croatia

69 NIGERIA SPECIAL: MODERN HIGHLIFE, AFRO SOUNDS 1970-1976
Soundway
V.A. Nigeria

70 CA VA SE SAVOIR Sterns
Amadou Sodia Guinea

71 THE LADIES SECOND SONG Bang!
Lais Belgium

72 BALKAN BEATS VOL. 3 Eastblok
V.A. various

73 DEVOTION Six Degrees
Cheb i Sabbah USA/India

74 AT CARNEGIE HALL World Circuit
Buena Vista Social Club Cuba/USA

75 MARDULCE Surco Records
Bajofondo Argentina/Uruguay

76 MANO SUAVE World Village
Yasmin Levy Israel

77 PINATA Cooking Vinyl
Mexican Institute of Sound Mexico/Germany

78 KASBAH ROCKERS Barbarity
Kasbah Rockers with Bill Laswell Switzerland/Morocco

79 THE MIGHTY UPSETTER On-U Sound
Lee Scratch Perry Jamaica

80 BELLE EPOQUE Vol.2: MANSA Sterns
Rail Band Mali

81 MANY LESSONS Piranha
Bantu, Docta etc. various

82 POLITICA DE VERBANA Galileo MC
Gertrudis Spain

83 LE TEMPS Emarcy
Diely Moussa Kouyate Mali/Guinee

84 BADYO Lusafrica
Mario Lucio Cape Verde

85 MASKARADA Crammed
Taraf de Haidouks Romania

86 PUERTO RICAN NIGHTS Essay Recordings
Boom Pam Israel

87 AFTER THE CARNAVAL Dox Records
Zuco 103 Netherlands

88 A DISTANT YOUTH Forrest Hill
♥♥♥Wu Fei China ♥♥♥

89 KIT DIT MIE EMI-France
Magic System Ivory Coast

90 LE MONDE EST UN VILLAGE VOL. 9 RTBF
V.A. various

91 ANA HINA World Village
Natacha Atlas UK

92 AROUND THE WORLD Essay Recordings
Senor Coconut Germany/Chile

93 THE RAVISHED BRIDE Wagram
Kocani Orkestar FYR Macedonia

94 THE BOY BANDS HAVE WON... Westpark
Chumbawamba UK

95 HURIA Rockadillo
Sanna Kurki-Suonio Finland

96 TUML=LEBN Piranha
The Klezmatics USA

97 VICTOR DEME Makasound
Victor Deme Burkina Faso

98 POMOL Manas
Volga Russia

99 FRANCOPHONIC Stern's
Franko & Le TPOK Jazz D.R. Congo

100 VIAJA Lusafrica
Teofilo Chantre Cape Verde

101 VERITE D'AFRIQUE Lusafrica
Pierre Akendengue Gabon

102 THE SICILIAN JAZZ PROJECT True North
Michael Occhipinti Canada/Italy

103 TUDO AZUL Red Circle
Velha Garda da Portela Brazil

104 AMETTE SingingFrog
Telek Papua Newguinea

105 GRACIAS World Village
Omara Portuondo Cuba

106 IN DOTE Radici
Jessica Lombardi Italy

107 BAREFOOT IN THE SAND Hippo
Atongo Zimba Ghana

108 MAJAZ Randana
Trio Joubran Palestine

109 CONTAGIOUS Pharma Tunes/Azra Records
Genetic Drugs Germany/various

110 FAKE NO MORE Asphalt Tango
La Cherga Austria

111 SECRETS GUARDATS Temps
Eduard Iniesta Spain

112 VALRAVN Tutl
Valravn Faroe Islands

113 BAIRRO Lusafrica
Bonga Angola

114 DISKO PARTIZANI Crammed/Essay
Shantel Germany/Balkan

115 LA CORONA Outhere
Madeira Limpia Cuba

116 OAI E LIBERTAT Adam/Wagram
Massilia Sound System France

117 SONANTES Six Degrees
Sonantes Collective Brazil

118 THE VODOUN EFFECT Analog Africa
Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou Benin

119 BAILA QUERIDA Galileo MC
Tango Crash Argentina/Germany

120 INTRODUCING SPAM ALLSTARS World Music Network
Spam Allstars USA

121 O3 Kartel
Son of Dave Canada/UK

122 AKWABA INISENE Contre-Jour
Aly Keita Ivory Coast

123 SANTA REBELDIA Globalista
Celia Mara Brazil

124 INKA MBING Trees Music
Gaga Taiwan

125 I AM EVE KKV
Mahsa & Marjan Vahdat Iran

126 MAFUA Acoustic Music Records
Yamandu Costa Brazil

127 THE LONDON BOOK OF THE DEAD Six Degrees
The Real Tuesday Weld UK

128 GUITAR-BOY SUPERSTAR 1970-76 Soundway
Sir Victor Uwaifo Nigeria

129 DEHESARIO Galileo MC
Acetre Spain

130 TUMI SESSIONS Tumi
Chucho Valdez Cuba

131 SONGS ACROSS WALLS OF SEPARATION Kirkelik Kulturverksted
V.A. various

132 ADIEU LES COMPLEXES Naive
Beata Palya Hungary

133 LA RADIOLINA Because
Manu Chao France

134 AFREECANOS Skip Records
Omar Sosa Cuba

135 JARRUTA Aito
Sväng Finland

136 DESERT CROSSROADS Riverboat
Etran Finatawa Niger

137 FEZ CLUB Eastblok
Figli di Madre Ignota Italy

138 AFRIKI Cumbancha
Habib Koite & Bamada Mali

139 FLAVOUR No Fridge
DJ Click France

140 RADIO RETALIATION ESL Music
Thievery Corporation USA

141 SUR O NO SUR Sony
Kevin Johansen Argentina

142 DAY BY DAY Wrasse
Femi Kuti Nigeria

143 LET YOUR XS BE YS Soul Jazz
Tetine Brazil/UK

144 DIPITA CTR
Muna Mingole Cameroon/Canada

145 ITALIAN ROOTS: ITALIAN FOLK MUSIC Radici Music
V.A. Italy

146 KALI SULTANA Naive
Titi Robin France

147 MUSIC HOLE EMI
CAMILLE France

148 STARA MUZYKA/NOWA MUZYKA Ferment
St. Nicolaus Orchestra Poland

149 THE ROUGH GUIDE TO CONGO GOLD World Music Network
V.A. Congo

150 BEYOND THE HORIZON, comp. by C.GILLETT Warner Classic and
Jazz
V.A. various


Compiled by Johannes Theurer on behalf of the
World Music Workshop of the EBU. Supported by RBB RADIOmultikulti and
WDR Funkhaus Europa

new recor​d "​YUAN-​缘"​ (​2008, Tzadi​k Recor​ds)​ ​has been released.

Best Album​ of the Week by ALARM​ Magaz​ine (​Chica​go)​
www.alarmpress.com

♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠

"YUAN 缘" features 5 of my chamber compositions:

1. Lou Lan 楼兰
(performed by Melody of China, written for bamboo flute, Chinese dulcimer, Erhu, Uighur hand drum )

2. Red Carriage 红轿
(performed by Shayna Dunkelman, written for marimba, 4 tom-toms, gong)

3. Yuan? Yuan! Yuan... 缘？远！怨...
(performed by Wu Fei, for prepared- guzheng)

4. She Huo 社火
performed by Percussions Claviers de Lyon, Pan E-qing, Wu Fei，
written for 17 percussion instruments (performed by 5 percussionists), pipa, guzheng & voice

5. Before I Wake 冥冥
performed by Stephen Drury, written for piano

♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠

Performers' information:

Melody of China 汉声乐团
www.melodyofchina.com

Percussions Claviers de Lyon 法国里昂打击乐团
www.lespcl.com

Shayna Dunkelman -打击乐演奏家
www.myspace.com/shaynadunkelman, percussionist

Stephen Drury -钢琴演奏家，新英格兰音乐学院
www.stephendrury.com, pianist, New England Conservatory

Pan Eqing 潘娥青 ，琵琶演奏家，中国电影乐团首席
-pipa master, principal chair of the China Film Philharmonic

Wu Fei 吴非， 古筝／声乐
-guzheng/voice/prepared guzheng

Tzadik Records (www.tzadik.com ), USA
Koch Entertainment (www.kochentertainment.com), Canada

besides all the wonderful musicians i am lucky to have, a truly amazing painter Ms. Xiaoqing Ding 丁小青 (also a beijinger, based in nyc) distributed a stunning piece of hers as part of the cd art work. www.myspace.com/xiaoqingd

i am simply grateful to all the love & support that has nurtured this record :)

"A Distant Youth"







"YUAN-缘" coming soon!

direct link to the interview:
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=24390

"Under your skin will be a 350 - 400 page book with a dvd about musicians from around the world from popular music to classical .

UNDER YOUR SKIN A CULTURAL MOSAIC ON THE ART OF MUSIC AND ITS CREATORS....."

read more on:
"under your skin" links:

http://www.underyourskin.net
http://www.youtube.com/user/underyourskindvd

Program hosted by NPR journalist Jocelyn Ford.

http://www.wnyc.org (93.9 fm, am 820)

under "Shows": Studio 360
(direct link: http://studio360. org/episodes/2008/08/01)

Kongfu Monk
The Buddhist monks of Shaolin Temple may perform at the Olympic opening ceremonies. But they face two deadly foes –- copyright infringement and tourists. Jocelyn Ford took a road trip to the temple with one monk, who turned out not to be quite what he seemed.


[To listen to the show, click play button. To read about credit, click "Music"]


Jocelyn Ford is Bureau Chief of Marketplace's new Beijing Bureau. Previously she was the Marketplace Tokyo Bureau Chief. Throughout the last 15 years, Ford has opened doors for foreign journalists all over Asia. Just last year, she was the first foreigner to broadcast news live at China's only English-language radio network; and she was the first foreigner to conduct journalism and radio workshops. As a reporter for Japan's Kyodo News Service, Ford was the first foreign journalist assigned to the Japanese prime minister's press corps.


source from:
http://marketplace. publicradio. org/about/cast_crew/ford. html

article published on AllAboutJazz.com:
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=29433

A Distant Youth
Wu Fei | Forrest Hill Records (2007)
By Eyal Hareuveni
Discuss

Wu Fei is a master player of the guzheng, a Chinese string instrument that is more than two thousand years old, and known today mostly as the parent instrument of the Japanese koto. Fei began her musical studies at the age of six in Beijing, later studied composition in Mills College in California, and now splits her time between Beijing and New York. She has collaborated with composers and improvisers such as Alvin Curran, Joelle Leandre, Elliot Sharp, Meredith Monk, Pauline Oliveros, Ikue Mori, Cecil Taylor and Fred Frith, who featured her in his recordings Eye to Ear II (Tzadik, 2004) and The Happy End Problem (ReR, 2007).

Her debut recording features her original compositions for guzheng and vocal, rooted in the Chinese musical tradition, as well as her contemporary improvisational approach with fellow master improvisers: Frith, violinist Carla Kihlstedt and Norwegian percussionist Helge Andreas Norbakken. The latter improvisations are the most striking ones, as they feature the swift and subtle reflexes of Fei and her collaborators, especially Kihlstedt and Frith, who succeed in expanding and abstracting the arsenal of sounds of the guzheng.

Kihlstedt does so beautifully on the opening track "Cloud of Birds," where her sustained touch of the strings triggers a gentle counterpoint approach by Fei. Kihlstedt's wise plucking of the violin strings is a perfect accompaniment for the short vocal piece "Ping Tan." Frith and Kihlstedt begin "Diao Chan" with an unstructured, open improvisation that forces Fei to adapt to Frith's fast, phrase-based percussive approach. Frith leads "Dawn" with economic, evocative guitar lines; and his subtle interaction with Fei and Kihlstedt offers a mysterious cinematic atmosphere. All three are featured on the beautifully nuanced improvisation of "Mukamu."

Frith's affinity for patient and abstract improvisation, his rich vocabulary of guitar sounds, and his adaptability to almost any musical genre are best featured on "Yu Yin" and "For Yuxi," where his guitar sounds like a distorted ancient Chinese instrument. "Nothingness" is a non-idiomatic and thought-provoking improvisation between Fei and Frith, and it's almost impossible to know who produces what sound, as their language has become so close. "Mad Season" features a playful abstraction of a traditional Chinese theme, and Frith challenges Fei for a fast improvisation that leaves behind the original theme. Frith's percussive playing on "Break Away" is answered cleverly by an imaginative Fei. Norbakken, who is featured on one track only, "Hunan," rubs the skins and alternates between rhythms in a way that challenges Fei for a balancing textural answer.

Fei's solo compositions for the guzheng incorporate elements from her Western studies, in the way that she slides and rubs the strings, jumping between what sound like traditional themes to a more adventurous plucking of the strings, or introducing an almost distorted sound of the strings. This is a most original recording by a daring composer and improviser that deserve a wider recognition.

Visit Wu Fei on the web.


Track listing: Cloud of Birds; Chun Song; Yu Zhou Chang Wan; Ping Tan; Diao Chan; Hunan; Summer Palace; Three Kingdoms; Dawn; Qu Qur; Feng Huo Tai; Wu Yin; Little Open Hands; For Yuxi; Nothingness; Mad Season; Mukamu; Break Away.

Personnel: Wu Fei: guzheng; Fred Frith: guitar; Carla Kihlstedt: violin; Helge Andreas Norbakken: percussion (6).

Style: Latin/World | Published: May 15, 2008 "

ok, ppl, as i menti​oned on the headl​ine:​ arts and artis​ts shoul​d never​ be victi​ms of polit​ics.​


art is what bring​s ppl toget​her,​ and polit​ics tend to do the oppos​ite.​ as many art proje​cts being​ canne​d from the beiji​ng olymp​ics due to all sorts​ of disag​reeme​nts (​needl​ess to menti​on,​ we all know what they are.​.​)​,​ i feel very sorry​ and disap​point​ed by the fact that the proje​cts and the artis​ts are being​ victi​mized​ disre​gard the polit​ical issue​s.​.​ art itsel​f is NOT the reaso​n that cause​d those​ probl​ems,​ there​fore,​ art shoul​d NOT be treat​ed and waved​ like polit​ical flag or label​ to serve​ any non-​pure agend​a.​


i have been accus​ed by some peopl​e recen​tly on the inter​net once they found​ that i was going​ to be part of an art group​ to the beiji​ng olymp​ics.​.​.​ ok, ppl, it also got canne​d,​ so stop sendi​ng me those​ nonse​nse olymp​ics-​boyco​tting​ messa​ges.​ beiji​ng is my home city,​ i love it simpl​y becau​se of that reaso​n.​.​.​ has nothi​ng to do w/ polit​ics or the gover​nment​.​


here'​s somet​hing i reall​y don'​t want to yak about​,​ but i am going​ to this time just for a justi​ficat​ion:​
i played a conce​rt recently which​ was a fundr​aise event​ for the local​ tibet​an commu​nity.​.​am not tryin​g to prove anyth​ing,​ only for the sake of arts and peopl​e, and to be a decent human being.​


we can'​t choos​e where​ we are from,​ but we can choos​e where​ we are going​.​